20 Biggest Continuity Errors in Movies

Movies aim to create a smooth and believable experience, but occasionally small errors make it onto the screen – and observant viewers love finding them! These continuity mistakes can include objects changing, costumes appearing different, or scenes referencing footage that didn’t make it into the final movie. While they don’t spoil the enjoyment, these errors highlight just how much work goes into filmmaking. Here are some of the most famous on-screen blunders that fans still notice and discuss.

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

The scene showing the T-rex paddock features the goat standing on level ground just before the attack. Shortly after, the same fence appears to be next to a steep drop-off, causing the car to fall. It’s clear the landscape changes between shots within the same scene, becoming a well-known mistake in the film.

‘Pretty Woman’ (1990)

While Vivian and Edward were having breakfast at the hotel, something strange happened with Vivian’s food. She started with a croissant, but after each shot, it would inexplicably change into a pancake, and then back again. This rapid switching made it appear as if the breakfast scene was filmed on separate days with different food arrangements.

‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)

During the confrontation between Vincent and Jules and Brett, the bullet holes in the apartment wall appear *before* any shots are actually fired. Once the shooting begins, these holes perfectly align with where the bullets later hit. These marks shouldn’t be visible in the initial camera angles. The wall clearly changes between different shots, revealing that the scene was staged.

‘The Goonies’ (1985)

In the end, Data tells the press he found the octopus quite frightening. However, that scene was cut from the final version of the movie, meaning viewers never actually saw the encounter Data is referring to. This creates a confusing moment because the movie mentions something that was removed, causing a break in the story’s flow.

‘Commando’ (1985)

During a car chase, John Matrix crashes a yellow Porsche, leaving it heavily damaged. Surprisingly, he drives the same car away shortly after, and it looks almost completely fixed. The damage clearly changes between shots, meaning the car’s condition doesn’t make sense throughout the scene.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003)

During a conversation, the ropes binding Jack Sparrow’s wrists visibly change tightness, sometimes being snug and other times loose. The knot itself also moves position between different camera angles. It’s clear these bindings weren’t consistently maintained throughout filming and had to be adjusted between each take, rather than fixed in post-production.

‘Titanic’ (1997)

Throughout the scenes where Rose is in the water, there are noticeable errors in consistency. Her lifejacket straps repeatedly change position – sometimes neatly crossed, other times hanging loose. Similarly, her hair goes from being soaking wet and messy to looking drier and styled within the same sequence. These quick changes happened while filming continuous shots on the same part of the ship, suggesting the wardrobe and hair teams couldn’t maintain consistency during the complicated water scenes.

‘Braveheart’ (1995)

The blue paint on William Wallace’s face changes noticeably throughout the battle scenes. Sometimes it covers a larger area of his cheek, and other times it appears to fade. There’s no clear reason for these shifts in the makeup, and it doesn’t stay consistent from shot to shot.

‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Throughout the questioning, the Joker’s makeup appears inconsistent. Smudges and dirt on his face seem to change position or get heavier depending on the camera angle. It’s as if his messy appearance is being reset between each line, even though he doesn’t move much. This made it difficult to keep his look consistent when filming multiple takes.

‘Back to the Future’ (1985)

During the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, Marty notices his hand starting to disappear. Close-up shots show his hand quickly switching between visible and see-through, but this effect isn’t consistent from different camera angles. The scene changes so quickly that the disappearing hand trick doesn’t quite work as planned.

‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ (2001)

In the early scenes set in the classroom and Great Hall, you might notice some inconsistencies with Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s hair length and how their scarves are positioned. These details change between shots, even during what’s supposed to be a single conversation. This is because the scenes were filmed over several months with additional shots and retakes, leading to slight differences in their appearance within the same scene.

‘The Matrix’ (1999)

During the interrogation scene, Agent Smith cuts Neo’s mouth. While the cut is clearly visible at first, it heals much too quickly in subsequent shots. The injury seems to disappear and reappear inconsistently, and the makeup used to create it doesn’t match the expected healing process.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ (2002)

Throughout the battle of Helm’s Deep, there are noticeable inconsistencies in how dirty Aragorn appears. In some shots, his sword and coat are covered in mud, while in the very next shot, they look much cleaner. The same happens with his hair – it goes from being soaking wet to less wet during a single, continuous charge. The amount of dirt on him doesn’t change realistically, and the way the battle was filmed caused these visual errors to stand out.

‘The Godfather’ (1972)

Okay, so I was rewatching *The Godfather* and noticed something kinda funny. Right before the shooting happens when Vito Corleone is buying oranges, the oranges themselves actually move around between shots! It’s not a huge deal, but if you look closely, the arrangement on the cart is different each time the camera comes back to it. And the number of pieces of fruit in the basket changes too. It’s clear they weren’t super careful about keeping the props exactly the same from take to take.

‘Jaws’ (1975)

During a conversation, Chief Brody’s cigarette and beer appear to quickly disappear – going from almost full to nearly empty. When the scene switches between characters on the boat, the props are obviously reset. If you watch the scene closely, you’ll notice these changes don’t match how long the conversation is supposed to last, creating noticeable continuity errors.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)

In Boromir’s final battle, the arrows sticking out of his chest appear to change position depending on the camera angle. Close-up shots show different arrangements of arrows than wider shots, and their placement isn’t consistent throughout the scene. This is because the makeup and prop arrows were deliberately positioned differently for each shot.

‘Spider-Man’ (2002)

During the cafeteria scene, Peter accidentally bumps Mary Jane’s lunch tray. As they speak, the placement of items like milk, fruit, and food keeps changing between shots. Things seem to move on their own, even though Peter and Mary Jane stay in the same position, because the props weren’t consistently set up between each take.

‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)

Throughout the scenes on the Yellow Brick Road, Dorothy’s hairstyle seems to change unexpectedly. Sometimes her curls are down around her shoulders, and in the very next shot, they’re pulled back and out of view. These small inconsistencies in her appearance happened frequently during the long filming process.

‘Casino Royale’ (2006)

Okay, so during that intense building collapse scene in Venice, I noticed a bit of a continuity goof. Bond’s shirt kept…changing. One second it was ripped wider, the next it looked less damaged. And the bloodstains? They actually *moved* between shots! It’s pretty clear the wardrobe department didn’t quite manage to get everything back to the same state for each take, which is a shame because it was a really gripping sequence otherwise.

‘The Avengers’ (2012)

During the Battle of New York, Captain America’s suit visibly changes throughout the fight – scratches and burns appear and disappear quickly, even within the same scene. Objects around him, like cars and rubble, also seem to jump around between different camera angles. This quick editing reveals several minor inconsistencies in the visuals.

Share the biggest movie continuity error you have ever spotted in the comments.

2025-10-17 09:18