7th Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: On the deck of the Inferno, when Mama is pulling the pearls from Mouth's mouth, Francis is tying up Andy's hands with black rope. When Mama asks, "Is that all?" the color of the rope is off-white, but it then changes back to the black rope in the following shots. (01:32:30)
7th Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: On the Inferno's deck, after Mouth spits out the jewels from his mouth, when Andy calls Mama, "You gross old witch," Francis is tying up Andy's hands and his sword is held between his legs, but in the next shot Francis is behind Stef and the sword instantly appears in his hand held high. (01:32:45)
7th Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: At Paula's house, during the game, when Denver eats the chicken wings they change between shots.
7th Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: At her mother's house, when Kate is in the bathroom after she changes her clothes, the items in Courtney's baby bag disappear, reappear or change position.
7th Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: At Pastor Phil's church, when Kate and Brad are preparing for the play and the baby is handed to Kate, the pamphlet jumps in and out of the baby 's grasp between shots - when his hand is not at his mouth.
6th Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: In the diner, when the alien destroyer is about to pass overhead, things begin to shake as Russell sits at the counter and the three guys are at the table. In the close-up of the table, the salt and pepper shakers appear near the coffee cup, the Diet Coke disappears and everything changes position - having nothing to due with the table shaking.
3rd Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: At the Oval Office, when General Grey says, "They're tracking another one off the California coastline," the grandfather clock is perfectly centered between the two doorways. In the following shots the clock is much farther to the right. (00:14:45)
3rd Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: When David and Julius are playing chess at the park in Brooklyn, Julius is smoking a cigar which varies in length between shots, when he holds it and also when it is in the ashtray. (00:08:00)
3rd Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: When Steven walks across the lawn to get the newspaper, a few feet away from the window there is a tall rosebush behind a white bench seat with a high back. Later, when Steven packs up to head back to the base, Jasmine pulls open the curtains and right outside the window is a tall flowerless bush. (00:25:20 - 00:29:10)
3rd Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: In the kitchen, when Steven is packing up before leaving for El Toro, the blue dolphin figurine faces the TV and is about six inches away. In the following shots it faces the opposite way and is about three feet away. (00:28:50)
3rd Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: When Steven returns to the base, some of the other guys are watching the news on TV. In the TV's close-up there is a towel right beside it and newspapers lying on top, but in the next shot the newspapers change and the towel is about two feet away. (00:34:20)
3rd Dec 2008
Visible crew/equipment: On bended knee, when Jimmy opens Steven's gift box with the ring, in the close-up an oblong metallic object is pushing up against Jimmy's left hand, between his thumb and index finger. Likely used to keep his hand steady in the tight close-up. (Only visible on fullscreen DVD.) (00:35:20)
3rd Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: When the White House is being evacuated, in the shot from behind as Connie rushes to the chopper, at her side she carries a briefcase in her left hand, but in the next shot facing her nothing is in her left hand (viewer's right). (00:42:50)
2nd Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: After Major Mitchell is asked get a gun to shoot the Coke can, in shots facing David, the Major's body faces toward the alien attacker, but in shots facing the alien attacker Major Mitchell's body is turned the opposite way.
2nd Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: Aboard Air Force One, when David feels nauseous there is a telephone between his seat and his father's, whose cord gets twisted between shots, though it hasn't been touched.
1st Dec 2008
Revealing mistake: The following take place in F/A-18s. After Jimmy says, "I got you covered, big daddy," there is a close-up of his gloved hand as his thumb presses the launch button. Later, when President Whitmore fires his last missile (with negative impact) there is a close-up as his thumb presses the launch button, and then a minute later there is a close-up of Russell's hand as he presses the launch button (resulting in launch failure). The last two close-ups are the very same shot as shown earlier, only the last two shots are flipped the other way. (00:57:25 - 02:04:00)
1st Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: When the White House is being evacuated, as Connie runs down the stairs in the shot facing her, she is speaking with a woman to her right, but in the next shot from behind the woman has vanished. (00:42:30)
1st Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: In the interior shot, when Jasmine tries to explain why she doesn't want Steven to leave she pulls open the white curtains, to view the alien ship through the window (the window closest to the door), and as Steven walks out the front door she stands by that open window. Then when it cuts to the exterior shot, in an instant that window's brown venetian blinds are now down and the white curtains are drawn closed, as Steven walks down the lawn.
1st Dec 2008
Trivia: According to the Director's commentary, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation did not want the film to be released under the title "Independence Day" to avoid legal complications (specifics weren't disclosed as to what the problems might be, but it's also why the abbreviation "ID4" was used). Roland Emmerich (director/writer) and Dean Devlin (writer) needed to justify the title, so they added the rousing bit right at the end of President Whitmore's speech at the hangar when he ends with, "The 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday...today we celebrate our Independence Day!"
1st Dec 2008
Continuity mistake: At the MCAS El Toro ruins, when Steven's chopper is heard overhead, the First Lady sits up and leans on her right arm with her left arm over the blanket. In Jasmine's close-up, the First Lady is lying down fully covered by the blanket, but when it cuts back to the First Lady her position is back as the first shot.
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