Listen, please remember that these are our favorite movies and we’re not picking on them generally! However, these are some pretty funny mistakes that you can’t un-see once you’ve noticed them. If you’re a film fanatic or just into these awesome movies, check out these mistakes found in 10 of our favorite movies.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl (2003)
In the final rousing scene of this film, Captain Jack Sparrow is commanding his crew: “On deck, you scabrous dogs!” Just then to his left, you can see a crew member in a cowboy hat gazing out to sea.
The Goonies (1985)
At the end of the movie, we see the whole gang recapping their adventures. Data tells a reporter about his harrowing battle with a giant octopus, and you are probably struggling to remember that because that scene was not part of the theatrical release, and was never seen until the Disney Channel showed the film in the 1990s.
Braveheart (1995)
The fact that poor Hamish has to run into battle with a wobbling rubber axe and a modern car can be seen in the background during another battle scene are among this film‘s woes.
Troy (2004)
There are numerous funny continuity errors in this film (and many other movies with epic battle scenes) including wounded people without tears in their armor, and Troy’s wall disappearing mid-scene. The most famous mistake, however, was faked: the photo of Brad Pitt with an airplane flying overhead you may have seen online was Photoshopped.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
As the stormtroopers menacingly patrol the death star in this film, their fear factor is drastically hampered by the stormtrooper who bumps his head as he tries to march through an archway and doesn’t quite make it. This is a pretty famous Star Wars moment, and in Attack of the Clones, Jango Fett also bumps his head—a deliberate hat tip to the original head bump, as if all Jango clones have inherited his clumsiness.
The Shining (1980)
There are various discrepancies in the spatial layout of the hotel and grounds in The Shining, and we include them here since viewers often notice them as if they were mistakes. However, according to the executive producer, this was done deliberately to increase confusion and therefore fear in the viewer. In any event, the layout makes no sense; the overview of the hotel shows a sloped parking lot at the front of the structure which later is replaced by the hedge maze, and the way the wings and hallways of the hotel work together is nonsense.
North by Northwest (1959)
Although this thriller is among the best of Hitchcock’s works, it is also famous for the error in the Mount Rushmore cafeteria: the boy on the right covers his ears before the gun is fired as Eve threatens Roger.
Commando (1985)
Commando was a tremendous hit for Arnold Schwarzenegger, but it is replete with errors. Still, our favorite is the magical self-repairing yellow Porsche John Matrix wrecks as he chases Sully, only to arrive at his destination in a pristine version of the same car after the chase.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
We don’t have to tell you that this is one of the greatest movies ever. Still, as an airplane flies overhead we see its four engines—until the shot is cut and we see it from another angle and in that shot it has only two.
Gladiator (2000)
Perhaps the most notable error in this movie is the gas cylinder under the chariot during the Battle of Carthage in the Colosseum. As you see the chariot that has just crashed, you can see the air tank underneath it that was used to flip it over. There are numerous other mistakes, including a forest scene in which a crew member in jeans is in the shot, an arena fight scene with both a jeans-wearing crew member and a camera clearly in the shot, and continuity errors such as a helmet opening and closing between shots.
Conclusion
So, what can we take away from these mistakes found in 10 of our favorite movies? First of all, epic battle scenes almost always lead to fake looking weapons and sets, special effects that lose their specialness, and exposed crew members who always seem to be wearing jeans. Second, continuity is an art and a science, and whoever is in charge of it almost always deserves a raise and needs more coffee. Finally, we can treasure the best movie mistakes just as much as the movies that create them, because they’re hilarious.