Continuity mistake: When David and Julius are playing chess at the park in Brooklyn, the slow decomposing styrofoam coffee cup, David's beeper, radio, removed chess pieces (not in play), etc., change position between shots, particularly in relation to the chess board.
Super Grover
26th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
27th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: When Jasmine sees the approaching fireball she grabs Dylan from the car and begins to run. In the shot from behind, there are double-yellow lines on the road at her feet reaching into the distance, but in the shot facing her the lines have vanished, though she did not change lanes.
17th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: In the old Plymouth on the way to DC, when David comments, "Can't this thing go any faster?" the lock on his door is down as the shot fades in on him, but when it cuts to his close-ups the lock is up, unlocked. (00:33:20)
27th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Visible crew/equipment: At the containment lab, just before Dr. Okun unlocks "the vault", three actors' marks are visible. One mark is at the top of the ramp and the other two are visible just past the ramp. (Only visible on fullscreen DVD.)
27th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Visible crew/equipment: After Dr. Okun unlocks "the vault" he explains the aliens' telepathic ability, and as David steps closer to the tanks the actors' marks are visible on the floor. (Only visible on fullscreen DVD.)
17th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: When Jimmy and Steven climb into the F/A-18 cockpits, there are various stickers on the backs of their seats which completely differ when they are airborne. (00:58:20)
18th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: When Major Mitchell gives the crash course to all the new pilots, his hair his much shorter than in previous and following shots, and Russell's beard is also much fuzzier than it was in the previous shots, etc. (01:51:30)
17th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: At the club, in Jasmine's dressing room, there are either two nail polish remover bottles beside the TV, or two white bottles - one large, one small, depending on the angle of the shot. (00:38:35)
17th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: When David and Steven are on their way to the mothership, in shots facing David's right side the black safety harness and metal clasp are upside down, but in other shots the harness and clasp are on properly.
26th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Visible crew/equipment: When President Whitmore is on the phone with his wife (their daughter Patricia lies on the bed), telling her he wants her to leave LA and a chopper will take her to Nellis Air Force Base, a Secret Service Agent appears at the doorway and the actor's mark is visible on the floor. (Only visible on fullscreen DVD.)
26th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: When Julius and David pull up beside the White House gate, David places the device on the Plymouth's hood to triangulate Connie's position inside. The device's position on the car's hood differs between the close-up and wideshot - note the car door.
25th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Visible crew/equipment: In the containment lab, when the alien awakens and begins its attack, the alien moves from right to left towards a doctor, who is backed up against a door. The crewmember who is wearing the alien costume has on a white shirt and black trousers, and the costume's straps attached to the pants are visible, as well as some wiring at the back. (Only visible on fullscreen DVD.)
28th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Revealing mistake: When the huge alien ship settles over the White House there is an exterior wideshot of the grounds. At the bottom of this shot it's funny how there are many tourists - adults and children, just milling around in front of the gate and across the street with a van driving along between the two sides, and not one has any sort of reaction to the alien ship. This real shot of the White House (some shots had smaller-scale models) had the CG ship edited in during post production. (Visible on fullscreen DVD.)
27th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Visible crew/equipment: When Dr. Okun is about to unlock "the vault", and says, "The freak show," a crewmember wearing a black and white striped shirt is hiding under the vault's floor, right behind Okun. (Only visible on fullscreen DVD.)
26th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Visible crew/equipment: At Area 51's main research facility, Dr. Okun walks up to greet President Whitmore and as his assistant, Dr. Isaacs walks up behind him, the green actor's mark is visible on the floor - he even glances down at it. (Only visible on fullscreen DVD.)
18th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Visible crew/equipment: A few shots after the White House and chopper are destroyed, when a light colored car lifts up from the bottom left to top left of the screen, the roll cannon is visible under the car, between the front tires. (00:52:10)
17th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: When the two couples say their goodbyes, before Steven and David's mission, Jasmine has her right arm over Steven's shoulder in the shot facing her, but next shot her right arm is down, under his arm.
10th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: When President Whitmore boards the chopper and then Air Force One, he wears a white shirt with both thin and thick stripes. The stripes on his shirt collar constantly change, and nowhere is it more noticeable than when they arrive at Area 51. It varies between only one thick stripe, which changes from the top of the collar to the bottom, or two or more thick stripes, all surrounded by thin stripes. Wardrobe Dept bought identical shirts for the actor to wear, but the collar stripes just don't match up between scenes.
27th Nov 2008
Independence Day (1996)
Visible crew/equipment: When the President stands by "the big tamale" he asks Dr. Okun if he can tell them anything useful about them. When Okun rushes up the ramp as he passes Nimzicki, the actor's mark is visible on the ramp, directly in front of the Secretary of Defense. (Only visible on fullscreen DVD.)
20th Dec 2005
Independence Day (1996)
Continuity mistake: When David squeezes his dad's shoulder, after he just won chess, David has a severe bruise on the middle fingernail of his left hand, which disappears as soon as he gets back to work.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.