Continuity mistake: The tri-lens of the Martian camera becomes detached from its casing after Gene Barry pounds it to death. When he picks it up and puts it on a table, it rocks forward and comes to rest, facing down, on the table: the tri-lens is now firmly attached to its casing. (00:51:30)
Continuity mistake: When the Martian saucer crashes in the farmhouse while Dr. Forrester and Sylvia are eating, a long shot shows the Martian saucer crashing into the side of the house. Then it cuts to an inside shot with the wall (with a window) being smashed from outside in. Then it cuts to an outside shot again showing the meteor having collapsed the side of the house that was caving in, in the inside shot, however the meteor has crushed almost half the house - far more than what was happening in the inside shot. (00:44:30)
Revealing mistake: After Forrester picks up the school bus sign, there's a shot of a Martian machine blasting at a bridge. Looking closely, the light poles can be seen through the machine, showing the model was matted over the background.
Other mistake: In the War Room, the Martians' movements are demonstrated on a chalkboard, but push pins easily go into it a moment later as if it were cardboard or sheet rock.
Other mistake: In the farmhouse, when Sylvia looks out and sees movement, she claims it was too dark to see. However, the Martian was lit up enough to be seen from a distance, and details on it were seen.
Other mistake: When the people in the bunker are watching the Reverend walking, there is a distinct meshing of two separate scenes.
Revealing mistake: In the first scene of the crashed meteor, on the extreme left of the scene where the smoke is, it seems to be billowing up from behind a stage wall, as there is a definite vertical line and a gap between the smoke and the left edge of the frame.
Continuity mistake: When the Martian probe is being demonstrated in the lab, as it first comes on, it's slightly tilted. As the camera is in wide shot, the probe is straight up.
Continuity mistake: During the beginning of the movie, as the camera zooms in on the image of Mars, some of the background stars disappear and reappear. (00:01:45)
Character mistake: On several occasions, scientist (Clayton Forrester) refers to the impacting objects as "meteors". Any scientist knows (or should), that when a meteor impacts the the ground, it becomes a "meteorite".
Continuity mistake: A hatch opens-up to the martian saucer showing a very weak, limp martian arm moving slowly and lying against the door. Next scene shows a wide angle view of the people and the arm but the arm is now touching the belly of the craft. Another scene change has a close-up of the arm again resting on the hatch. (01:22:45 - 01:23:45)
Continuity mistake: When Dr. Forrester is presenting the tri-lens in the lab, the red light at the bottom of the tri-lens is in a different position in the closeup and the cloth surrounding it is arranged differently too. (00:56:30)
Visible crew/equipment: When Dr. Forrester whacks the tri-lens martian in the farm house, as it falls down you can see the wire attatched to it. (00:49:20)
Continuity mistake: When Dr. Forrester whacks off the aliens' spy camera, it looks like it's virtually destroyed when he bends down to pick it up. Later in the lab when they power it up, it's in pristine condition.
Continuity mistake: When Sylvia is cooking the eggs in the farmhouse, she moves the kettle onto the centre of the stove as she serves up the eggs on the plates. In the next shot as Dr. Forrester picks up the kettle, it is back in the corner of the stove. (00:42:20)
Factual error: The Marines that arrive at the landing site are said to be from El Toro, but El Toro was a Marine Corps Air Station; it would not have had the infantry, artillery, and armored units that arrive at the site.
Continuity mistake: From the time the army first attempts to destroy the Martians until the movie's end, Sylvia wears the same blue dress. Despite sheltering in an army bunker, being in a plane crash, jumping into ditches, running through woods, escaping a demolished house, and evading a frantic mob, her hair remains perfectly coiffed and her dress stays clean and undamaged.
Continuity mistake: In the laboratory, the lenses of the Martian camera were tilted in the frame in the closeup, then righted in the wide shot.
Other mistake: When the Martians first land on earth, the ship is so hot, it starts fires in the surrounding area, and can't be approached for hours later. Yet later, when another ship crashes directly into the farmhouse, there are no fires, and the farmhouse certainly doesn't catch fire.
Revealing mistake: As the command post is engulfed by fire, one (stuntman) soldier comes crashing through and over a table. As he does, the gloves he wore to protect his hands during the fire scene are visible. Nobody else was wearing gloves. (00:38:00)
