Continuity mistake: When Annie and Laurie leave the hardware store to go to their babysitting jobs it is broad daylight. When they reach the houses apparently just a few blocks away, it is already dark.
Continuity mistake: When the old car blows up both of the dead zombies are gone. (00:21:40)
Continuity mistake: The yellow getaway car crashes on the waste land then rolls over. After it has come to rest, the mounds of earth used to roll the car have disappeared. Also, the car's windscreen disappears. Just before the crash, on an inside shot, it is there, but on the outside shots it has disappeared.
Continuity mistake: When the three T-Birds go to moon at the TV camera at the National Dance Off, Doody says "1, 2, 3, go!" and pulls down his trousers to his ankles. In the next scene, his trousers are suddenly pulled right up to his buttocks.
Continuity mistake: In the scene in the Beatles hotel room where Nancy Allen comes out from under the cart with the cokes on it, when she first sees the Beatles' guitars, notice that in the very first scene, the Hofner bass is left handed (the pick guard is on the left as you're looking at it), then it cuts to her, then when it cuts back to her rolling on the floor with the bass, it's suddenly right handed, then when in the last scene with her handling it, it's left handed again.
Continuity mistake: During the classroom scene, Donald Sutherland writes the word "Satan" on the board. In the first shot, the "t" in Satan in directly over the crease on the chalkboard. In the next shot, it is clearly on one side of the crease. (00:18:00)
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the film when Spider Mike is rescued from a town. The Rubber Duck's truck is damaged. It loses the bullbars on the front, and the windbreaker on the roof is flattened against the roof of the cab. Yet after leaving the town, in a series of shots showing the Rubber Duck's truck. The damage disappears or varies. The windbreaker appears fixed and so do the bars, but in the next shot just the windbreaker is fixed and the bars aren't. It continues like this through a montage and then in the next scene when it cuts back to a close up of the truck both are damaged again. (01:47:40)
Continuity mistake: When Brody thinks he spots a shark, he rings his bell, then begins to descend the watch tower. In one shot you can see a woman with blonde hair, sitting on a beach-chair, at the bottom of the watch-tower. In the next overhead shot, as Brody runs across the beach, the same woman now suddenly has an orange hat on. (00:44:50)
Continuity mistake: Kal-El's cradle arrives on earth, flies zooming past the Kents' car, which is driving in the opposite direction and crashes 500 meters behind the vehicle. The car keeps moving for about 200 meters and then pulls over. A brief shot shows an intact curb on the right. However, when Jonathan Kent gets out of the car, everything changes: The cradle has moved 700 meters ahead and lies next to the car; and the immaculate field is now destroyed by a huge ditch.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Bette Davis has lost her shawl there is a shot of her and Maggie Smith from far away. They talk about the time and in the background Angela Lansbury is drinking. She puts down her glass and leans her head on her hand. Then the shot changes to a close-up of Bette Davis and Maggie Smith and you can see Angela Lansbury in the background, with the glass in her hand, just about to take a drink. (00:55:05)
Continuity mistake: During the long wedding scene, while Michael watches Linda on the dance floor, the level of the beer in his glass goes up and down several times.
Continuity mistake: There is one scene in the final earthquake as Ski and Sonny are driving around the city that's being destroyed - the Trans Am gets hit from the right side, hard enough to throw the car into a small skid, but seconds later there is no damage to the car, and nothing like that was discussed during the planning of the stunt. One has to wonder if that hit was unintentional and not scripted.
Continuity mistake: As Max is carrying a birthday cake out of the kitchen, the candle blows out as he walks. But the candle is suddenly lit again when the camera angle changes, as he walks into the living room.
Continuity mistake: After the second rape, on the rock, as Jennifer lays on the rock, her hair changes position between shots.
Continuity mistake: When Captain Drazak arrives at the camp carrying the bodies of the bandaged men, he passes in front of the child. The child makes fun with his right hand, but in the next shot, from behind, the child uses his left hand.
Continuity mistake: When Cheech is turning over his car to pick up Chong you see him starting to turn over before he reach Chong. When it cuts Cheech has passed Chong before turning over. (00:07:40)
Continuity mistake: The rabbits have a close encounter with some rats in a shed on the cemetery. A spade falls over. In the next shot the spade lays in a wheelbarrow.
Continuity mistake: Spoiler: At the end of the film, Faye Dunaway shoots Tommy Lee Jones. He falls to the floor dead. The positions of his coat and tie change between shots.
Continuity mistake: When Billy Lo is fighting the huge guy, he gets a footprint stamped onto his jumpsuit, the print changes size throughout the fight.
Continuity mistake: When Ryan is proving his skills with the orange Mercedes, the driver's door mirror is missing before it strikes the water valve, yet is back moments later. (00:36:25)