Raiders of the Lost Ark is a bona fide adventure classic. Released in 1981, it not only launched Indiana Jones into pop culture legend but also helped redefine the action-adventure genre. But even timeless blockbusters have their blemishes. Whether it’s a slip in continuity, or a background extra doing something strange, eagle-eyed viewers have spotted some mistakes that even Indy’s whip can’t fix.
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Thanks to detailed observations across the fandom, we’ve compiled some of the most memorable blunders from Raiders of the Lost Ark that belong in a museum.
1) The Mysterious Appearing Jungle
When it happens: During the opening escape scene in South America.
As Indy flees from angry Hovito warriors after barely escaping the booby-trapped temple, he makes a mad dash toward the river, where his pilot, Jock, is waiting with a biplane. From Jock’s point of view, Indy is seen running clearly through open field-like terrain, visible from a distance. But just a few moments later, when Indy reaches the plane, he crashes through a dense patch of trees and underbrush so thick it would have completely blocked Jock’s view in the previous shot.
The sudden arrival of the tree line makes it obvious the shots were stitched together from different setups, but it’s hard to miss once you’ve noticed. The jungle literally materializes out of nowhere, and with it, a moment of unintentional comedy in an otherwise tense escape.
2) The Migrating Scar
When it happens: At Marion’s bar and later in the Nazi briefing.
When sadistic Nazi agent Arnold Toht tries to seize the headpiece of the Staff of Ra through the fire at Marion’s bar, the red-hot medallion leaves a detailed burn on his palm. He drops the red-hot medallion and makes a run for it, caressing his burned fingers.
But when we see Toht later in the film showing off his seared handprint to fellow Nazis, something’s clearly off. The imprint of the medallion appears squarely in the center of his palm and is oriented upside down compared to how he actually grabbed it in the earlier scene. Logically, the burn should have been offset and reversed, since he snatched it quickly and awkwardly with the fingers of one hand, not pressed it flat into his palm like a branding iron.
3) Not a Toht in Sight
When it happens: After Indy escapes with the Ark.
Another bizarre moment linked to Arnold Toht is when he becomes unintentionally hilarious. After Indy and Marion manage to escape with the Ark, there’s a quick wide shot of Toht and Belloq arriving in a car, clearly agitated at having lost them. But something’s off.
If you look closely at Toht in the passenger seat, he doesn’t appear to be moving. In fact, he looks like he’s been partying it up the night before, and trying to stay as hidden from any movement or sunlight as possible. His signature black hat and coat are present, but his face and neck are completely hidden, while his body seems eerily static, almost like someone just propped his costume up in the seat and called it a day. That’s essentially what happened. Actor Ronald Lacey, who portrayed Toht, was unavailable for the shot due to illness.
In this instance, stunt coordinator Peter Diamond stood in for him, scrunching down in the seat with the costume draped over him. But as he kept so very still it looked more like they simply dressed up the seat with Toht’s signature wardrobe. The result? A moment that plays more like a hilarious goof than a terrifying Nazi agent. Once you spot it, you’ll never unsee it.
4) Size Matters
When it happens: In the Map Room scene.
The Staff of Ra sequence is a classic moment of adventure filmmaking: Indy uses ancient knowledge and precise timing to reveal the secret resting place of the Ark. However, when you dig into the numbers, the entire calculation kind of… falls apart.
According to the inscription, the staff should be “six kadams high,” which equates to roughly 72 inches. But then Indy deducts “one kadam to honor the Hebrew god,” making it five kadams — or 60 inches tall. But when Indy stands next to the staff in the Map Room, it’s clearly taller than him. Harrison Ford is about 6’1″, yet the staff looks closer to seven feet. Either the ancient Egyptians messed up their measurements or Spielberg figured audiences wouldn’t do the math.
5) The Cobra Window
When it happens: During the snake pit scene in the Well of Souls.
Indy’s ophidiophobia (aka fear of snakes) is on full display when he drops into a pit teeming with slithering snakes, “Why did it have to be snakes?” But in one tense moment, we get a behind-the-scenes peek that breaks the immersion. As Indy comes face to face with a cobra, you can see its reflection in a pane of safety glass separating Harrison Ford from the real-life snake. The reflection of the cobra, and the faint outline of the glass, is clearly visible on screen for just a few frames.
It makes sense to have provided that level of safety for the actors safe making the threat seem real, but even before the modern HD re-releases, you could see it. Though the remasters have made it even easier to spot and now it’s one of the most frequently cited goofs from the film. Still, we can’t fault anyone for prioritizing Ford’s safety, even if it gives away a bit of movie magic.
6) The Jeans-Wearing Tourist
When it happens: During Indy’s drink with the monkey in Cairo.
After Marion appears to die in a truck explosion, Indy finds himself sulking in a Cairo tavern, drowning his sorrows in the company of a Sallah’s pet monkey. The framing of the scene keeps your attention squarely on Harrison Ford, but behind Indy’s right arm, a figure casually strolls through the background and steals the scene, if only for a second with his t-shirt and jeans combo.
It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but the denim-clad passerby has long been a favorite spot-the-goof detail among fans. Was he a crewmember accidentally caught in the shot? A tourist who wandered onto the set? Or just an extra whose costume was a little too modern-looking?
Sure, jeans and T-shirts did exist in 1936, and were often worn by sailors and laborers, but in a scene so tightly styled to evoke the look and feel of 1930s Cairo, the man’s outfit stands out like a sore thumb. It’s not a technical mistake per se, but it’s jarringly out of sync with the film’s otherwise Eastern aesthetic.
7) Left or Right Hook?
When it happens: During the fight with the bald Nazi under the airplane.
The brawl between Indiana Jones and the burly, bald Nazi mechanic at the desert airfield is one of the most iconic fistfights in the entire franchise. The scene is packed with grit, choreography, and tension as Indy desperately tries to disable the plane and survive a one-on-one battle with a much larger opponent who immediately decks him with a powerful punch.
Indy stumbles backward and ducks under the aircraft, but what follows doesn’t quite track. The Nazi goon gives Jones a spinning backhand that should, based on the angle of impact, send Indy reeling to his left. Instead, Indy spins to his right.
It’s likely a result of stunt coordination or editing choices made to preserve the energy of the fight, but once you spot it, it sticks out like a sore thumb. The choreography still works overall, but this misaligned spin throws off the realism for a brief, clumsy moment in an otherwise masterfully staged scene.
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