Movies and television shows pass by dozens of pairs of eyes before they reach our devices and cinema screens, but human error exists and mistakes can still happen. That’s why sometimes things or illogicalities that shouldn’t be there make the final cut for everyone to see.
At this point, looking for inaccuracies or bad details in films has become a fun thing to do for some movie watchers. Over a million of them are gathered in this Reddit community, which allows them to share their accidental discoveries with other cinema enthusiasts.
Scroll down to find the most hilarious mistakes that somehow slipped past the careful eyes of movie makers, and be aware that the members of this subreddit often dabble in some serious irony and sarcasm.
While you're at it, make sure to check out a conversation with filmmaker and writer Molly Smith, who kindly agreed to tell us why such things go unnoticed.
#1 In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark Talks To Elon Musk Once But Never Appears With Him Again For The Rest Of The Mcu – Because Tony Stark Learns From His Mistakes
Image credits: BrickBuster2552
#2 A Little-Known Fact About Avengers: Endgame (2019) Is That None Of The Actors Portraying The Franchise’s Superheroes Have Actual Real-Life Superpowers — Except Of Course Jeremy Renner, Who Is F**king Immortal
Image credits: ajcpullcom
#3 In Titanic, On Her Deathbed, Instead Of Thinking About Her Children And Husband With Whom She’s Been Living For 70 Years, Rose Remembers Some Homeless Dude Who F***ed Her On A Boat
Image credits: Significant_Cold9696
While reading through the end credits of any movie, you probably see hundreds or even thousands of names scrolling by. Somewhere in that list of actors, directors, writers, and producers are those who are responsible for making sure that unwanted mistakes don’t reach people’s screens.
Bored Panda reached out to filmmaker and writer Molly Smith, who kindly agreed to tell us why such things go unnoticed.
She told us, "Continuity mistakes and background mishaps can sometimes get overlooked in films because the director and editor watch the cut so many times that they may not notice those small details.
The more you watch something, the more familiar you get with it, and these inconsistencies may not stand out. A director is focused on making the story coherent and communicating the overall tone and message of the film. The editor is focused on continuity and an overall sense of flow and polishing. Small details, like an extra falling over in the background of a scene, might get overlooked because the director is focused on something else."
#4 Oppenheimer (2023) And Barbie (2023) Open The Same Day. One Is About The Invention Of The Atomic Bomb. The Other Is About A Plastic Doll. Guess Which One Stoked The Most Political Outrage. Go On, Take A Wild Fuckin' Guess
Image credits: Jack_Q_Frost_Jr
#5 In Avengers Endgame, People Are Shown To Still Be Grieving 5 Years After The Snap. This Is Unrealistic, Because History Shows That In The Years After A Traumatic Event That Kills Millions Of Innocent People, The Survivors Instead Just Bitch About Inflation.
Image credits: Dankanator6
#6 In Meg 2: The Trench (2023), We Learn That Jason Statham's Legs Are Strong Enough To Push Back Against A Megalodon. Don't Skip Leg Day, People
Image credits: lessonsfromgmork
There is also continuity, and script supervisors who ensure that film and television scenes make sense both visually and verbally and can be edited into a coherent story when filming is finished. This department observes everything closely, taking detailed notes for directors and editors.
They also make sure that everything in the scenes is in the exact location and in the same manner, take after take, even if the scene is shot for days or weeks at a time. At the end of each day, they produce a report putting down any errors and giving information about the already-shot scenes to be used for the following days (as well as at the editing stages of the film).
#7 To Make Sure Their Accents Were Accurate, The Child Actors In The Harry Potter Movies Were Forced To Grow Up In England
Image credits: fuzzy_dice_99
#8 Be Sure To Watch "Hamilton" (2020) With A Critical Eye. There Are Some Major Historical Inaccuracies. Many Of These Large Musical Numbers Never Happened.
Image credits: Penguin-Monk
#9 In Barbie, The Main Character Is A Single Young Woman Who Is Able To Afford Her Own House In 2023. That Is Because It Is A Fantasy.
Image credits: Reddituser0346
However, keeping continuity is not an easy task. For instance, the crew may shoot an outdoor winter scene for a Christmas movie in the spring but discover that they need to go back for extra shots in the fall. The fake snow needs to look real and fall with the same consistency as it did months earlier. Additionally, all the props around the scene must look identical to previous ones.
#10 In Wonka (2023)… Oh For Fuck’s Sake, Did We Really Need A Willy Wonka Prequel?
Image credits: fuzzy_dice_99
#11 Cast Away(2000)chuck Is Welcomed Home With A Seafood Platter,because His Friends Are Assholes
Image credits: JohnnyUtah-91
#12 In The Handmaid’s Tale (2017) June Osborn Plays A Woman Living In An Oppressive Totalitarian Society That Tramples On Human Rights And Controls Its Citizens Through Indoctrination, Intimidation And Violence… Oh Wait, That’s Actually Elisabeth Moss Because She’s A Practicing Scientologist
Image credits: PrestigiousCoffee
It’s nearly impossible to duplicate everything how it was, so directors often use cutaway tricks to mask inconsistencies in moves. Even though the staff takes hundreds of photographs of the location and makes extensive notes on light placement, details, and actors, no one is immune to accidents.
#13 Monty Python Wanted Viewers To Experience The Most Random Movie Ending Ever. So They Called The Police Force To Ruin The Ending
Image credits: Embarrassed-Mouse-49
#14 In The Last Jedi(2017), Finn And Rose Save Horses From Captivity While Not Saving The Child Slaves. The Movie Was Then Awarded An Oscar From Peta.
Image credits: Biorobs
#15 In Memento (2000) The Protagonist Has Severe Short-Term Memory Issues. This Is A Reference To Memento (2000) Where The Protagonist Also Has Severe Short-Term Memory Issues
Image credits: Stacy_Ann_
Some of these accidents involve leaving modern-day objects that aren't appropriate for the era in which the movie is set. Fans and cinema enthusiasts have been spotting modern water bottles in Little Women and Game of Thrones, while roads in Bridgerton have yellow traffic lines that were invented much later.
This may already be considered a factual mistake - one that clashes with the real world by being historically, geographically, or physically incorrect. Even a modern word that didn’t exist yet but was accidentally included in the final cut of the movie can disturb the historical plot.
#16 In Breaking Dawn (2012) Jacob Imprints On Renesmee When She's A Baby, Meaning That He Will Look After Her Until She's A Legal Adult So That She Can Then Be His Romantic Partner. There Is No Joke, This Actually Happens And People Are Just Okay With It Apparently
Image credits: Subject_Tutor
#17 In Despicable Me 4 (2024) How Tf Does This Kid Have A Normal Size Nose? Both His Parents Are Rocking Nuclear Warheads For Sniffers And This Kid Just Has A Stub. Completely Unwatchable
Image credits: denever23
#18 In Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010), Fleur Tells Bill... Wait... How The Hell Did This Shot Get Past Jk Rowling???
Image credits: MPVanJ
Errors in films are referred to as “goofs” and can take us momentarily outside of the world that the movie was trying to create. They shouldn’t be confused with bloopers, which are amusing mistakes made by an actor or the crew and are usually removed before the production is released. They may be shown at the end of the movie to poke fun at how actors react to unexpected situations.
Smith told us that "Most major mistakes are fixed during post-production, the stage of filmmaking where the film is edited together, sound mixed, color graded, scored, and any VFX are added. In addition to the main editor, there might be several other creators that specialize in these different areas of post-production.
For example, Foley artists are responsible for creating authentic sound effects for things like footsteps, rustling clothes, etc. With all these different specializations, each person is focused on perfecting their area of the film, so major mistakes don’t frequently show up. In addition, there are usually test screenings in front of an audience for feedback before the final film is released."
#19 In An Impressive Display Of Acting Range, Joe Pesci Plays Both The Cop At The Beginning Of Home Alone (1991) And One Of The Burglars Later In The Film
Image credits: BirthdayBoyStabMan
#20 Disney’s Turning Red Takes Place In The Year 2002 And References Multiple Items Of Pop Culture Relevance For The Time. Turning Red Is A Period Piece
Image credits: Nezzieplump
#21 In "Captain America: The Winter Solder," Natasha Shows Steve Her Bullet Wound And Says "Bye Bye Bikinis." However, Bikinis Weren't Invented Until 1946, A Year After Steve Was Frozen In Ice. This Is A Reference To Me Forgetting The Point Of This Post And Googling Bikini Pictures Of Scarlett Johansson
Image credits: grichardson526
Some other common mistakes that remain in movies reveal the filmmaking process, such as visual effects or a very obvious stunt performer. This is also related to visible camera crew equipment that is accidentally left in the final cut of the movie. There can also be audio errors related to speech, sound effects, or character mistakes with significant slips in dialogue or written words.
#22 In The Fast And Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), This Is A 17-Year-Old
Image credits: fuzzy_dice_99
#23 Top Gun (1986) Has Faced Criticism For Inaccurate Depictions Of Navy Servicemen Calling Them “Too Straight”
Image credits: Hendrick_Davies64
#24 At The End Of The Menu (2022), When Anya Taylor-Joy Said, “I Think My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Stomach,” She Was Probably Literally Correct
Image credits: ajcpullcom
Sometimes such blunders are left on purpose for movie watchers to find. They’re called Easter eggs and can be anything from an inside joke on set to a reference to another film.
Smith confirms this fact and says "In multi-part film franchises, callbacks to previous films in the series can be exciting for viewers to find. They also generate press about the movie on social media. If the mistake or Easter egg doesn’t interfere with the tone and story of the film and adds an element of excitement for true fans, that might be a reason why a director would choose to leave it in."
If you want to learn more about them, we recommend checking out this article full of Easter eggs and hidden details in popular films you might have never noticed before.
#25 Daniel Day Lewis On The Set Of Wonka (2023) 2 Weeks Before He Was Fired And Recasted In Favor Of Timothée Chalamet.
Image credits: LosChivos
#26 The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Was Released In Theaters On The 25th Of December, 2013 To A Mixed Critical Reception. This Is A Reference To The Fact That It's Been 10 Fucking Years, And This Movie Still Hasn't Got The Maimstream Adoration It Deserves.
Image credits: HelloKolla
#27 Gaslight (2021) Didn’t Actually Exist. You Didn’t Watch It On Youtube. It Never Had A Kickstarter. And You Haven’t Seen This Post Before.
Image credits: JellyBOB7190
#28 Most People Will Tell You The Truman Show Has Aged Brilliantly, Due To How Social Media Increasingly Documents Every Moment Of Our Lives. I However, Think It Aged Terribly Because Nobody Nowadays Would Have The Attention Span For This Boring-Ass Show.
Image credits: Theweedhacker_420
#29 In Harry Potter, Truth Potions Are Known To Exist, Yet Are Never Used In Court. This Is Because Jk Rowling Is A S**t Writer
Image credits: SoCalledProfessional
#30 For Oppenheimer (2023), Nolan Failed To Show The Trinity Bomb Test Properly, Opting Instead For A Pretty Basic-Looking Explosion That Could Be Anything Blowing Up. This Is Because He Was Not Allowed To Drop A Real Nuke For The Scene. It's A Shame Cgi Doesn't Exist, Or This Could've Been Avoided
Image credits: River_Odessa
#31 I Am Legend's (2007) Original Ending Was Changed After Negative Responses From Test Screenings. Given How Almost Everyone Unanimously Agrees That The Original Ending Was Better, The Studio Must Have Chosen The Dumbest People Alive For The Test Screenings.
Image credits: Likestuff12
#32 In This Is The End (2013), James Franco Doesn't Go To Heaven With The Rest Of The Cast. This Was A Clever Way For The Director To Let The Audience Know James Franco Is A Piece Of S**t
Image credits: Ink_k
#33 In 'Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull', Cate Blanchett's Character Quotes J. Robert Oppenheimer "I Am Become Death...". Because The Movie Takes Place In 1957, But Oppenheimer Didn't Say The Quote Until 1965, This Is The First Moment That Time Travel Is Established In The Franchise.
Image credits: Bombadook
#34 Yearly Reminder That There Is Only A 5-Year Age Gap Between Thomas Brodie-Sangster And Kiera Knightley In "Love Actually" (2003)
Image credits: Penguin-Monk
#35 In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Okoye Mentions That Mit Is The Equivalent Of A Wakandan Village School. This Is To Remind The Audience That Wakanda Is - In Fact - A Fictional Country.
Image credits: Fraidof_theDark
