War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds (2005)

158 mistakes - chronological order

(20 votes)

Continuity mistake: In the first shot as the church sustains damage, a long massive crack rips up the asphalt and concrete sidewalk under the streetlight then makes its way up the building. However, in the next shot, even as the church receives more damage, the previous damage to the asphalt and concrete is gone and there are actually people standing around that streetlight. (00:22:15)

Super Grover

War of the Worlds mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When the asphalt in front of the church starts to crack and move and Ray gets on the sidewalk, his legs are positioned in different ways in two different shots. (00:22:36)

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Suggested correction: With the way Ray moves his feet (hopping/dancing quickly from one foot to the other), I don't see a discrepancy.

KeyZOid

If you look closely in the first shot he keeps one foot on the asphalt and the other one on the sidewalk, in the other shot he has both of them on the sidewalk, so the discrepancy is very evident.

Continuity mistake: In the beginning of the film, when the first tripod began to rise from the earth, there is a cut showing two men standing on top of their scissor lift, which is swaying dangerously back and forth because of the earthquake the tripod is causing. In the very next cut, showing the entire area, the scissor lift is very apparent in the foreground, not only is it not swaying (while everything else in the area is shaking dangerously) , but one of the men is suddenly in a kneeling position, whereas he had just been standing up. (00:22:40)

Continuity mistake: When Ray puts his feet on the sidewalk when the intersection moves, there is a blue car in front of him that is on the side of the moving intersection. Three shots later, when we are shown the moving intersection, the blue car disappears. (00:22:40 - 00:23:55)

rockmandrum

Continuity mistake: When the asphalt quakes in front of the church in the overhead shot, just as the huge gush of water shoots up from the ground, in the foreground a person is leaning way out their window aghast at the goings on. In the next shot that person is gone and the window is shut. (00:22:45)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When the intersection moves, a van is parked five feet away. When the intersection is destroyed forming a hole, the van is parked closer to the hole, allowing it to be thrown in. (00:23:10)

rockmandrum

Continuity mistake: After the tripod appears from the hole in the ground, it bellows and pulls out its rays. In the next shot in the window's reflection, the tripod is seen pulling it out again. (00:26:00)

rockmandrum

Continuity mistake: When Ray looks at the tripod, he stands beside a car that's plain and labeled Maxium. But when Ray runs away, that car is now covered with droplets of water. (00:26:05)

rockmandrum

War of the Worlds mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Ray steals the van and speeds away there is a registration sticker at the corner of the windshield, on the driver's side. The sticker is gone when Ray starts shouting, "You saw! We're under attack!" when they're on the freeway. (00:30:10 - 00:32:15)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Ray steals the van the front windshield is dirty and has water spots all over. Then in the following shots, it alternates between being entirely clean, or clean only in the area that wipers swipe clean. (00:30:10)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: In the van, when Ray says to Manny "Get in, or you're gonna die," the next shot shows Rachel's face with tears in her eyes saying "What do you mean?" with a very distressed look. In next shot from the left side of the van, you can see Rachel on the right side of the screen with a different expression on her face, looking more calm, yet, in the next shot the look on her face is distressed with the look of crying again. (00:31:00)

Continuity mistake: When Ray is taking the van he's having a heated exchange with Manny, and Robbie's window is closed. However, just as Ray anxiously speeds away Robbie's window is wide open, for the dramatic close-up on Robbie's side view mirror, showing Manny's vaporizing demise, and when Robbie ducks his window is closed again. (00:31:10)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: As Ray speeds away when Manny's shop blows up, Robbie shouts, "Holy s**t!!" and ducks. The rearview mirror on the van's windshield, in this close-up, is entirely different to the one seen a few shots later, when they're on the freeway. The mirror changes yet again later. (00:31:30 - 00:32:15)

Super Grover

Other mistake: When Ray pulls up to Mary Ann's home, the front exterior layout and dimensions of the house are evident, from its near center front door to the two car garage, in front of Ray's van. The side exterior wall contains two large garage doors, which are about 35-40 ft from the location of the front door, with no small basement windows at ground level; inside, beside the front door, the stairs that lead to the basement run parallel just under the stairs in the foyer. In the basement, the small windows on the far end of the furnace room they run into are only about 20 ft from the basement stairs. Not only are the small windows non-existent in the exterior shot, but it's entirely impossible for two small windows to be where they are, considering the exterior footage of the house. (00:34:30 - 00:40:20)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: In the exterior shot of Mary Ann's house, there are three large windows of the same size over the front door, and large bay widows on both sides of the door. In the interior shot, when Ray remarks, "They're never here," the window over the door is visible and it is one large center window with very small windows on each side. In the dining room there are two windows with wall in between, certainly not a large bay window. (Additionally, in the living room there is a fireplace, where there were two windows in the exterior shot - but some could say that those windows were boarded up and a fireplace was built in front of it.) (00:34:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Ray, Robbie and Rachel arrive at Mary Ann's house, as the kids shout for their mom and Tim, the door to the basement under the stairs, as well as the den further up (beside the kitchen), are all perfectly visible. Later, after the house is destroyed, when Ray walks through the basement doorway, the walls, moldings, and so on are entirely different, and now there is an extra wall (perpendicular to the camera) to the left (viewer's) where there was none before. (00:35:10 - 00:41:40)

Super Grover

Visible crew/equipment: In Mary Ann's kitchen, just as Ray comments, "Ok, well you hungry? I'll get you some food," the clear reflection of a male crewmember moving around is visible in the glass window behind Ray. Then just as he says, "This is ketchup and mustard," another older male crewmember is visible directly in front of Rachel's reflection. (00:35:45)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: Ray places the box of groceries down on the island counter in Mary Ann's kitchen. In the following shots the box (and goods inside), ceramic pitcher with utensils, tray of napkins, peanut butter, bread and bag, repeatedly, and very noticeably, change positions. (00:35:50)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Ray empties the bag of bread, nine of its slices fall out, and he drops the plastic bag (the rest don't fall out). In the next shot there are seven slices total (not nine), and Ray tosses one of them near the box, since he needs only six. But a few shots later two slices appear near the box, together with the six that Ray uses to prepare for sandwiches, totaling eight. (00:36:25)

Super Grover

Ray: Can you think of a plan that doesn't involve your 10-year-old sister joining the army?

More quotes from War of the Worlds

Trivia: In an early scene in which Rachel is watching television, she's channel surfing. At one point, she hits briefly upon a shot of a car being demolished by a speeding locomotive. This is, in fact, a scene from "The Greatest Show on Earth," which Steven Spielberg has reported as the first movie he ever saw at a movie theater.

More trivia for War of the Worlds

Question: Several other answers and corrections state that the reddish liquid sprayed by the tripods was what essentially grew the red vines. However I thought I heard someone in the film say something along the lines of "using us (i.e. blood) as fertiliser". Can someone please clarify?

Answer: Since the tripods tended to spray the red fluid shortly after pulling a human into themselves, it seems a good assumption that the red fluid is essentially blood. Given this, it seems likely that the "spore" of the vines is spread in the red fluid.

scwilliam

More questions & answers from War of the Worlds

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