Continuity: In the briefing scene at El Toro prior to the first counter-offensive, the briefing officer portrayed by Bill Smitrovich has silver oak leaves on his collar (marine lieutenant colonel). A few scenes later, when El Toro is under attack, Bill Smitrovich's character is shown again but has been demoted two grades and has two silver bars on his collars (marine captain).

Continuity: Although the 'line of sight' scene has been mentioned, in one particular shot from behind Jeff Goldbloom, he has his right hand out with the piece of paper in it, but when the shot switches to in front, he has his hands on his hips. (Time) Submitted by Richard Holmes

Continuity: After Bill fights the Aliens in the fighter plane he lands to see a lot of people cheering and happy. If you look at his hair when he is walking through the long white hallway, it is messed up and not perfect. A second later, when he walks into the "Command Centre", Jeff Goldblum's wife and Will Smith's wife ask to see if their husbands are okay, if you look at Bill Pullman's hair, it is now slicked back and perfect. (Time)

Factual error: In any explosion the shock-wave will travel ahead of any debris thrown by the shock-wave. During the attack scenes there are numerous cases of debris, particularly vehicles, travelling and landing in still air ahead of the arrival of the shock-wave.

Continuity: The airplanes they are flying have 4 missiles, yet at the final air combat the president fires 5 missiles: the first missile hits ship with shield on, the second and third hit the ship directly, the fourth kills a fighter alien craft, and the fifth shoots at green light from main ship. (Time)

Continuity: When Jeff Goldblum is explaining to the President about the aliens' intentions with Earth's satellites, he draws two lines that start at the destroyer and go off straight both edging off Earth. But when he places the paper back on the desk to draw in the satellites the left lines have risen away from the Earth. (Time)

Continuity: When President Whitmore and the rest get to Area 51, you see David Levinson in the background. Right before they go through the doors, he has a sunglasses clip over his glasses. As they start walking down the ramp, they are still on, but right after the glass doors open, you can see for a second or two the clip is off the glasses. Then when they go for a close up of Levinson, you can see him take the clip off. (Time)

Revealing: In the scene where Jasmine retreats from the attack in the maintenance room, she backs into a concrete wall. However, the whole "wall" shakes as she backs into it. (Time)

Continuity: At the end of the movie, all the falling debris and the accompanying firetrails change color all at once.

Factual error: David and Julius are traveling south to DC from NY so David can tell the president about the alien's plans. At one point, they're inside the city and the US Capitol building is directly in front of them. This shot is famous because many movies have photographed the Capitol building from here. To get to this point in their travels they would have, in all likelihood, passed right by the White House since they are heading south on Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol Building.

Continuity: When David squeezes his dad's shoulder, after he just won chess, David has a mark on his middle finger nail of the left hand. But throughout the rest of that day, July 2nd, the mark is sometimes gone, then back again.

Continuity: Close to the beginning of the film when we see Bill Pullman in the White House, someone turns on the tv, and if you notice in this shot, there is a chair next to the tv and an ornament, but when the camera angle cuts to an overhead shot, the chair has moved itself to a few feet away. (Time)

Continuity: At the SETI institute, there is a black guy on the phone in many shots, yet in one particular shot he is on the phone, but two seconds later he has jumped into a seat next to the woman and is typing. That's some pretty fast moving. (Time)

Continuity: In the scene at the end of the movie where Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman are making amends...as you view Bill Pullman from Jeff Goldblum's perspective (face on) his head is tilted to his right shoulder, however, as you view Bill Pullman (from behind) as he is looking at Jeff Goldblum his head is tilted to his left shoulder. This is noticed each time the perspectives change. (Time)

Factual error: The opening scene shows the Apollo 11 landing site. Aside from the previously mentioned plaque incorrectly shown being on the ground, the scene shows a pristine American flag standing upright. The Apollo 11 flag was actually knocked over when the Lunar Module ascent stage launched. (Time)

Continuity: Given the direction that the spaceship is traveling as it passes over the Mall in Washington, D.C., the White House should be completely in shadow by the time the Capitol is covered. This is not the case. Also, the shadow should spread over the White House from the left to the right, but instead it goes from the front to the back. (Time)

Continuity: Close to the middle of the film when Steven Hiller and his wingman Jimmy are running from the smaller alien aircrafts, Jimmy says " i think i'll try something ", and in this shot we can see Jimmy's fighter jet go up, and in the following shot, we see it go up again. (Time)

Deliberate "mistake": When the old crop duster pilot enters his F/A-18 during the final assault, he pushes the keypad "8" button out of curiosity and it inadvertently arms a missile. In reality, the keypad buttons are merely for navigational purposes and map coordinates. They would never be tied to the weapons system. (Time)

Revealing: In the scene where Vivica Fox, her son and her dog are trying to escape by jumping out of a cab and running, she turns and looks toward the explosion. You can see that she is carrying a very big, very stuffed mannequin. (Time) Submitted by Bonita Kilpatrick

Continuity: When Steve is leaving to go to el Toro, Jasmine comes outside to talk to Steve. In the background there is a couple packing up. A lady comes out from the house with a suitcase, goes toward a car and a man goes toward the house, and they pass each other. The next time they show a close up of Jasmine, the couple are passing each other again, for a split second. (Time)