Revealing mistake: When Luke is being fed to the Rancor, in Jabba the Hutt's dungeon, there are black outlines around the beast's legs, from the composite's blue screen special effect. This was edited out in the special edition rerelease.
lionhead
2nd Jun 2005
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
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Suggested correction: This was not a "mistake". The outlines showing around the beast's leg were due to the limited CGI technology at the time the film was made. With advances in special effects in the following decades, the filmmakers were able to enhance the CGI quality in later releases.
But it is a mistake to show that the Rancor is not real, and the outlines show that. It's certainly not intentional.
18th Apr 2024
Fallout (2024)
Continuity mistake: This show has been widely declared as canonical with the games, by the makers of both this show and the games. The game Fallout 4 establishes the date and time that the bombs drop: Saturday, October 23, 2077, 9:47 AM Eastern Time. Which means it was 6:47 AM West Coast Time. That's a pretty weird time of day to schedule a kids' party with lots of guests and a hired celebrity cowboy.
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Suggested correction: They changed a lot of subtle things from canon for the show. Also, all games have got some inconsistencies between them as well. In the show, on the TV, there is a clock that says it's around 9:30 AM the first time we see it and 10:45 when they cut the cake, so it's close to the afternoon and not very early in the morning. The position of the sun confirms this.
6th Mar 2020
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Other mistake: It seems strange that Rose the Hat doesn't sense the evil that inhabits the Overlook Hotel when she arrives. When the blood river flows in that hallway, Rose just grins at it, unaware of the danger she is in. As powerful as Rose is, she never sensed Danny's Shining ability back in 1980 even before the events at the Overlook Hotel.
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Suggested correction: The ghosts of the Overlook Hotel are still locked up in Danny's mind. There is no danger yet. What she sees are just memories from Danny overflowing into her mind. Abra experiences the same thing. Rose herself wonders how she overlooked (pun intended) Danny, but that is never explained.
30th Mar 2024
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Plot hole: It makes absolutely no sense why the Terminator, who is a programmed killer, chooses not to kill anyone in this film. In Terminator 2, he didn't kill because John, who was his master, ordered him not to. In this film, we learn that John is not his master. Kate Brewster is. And she spends most of her time complaining and trying to escape from John and the Terminator. She certainly wasn't gonna bother giving the Terminator a pep talk on no killing. So it just remains a plot hole.
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Suggested correction: Kate Brewster told the Terminator not to kill when she reprogrammed him in the future. It's a logical order to give since its mission is to protect. It's likely John gave her that idea in the future when telling her about the terminator from T-2 (before he died of course) who he gave the same order to.
I agree, but it is also possible that Kate programmed him not to kill anyone.
That's what I said.
21st Mar 2024
Gremlins (1984)
Corrected entry: Gremlins die when they see bright light. When they start taking over the town, street lanterns don't seem to bother them until the end of the movie, where they suddenly hide in a cinema "because it's too bright outside." Inside the bar, lots of Gremlins got killed by the flash of a camera, and one Gremlin even died from the light of a simple match, although Gizmo survived a similar camera flash in the beginning of the movie without a problem.
Correction: Only sunlight kills them, not bright lights. They can't stand bright lights and cower away from it, but they don't die.
4th Sep 2002
Demolition Man (1993)
Plot hole: When Spartan jumps through the window in the excavation scene of the museum, he crashes into a room with bottles of drink on the shelves. Surely this room too would have been filled in and the window smashed during the earthquake, and the museum wouldn't have bothered to excavate it as it can't be seen from above due to the blanked out window. So what is that room doing there? (00:49:20)
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Suggested correction: It is not an excavation. It is only made to appear like an excavation for the museum; it is all decor to display the 20th century items like the car.
2nd Mar 2024
The Revenant (2015)
Corrected entry: When Glass encounters the wolf kill and the Indian, they eat the raw meat. But it's insane to eat raw meat from an animal that's just been killed, when it's so loaded with deadly bacteria and tastes disgusting, especially when they know how to make a fire so quickly - also especially as Glass is weak with injuries, so his immune system is compromised. Indeed, the Indian who shoos off the wolves has fires going at the time they eat.
Correction: Fresh, raw meat has little bacterial count; it won't spoil for hours under those cold conditions. Beef is quite safe to eat raw and cold, as long as it's fresh. If the meat is spoiled, cooking it won't make a difference.
2nd Mar 2024
Fargo (2014)
Character mistake: Deputy Olmstead says to Lorraine Lyon, "You think that you're rich 'cause you're better than me." Surely, the line should have been "You think that you're better than me 'cause you're rich."
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Suggested correction: No, she actually does mean Lorraine thinks she is rich because she is better than her. And to her, anyone who is not rich is therefore less, or else they would be rich too. It's the same type of thinking but with a different approach as what you suggest. It's about privilege.
Interesting. I can see it either way. Thanks for the thought.
14th Mar 2015
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Plot hole: The movie is based in 1986 after the group time travels from 2010. That makes it a 24 year trip back in time. It is stated that Jacob is 20 years old. That is an error as this would make him roughly around 23 or 24 if he was conceived in 1986, which we saw near the end of the movie.
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Suggested correction: This mistake has already been corrected. Cusack could have simply generalized his age when he mentioned it, probably not remembering his real age at the moment.
16th Jul 2012
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Corrected entry: After being transported to the 1980s, the guys have possession of things which they did not take into the hot tub with them. Nick has his cell phone, Jacob has his snowboard, Lou has his backpack, and they are all wearing clothing that they brought with them when they go skiing.
Correction: This isn't a mistake, it's a plot point. They need the Russian energy drink to get back to the present.
I feel this is more of an excuse than a correction.
10th Apr 2015
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Factual error: When Phil is carving the ice sculpture, he slips and the chainsaw flies into the air, and it continues to run. Chainsaws will only run while you hold down the trigger.
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Suggested correction: Easily rigged to be able to have the trigger held down without pushing on it.
11th Nov 2023
What If...? (2021)
What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? - S1-E1
Factual error: When Stark starts telling about the Tesseract, the colonel shows surprise that Nazis were in Norway. Peggy answers with "Close. HYDRA." The scene is set in 1943, and Norway had been occupied by Nazi Germany for three years already. Them being in Tønsberg should not come as a great surprise to an Allied commander. (00:07:10)
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Suggested correction: I feel like this falls under the "Not a mistake because it's an alternate universe" umbrella. We're in an entirely different universe with a different timeline in this episode.
The show also makes a point that the only difference should be the minor choices or events befalling the MCU characters, and how these minor things have huge consequences for them, basically creating a new alternate timeline. Basic world history before these events is not affected by the new timeline.
Basic, unaltered world history does not apply with this because we are talking about an alternate WWII from the beginning. One with Schmitt/Red Skull as propaganda minister of Hitler, Hydra superseding the SS, super soldier serum, Stark tech, the Tesseract, etc. It is not WWII as we know it, even without the "what if."
26th Jan 2024
Armageddon (1998)
Other mistake: If the meteor shower that hits NYC is the same one that destroyed the shuttle, how was so much time able to pass that all the newspapers were able to report on the shuttle before NYC got hit?
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Suggested correction: Good question. Nobody says that it's the "same" shower though. All of them come from the bigger rock, and they are coming in intervals. So it could very well be some time had passed between showers. Also, the meteorites that hit the shuttle were much smaller and probably burned up in the atmosphere before bigger ones followed.
25th Jun 2002
Independence Day (1996)
Corrected entry: When the alien is brought into the containment lab of Area 51, we see all sorts of high-tech monitors set up and doctors running around checking everything works and everything is prepped and ready for the alien. So why is it, after all this work, they forget to administer some form of anaesthetic to the alien knowing that not only is it merely unconscious from a punch to the head but it has a nasty temperament towards mankind?
Correction: Maybe they gave it the anaesthetic, and it didn't work.
Making up Deus ex Machina corrections for mistakes does not invalidate them. The technicians and scientists made no effort to restrain a potentially hostile and dangerous alien, and that belongs under "Stupidity."
There is nothing "deus ex machina" about the correction. The entry asks why they didn't use an anaesthetic, and the correction addresses that issue. There is no talk about restraints, which is a different issue (can restrain the suit but what about the alien within?).
5th Jan 2024
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Stupidity: In the scene where the Japanese pilots are attacking the main airfield, at one point in the background, you can see a Bofors Anti-Aircraft gun, yet nobody bothers to use it.
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Suggested correction: Maybe it doesn't have any ammo, or there is nobody around who actually knows how to use it. These things can happen in a surprise attack on what is basically a holiday resort.
5th Jan 2024
Demolition Man (1993)
Stupidity: Dr. Cocteau's choice to unleash an enhanced Simon Phoenix without any way to restrain him is incredibly reckless and stupid. Even if Simon were to kill Eager Friendly, in the best case situation, you'd still have a madman with total computer access, martial arts knowledge, etc., that you would have no way to rein in. Sure, he can't kill Dr. Cocteau, but what would stop him from say, holding the city hostage or something? Why not add in a kill code or something to keep him in check?
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Suggested correction: Who says he didn't? Cocteau has put in mental conditioning compelling Phoenix to kill Edgar Friendly and make him unable to kill Cocteau. Who says he hasn't put in something that makes him kill himself after the deed is done? Or perhaps paralyze him so he can be put back on ice. It's just that Cocteau didn't count on the fact that his henchmen could kill him. He doesn't care about how dangerous he is, not until he has done the deed.
Dr. Cocteau is a narcissistic egomaniac type that would see himself as a king or a god, even. And Simon is making him very angry. He even tells Simon, "you're beginning to be more trouble than you're worth..." Someone with an ego like Cocteau wouldn't stand for Simon's antics for very long. And would happily enjoy putting Simon back in his place by shocking, paralyzing, etc.
But he first needs him to kill Friendly. Until he does that, he'll let him play. He still sees no danger to himself.
18th Jun 2023
Bad Boys (1995)
Other mistake: In the film, Lawrence and Smith's characters are Narcotics detectives with Miami Dade Police. There's no way they should be at any homicide investigations. Narc and homicide are totally two different units within law enforcement, so it's unlikely narcotics units would be at a homicide scene. Being the scene where they're investigating Smith's friend getting killed, and then they stumble across the dead body at the mansion.
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Suggested correction: The captain called Mike and Marcus to the scene to help because it appeared related to the missing drugs. They were there to find leads to the missing heroin.
Yes, that could be correct, but the chances of that happening are slim to none. A captain from Narcotics wouldn't even have authorization to call his detectives to a murder scene to help out homicide detectives working a murder. Any information or clues would be collected and shared with other units or agencies if deemed appropriate.
22nd Sep 2023
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Factual error: Poirot attends a Halloween party in Venice in 1947. Halloween was never publicly recognized as a holiday in Venice or Italy in general in the XX century, especially with the traditional pumpkin-centered iconography. One could argue that, for the most part, Poirot is attending a private party organized by an American soprano. But, besides how unlikely it would be for 1947 Catholic nuns to take part in such a pagan-themed event, there are scenes showing Halloween decorations in the streets of Venice far away from the party location, as if it were a public holiday and not a private gathering from an eccentric foreigner.
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Suggested correction: Besides what Oliver says to Poirot in the beginning about Americans bringing over Halloween to Italy, it's not true. Halloween has a European and Christian origin. A day called All Hallow's Day on November 1st has been a national holiday in Italy since the 9th century. There have always been activities in Italy the evening prior to All Hallow's day. This includes games, themes of death, carved pumpkins (turnips before), and masks ("guising"), all of which are very old traditions done all over Europe.
Being Italian and having lived in Italy for the past decades, may not make me an authority over all things Italian, but I can assure you that Ognissanti (which is what you quote as being "All Hallow's Day," since we obviously haven't been borrowing English names for our festivities) has never been observed as a national holiday with anything remotely close to what is shown here, which is, like Ariadne Oliver says, plain and simple Halloween. Like I said in the entry, it'd be perfectly fine for Americans to celebrate it, but no pumpkin banners in the public streets and parades with people shouting "Happy Halloween!" with nuns in full garb, no less! Halloween has never been celebrated here with any mainstream fanfare until the very, very recent years.
11th Nov 2023
What If...? (2021)
What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? - S1-E1
Factual error: In the intro, we are shown how Nazi Germany spreads across Europe - but after showing Denmark being conquered, it is shown to start spreading across Sweden. Sweden was never occupied by the Germans in WWII.
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Suggested correction: I feel like this falls under the "Not a mistake because it's an alternate universe" umbrella. We're in an entirely different universe with a different timeline in this episode.
The show also makes a point that the only difference should be the minor choices or events befalling the MCU characters, and how these minor things have huge consequences for them, basically creating a new, alternate timeline. Basic world history before these events is not affected by the new timeline.
Suggested correction: The black spot spreading is not representing territory physically conquered by the Nazis, but more of their sphere of influence expanding. It is a steady spread and not a true representation of the war's progression. You can notice how Switzerland is also covered by the black, even though it was neutral during the war. Nor was Italy conquered, but their ally instead.
10th Oct 2023
Starship Troopers (1997)
Stupidity: When the invasion of planet P begins, we see the Rodger Young get hit. In the explosion sequence, we are treated to people sitting around tables in what can only be described as a mess hall exploding. In a military environment, this would be a time where everyone would be at their "battle stations". Nobody would be having chow or off-time when the ship is expecting combat. In this case, it was a planned troop landing.
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Suggested correction: Yes, it was stupidity, but it was an intentional depiction that supports the plot. During the landing, the Captain is completely surprised by the bombardment and says something like, "This isn't light uncoordinated resistance." The fleet's lack of preparedness at Planet P is a major plot point that later results in the replacement of the Air Marshal in command.
No, you are talking about a different sequence. When they are unprepared, they are doing an invasion of Klendathu, the Bug's home planet. This is earlier in the movie and the Rodger Young was only slightly damaged in that. The stupidity is about the invasion of Planet P at the end of the movie, where the Rodger Young is cut in half.
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