Planet of the Apes (1968) - 15 mistakes

Revealing: Most of the posed, fake displays in the ape's Museum of Natural History contain real people who are slightly moving if one pays careful attention. Especially noticeable are those posing with objects held in - or above - their hands.

Continuity: When the spaceship first springs a leak and begins to sink, the interior shots show it tilting to starboard; Taylor falls against the starboard bulkhead and the other two survivors need to brace themselves from slipping. All of the exterior shots of the ship show it level from port to starboard.

Continuity: The first exterior shots of the spacecraft in the desert lake show the spaceship's hatch door already gone... before the astronauts blow it off with an explosive charge minutes later in the movie.

Revealing: When Cornelius and Taylor are talking over the canyon, the river at the bottom is obviously a photograph. The whitecaps don't move at all.

Continuity: At the end of the movie when Taylor and the woman find the ancient ruins of the Statue of Liberty, their distance from the statue seems to change between shots. In the first shot (when it only shows them and the torch) they seem to be almost next to it. In the next shot (when it only shows them and the crown) they are farther away. And in the last shot (when it shows Taylor kneeling from behind and the full torso of the statue) he is even farther away from it.

Continuity: Towards the end of the movie, at the cave, you can see that the rifle Charlton Heston has been firing has no magazine inserted.

Revealing: Throughout the movie, if you look closely at all of the ape's mouths, you can see the actor's teeth behind the ape teeth.

Continuity: Shortly after the astronauts crash land in the desert lake, they discover that the female crew mate is dead, her body is mummified due to an air leak in her cubicle. The mistake is that when her body is first seen, the arms and hands are folded across her chest. Seconds later, when the water starts rushing in, the point of view from inside her cubicle shows her arms at her sides.

Continuity: Towards the end when Taylor is shaving, they show a shot of him when he is nearly finished; only a small dab of the shave cream left on his chin. Cut to a shot of Lucius and Cornelius looking at him from behind and his face is completely lathered once again.

Visible crew/equipment: Right before Taylor gives the female ape (Zira) the piece of paper with his name on it, while he is fighting the other ape, the shadow of the camera is seen on the bottom of the cage.

Visible crew/equipment: When the astronauts are running down a dusty hill in the desert, you can spot the shadow of the camera on the back of Landon and Dodge.

Revealing: Toward the end of the film, in a long-shot, an ape hits another in the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking him over. You don't even have to look closely to see that the rifle's butt never even comes close to making contact with him.

Revealing: The wound on Charlton Heston's neck is never more than a little bit of red paint smeared on his skin. The plot suggests he was shot in the neck with a gun, explaining why he cannot speak to defend himself (though it was unrealistic, since he couldn't even utter any sounds). Understandably, this movie was made in 1968, so special effects and makeup were limited, though you would expect them to put more effort into the illusion of a gunshot, especially for something so critical to the plot.

Continuity: Towards the end of the movie when Taylor, Cornelius, Zira, and Nova are about to enter the cave, Zaius arrives with his crew. Taylor comes running back taking a few shots at the soldiers then he points his gun at Zaius. In a frontal shot you will notice the gun he is pointing has a strap on it tucked under his left hand as he is aiming. The scene goes to a rear shot of Taylor in the foreground and Zaius in the background on the beach. Look close at the gun Taylor is pointing and you will see the strap hanging free. As the scene returns to a frontal shot you will see the strap is tucked under his left hand again.

Continuity: When the 3 of them are swimming and one sees foot prints, he calls to Taylor - when Taylor starts out of the water his hair is wet, but when he stands up out of the water it is dry.