Continuity mistake: In the opening scene, we see the bus driving on the right side of the road. When the shot goes to the guy eating the doughnut, look outside the window and the bus is about 2 feet (if that) from the curb. Yet, when we see Peter in the rear view mirror, there are now a lot of cars parked at the curb that we didn't see in the previous shot. (00:03:35)
Continuity mistake: When Peter Parker is chasing the school bus for the first time, the bus stops and it is entirely visible that there is nothing in front of the bus. When the camera is switched to the inside of the bus to show Peter stepping inside to apologize to the bus-driver, however, a tractor-trailer suddenly appears only yards from the front of the bus (visible through the windshield). Some road markings also appear. (00:03:50)
Other mistake: The scene at Columbia University was filmed on an unseasonably warm spring day, however, the costume department had provided the high school extras with cold-weather clothing. The real Columbia University students can be seen in the background wearing shorts and t-shirts by contrast. (00:05:35)
Continuity mistake: During the scene in which Peter is introduced to Norman Osborn in front of the museum, keep an eye on the Volvo parked behind the Rolls Royce. When the camera first faces Mr. Osborn (Willem Dafoe), the Volvo in the background has the window rolled halfway down. Camera switches to Peter and Harry, then back to Mr. Osborn. This time the window is all the way up. When the camera comes back to Mr. Osborn again, there is someone leaning in the window talking to the driver. The next time the camera comes back to Mr. Osborn, the window is again halfway down. (00:05:54)
Continuity mistake: When Peter is just getting to the science lab at the beginning right after his friend gets out of his fancy car, if you look at the extras walking behind the two, you will see a bright red haired girl walking by, going towards the building, but when the camera focuses on Peter the girl is there again, walking the opposite way on the other side of the huge sidewalk. You see her about 5 times going back and forth to the building. The first few times she's alone, then she's walking with another girl. (00:05:55)
Continuity mistake: In the museum, when Flash is messing with MJ, MJ looks at Peter as he moves ahead of her, yet in the following shot they are shoulder to shoulder. (00:06:30)
Audio problem: Immediately when Peter and Harry walk into the room with the genetically engineered spiders, Peter says something like "Wow, that's amazing." His mouth does not move. (00:06:35)
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the movie when the students are in a museum, we see a spider pulling up a sack of crickets. The sack changes position between shots. (00:07:00)
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the film when the class is being shown around the museum, the class moves on. In the background a black guy with a red t-shirt and black overalls walks away. In the following shot of Peter's face, the same black guy walks off again. (00:08:45)
Factual error: Why would Columbia University have the "most powerful electron microscope on the eastern seaboard" in the same lab room as it would have the spider lab, which is a biology/genetics study? Electron microscopes are useless for studying DNA. The electron beam turns molecules into sludge. All but the toughest organic samples have to be coated with metal as protection, and you can't do this with DNA. (00:09:05)
Visible crew/equipment: When Peter stands up after being bitten by the spider, there's the reflection of the cameraman with headphones on the television set behind him. (00:10:00)
Continuity mistake: When the owners of Oscorp are asking Osborn questions, just after he says "back to formula," his position in the room changes within a second. (00:11:30)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Osbourne tries the performance enhancers on himself, he takes off his labcoat and throws it into a corner. We see a long shot of the lab, and the coat is in at the base of the pillar. In a subsequent long shot however, the coat has moved a foot or so. (00:14:45)
Continuity mistake: When Norman is getting ready to test himself, he lies down on the bed, fastens himself in and the doctor goes to the computer. However, when it shows him being brought in to the chamber he has several electrodes connected to his chest and head. (00:15:20)
Suggested correction: At first the electrodes are beside Norman's head. While the doctor is fixing him in place, at one point camera focuses on his face. Later when he's stepping back for the PC, the electrodes can actually be seen stuck on his body. You can see them if you have an HD copy. So the camera focusing on his face is indicating that the doctor's doing whatever necessary for the process.
Continuity mistake: When Osbourne is on the table with the wires attached to his chest they go from both pointing to about 2 o'clock, to both nearly being vertical, to being one vertical, one angled, then just before he bursts out, the one of the left's pointing down. (00:15:30)
Continuity mistake: When Osborn is getting ready to radiate himself at his laboratory, he drinks the small bottle of anti-coagulant before stepping into the chamber. He then smashes the bottle on the ground to his left. But in later shots you see no evidence of the fragments of the glass bottle. (00:15:35)
Continuity mistake: When Norman Osbourne is in the tank, there is a close up on him at one point, and he has an expression of despair and fear on his face. But in the next shot, a wide one showing the green gas filling the chamber, Norman has a completely different look on his face. (00:16:35)
Continuity mistake: When we see Norman Osborn testing out the formula with the other doctor, Norman comes back to life and grabs the other doctor, in the first shot from the front when he grabs him, his fingers and knuckles are straight against the doctors neck, yet from the back we see now its more of a fist. (00:16:50)
Character mistake: There is a typo on one of the monitors. "human PREformance enhancement" instead of "human PERformance enhancement" (00:16:52)
Continuity mistake: In the lab experiment scene, Osborn's pulse is tracked on a computer screen, which shows his pulse numerically, and graphically, and emits a 'beep' with each beat. When his pulse accelerates, the meter races higher, but the beeps, though fast, sound consistently at the same rate. (00:16:55)
Suggested correction: DNA labeled with heavy atoms can be seen in electron microscopes. While DNA sequencing isn't yet viable with electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopy DNA sequencing could be possible. Given the fictitious advancements in science seen in Spider-Man, it's possible they can successfully sequence DNA as well.
Bishop73