25 Movie Mishaps That Slipped Through the Editing Room

A lot of work goes into making a movie. Outside of bad acting, we generally assume the finished product will be flawless. However, the following flicks show us that even the best filmmakers slip up during the editing process. Here are some big mistakes in popular films that a lot of people missed.

1. Titanic (1997)

We could discuss at least 20 mistakes in Titanic, as the film got quite a few things wrong factually. However, most people outside history buffs wouldn't have noticed the errors. 

Many viewers missed the glaring visual mistakes, like the deck changing colors during the film. Jack and his friend are conversing while standing on a black anchor, and the rails don't connect at the beginning of the movie. Later, when Rose and Jack stand in the same spot, the anchor is now white, and the railings are connected.

2. Gladiator (2000)

The movie Gladiator is supposed to be set during the time of ancient Romans. While I'm not keen on all their available resources, I'm pretty sure there were no airplanes! 

In one of the scenes where Russell Crowe is giving a speech, there's an airplane flying above him. It's so noticeable that many people wondered whether it was a mistake left there purposely or if it was just something they couldn't edit out.

3. Doctor Strange 2 (2022)

This mistake is kind of funny, as it has earned one extra in the movie a little more spotlight. Now called the “Briefcase Guy,” fans immediately noticed that something seemed off in the scene where Doctor Strange battles Gargantos, the octopus. 

This same guy with a briefcase is shown running past Strange to get away from the monster. Not once, but four different times from various angles. This was a major goof that should've gotten fixed.

4. Twilight (2008)

Twilight is one of those surprising movies that quickly gained a cult following, similar to the Harry Potter franchise. The mistake in the first installment of this romance fantasy saga is that you could clearly see one of the cameras in the reflection of Bella's (Kristen Stewart) car window. On the first day of high school, she drives up and starts having a conversation, and the camera is glaringly obvious. 

5. Forrest Gump (1994)

Forrest Gump is one of the most iconic movies of the 1990s. Tom Hanks' character does many hilarious and outlandish things, some of which even seem infeasible. But there was one scene that was impossible as opposed to implausible. 

He received a letter stating he would get a hefty payout from his investment in the Apple company. The problem is that you couldn't publicly trade Apple stock until 1980, and Forrest received the letter in 1975.

6. Star Wars (1977)

In Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, as a horde of Stormtroopers enters the control room, you can see that one of them hits their head on the door threshold. 

When interviewed, the actor Laurie Goode said his stomach was hurting that day, and when it grumbled, it made him accidentally hit his head. The director thought it was funny, so he didn't cut it for the final version.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

In the Harry Potter franchise, there are a couple of bones to pick in each of the eight movies. However, one that seemed particularly annoying to fans was when Snape was on his deathbed and told Harry he had his mom's eyes. 

According to the books, this is true because they both had green eyes. In the movies, however, Harry's eyes are blue, and one of the actresses who plays his mom has brown eyes. And this is the actress they show immediately after the scene. 

8. Braveheart (1995)

Mel Gibson stars in the historical drama Braveheart, which is set in the 13th century. It was a huge success despite one of the most striking mistakes. While they rode horses during battle, there were no cars at that time. 

As the warriors are marching toward the enemy, you can spot what appears to be a white van in the background. 

9. Spider-Man (2002)

The mistake made in Spider-Man appears to be a complete oversight. At the movie's beginning, Peter Parker is learning about his powers and testing them out in his room. 

He accidentally breaks his lamp into pieces while trying to figure out how to control them. A few minutes later, when his aunt enters the room to see why he's making so much noise, the lamp is in perfect condition and positioned on the nightstand again.

10. The Goonies (1985)

Another classic, The Goonies, features a mistake that a lot of folks didn't realize was the result of a deleted scene. At the end of the film, Data tells one of the reporters that “the octopus” was the scariest part of their adventure. Most people wouldn't have known what he was referring to, because they didn't see this scene in the film since it didn't make the final version.

11. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Quentin Tarantino is known for dropping Easter eggs in his films, and people look forward to these hidden messages. There's some speculation about whether he did this with Pulp Fiction. When Jules and Vincent enter the apartment, there aren't any holes in the walls. 

However, right before the shooting starts, you can see a few bullet holes. Some people think this was intended to convey that the guy who shot at them fired blanks and there wasn't any divine intervention, while others believe it was a mistake by Tarantino.

12. Pretty Woman (1990)

Julia Roberts plays Vivian Ward in the 1990 romance comedy Pretty Woman. In the scene we're going to critique, she is presented with a lovely spread of breakfast goodies one morning. 

She chooses a croissant while Richard Gere (Edward Lewis) reads the paper. A few seconds later, you'll notice she suddenly has a half-eaten pancake in her hand. I don't know; maybe she ate it really quickly and went for something else.

13. John Wick (2014)

There are multiple John Wick films, but the original one features a mistake that's not wrong because of how it looks but from a legal aspect. Remember at the beginning of the movie when Wick is putting gas in his tank, and he's approached by a few Russian gangsters who want to buy his Mustang? 

Technically, he wouldn't be able to perform this action since it's illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey. 

14. Grease (1978)

Grease is highly regarded as the best musical of Generation X's lifetime. Despite this, the first movie had a segment with a huge mistake. 

When the waitress is in the milkshake shop and trying to turn off the lights with her elbow, she doesn't come close to hitting the switch. Nonetheless, the lights go off anyway. 

15. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment of the trilogy, has a funny mistake in it. When Batman is reading a newspaper article that discusses the “cat” burglar going around and causing problems in the city, something stands out. 

Not their identity or what they've done specifically, but the fact that there's a typo in The Gotham Times newspaper. The article's title clearly says “hiest” instead of “heist.”

16. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

I have to wonder whether Michael Bay was a fan of the Harry Potter series because there appears to be a teleporting man in one of the scenes. I doubt anyone expected they'd see a mystery man standing behind Mark Wahlberg while he's fighting and then magically disappearing in the next frame. 

17. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

I'm not such a stickler when it comes to movie mistakes, as long as they're not over the top. I get that people aren't perfect, and sometimes you miss a detail or two, but when it comes to The Wizard of Oz, you have to get it right with Dorothy's ruby red slippers. 

After all, that's the most iconic part of her entire ensemble, right? When the Scarecrow and Dorothy fight the apple trees, the Scarecrow falls, and you can briefly see that her slippers are black before instantly turning red. 

18. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The Avengers are a dynamic group that Marvel has capitalized on when it comes to a fantastic series. Still, they made a glaring mistake in the Endgame film. 

A few things could've been named, but the worst was Ant-Man being in two different places at once. Hope and Scott were trying to fix the Quantum Tunnel that Ant-Man was inside. However, in the middle of the last battle, you can easily see Ant-Man on the ground fighting in the background as well.

19. Jurassic Park (1993)

Steven Spielberg is a legend in the entertainment industry, and Jurassic Park is one of his greatest works. The classic scene when the velociraptors chased Tim and Lex through the kitchen is seared into memory for many of us. 

What most can't remember seeing is a hand on the tail of the first velociraptor that walked through the door because the crew member was trying to hold it steady.

20. Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)

Johnny Depp was phenomenal in the first few Pirates of the Caribbean films, but the crew would have done a better job of keeping track of their crew members. During the original film in the franchise, one of the production guys stumbled onto the set. The funniest part is that he has dark sunglasses and a cowboy hat on, which doesn't match everyone else's costume on the screen.

21. American Sniper (2014)

American Sniper has a huge goof that you really can't help but notice. You'll quickly see that Bradley Cooper's character is holding a baby. Surprisingly, you can see that Cooper used his thumb to move the baby's arm to make it seem more “alive.”

After the movie was released, he did an interview with Ellen DeGeneres and laughed about the fact that they were using a plastic baby on set. It was funny to him, but many of us thought it was ridiculous not to get a real infant for the scene!

22. Back to the Future (1985)

Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies of all time. At the end of the first film, Marty McFly united his parents at prom in 1955. He goes on stage and proceeds to rock out on the guitar. Sounds cool, but there's one little, well, big problem with this scene. 

The Gibson ES-345 guitar model he used didn't become available until 1958. Even though the movie's premise is that Marty is from the future anyway, this wouldn't have been possible. Again, only your top music/instrument gurus caught something like this. Most of us just thought it was a really cool guitar!

23. Clueless (1995)

Cher Horowitz, played by Alicia Silverstone, is the girl from Clueless who constantly gets teased for her terrible driving skills. In one scene of the movie, she not only hits the parked cars but has completely obliterated her sideview mirror. Somehow, when she stops her Jeep after failing the driving test, the mirror that wasn't there is now miraculously intact.

24. Quantum of Solace (2008)

In Quantum of Solace, the filmmaker should have struck a balance between feasibility and believability. There's a certain frame where you see a maintenance worker behind Daniel Craig, and he's supposedly sweeping the grounds. 

However, when you watch closely, you see that he's actually just sweeping air. I understand not wanting to affect the scene with a cloud of dust, but it was easy to see that he was just moving the broom through the air during the clip.

25. Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Ocean's Eleven managed not to make too many mistakes that affected the action shots, but they missed one of the simpler elements of the film. In the scene where Rusty, Brad Pitt's character, is eating a shrimp cocktail at the Bellagio, the dish changes when viewed from a different angle. Suddenly, he's eating regular shrimp from a plate, which is hard to ignore.