From serious scratches to a sexy sandwich, these sci-fi outtakes were too good to leave
on the cutting room floor.
The stormtroopers in the Star Wars franchise aren't exactly the brightest bulbs in the galaxy.
After all, they're famously lousy shots and susceptible to Jedi mind tricks.
In one scene during "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope," one particularly clumsy stormtrooper
actually bangs his head on a Death Star door.
Although some fans may have thought this was an intentional way for director George Lucas
to display the stormtroopers' incompetence, it was actually the result of a blunder during
the production.
Actor Laurie Goode was having stomach issues during filming, and ended up clanging his
head while distracted.
Goode was shocked that Lucas included the take in the final cut — and added an extra
sound effect, to boot.
Goode's mishap ended up becoming an iconic gag for "Star Wars" fans.
The actor has said that it took him many years to claim his legacy, as a few other extras
from the film also claimed to be the "head banging" stormtrooper.
The Star Wars franchise managed to explain why these troopers are so accident-prone in
the later films: Although Emperor Palpatine initially uses a clone army, the stormtroopers
in the original trilogy are simply civilians that have been recruited and brainwashed.
"Thanks to the training I received in the Empire, I have all the skills I need to make
it in the real world!"
John Woo's 1997 science-fiction action film "Face/Off" is genuinely one of the most unhinged
movies ever made.
Woo has always been an over-the-top filmmaker, and he managed to get two of the craziest
performances of the 1990s out of John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.
"Face/Off" is so gleefully silly that it often seems like a contest between Cage and Travolta
to see who can be more ridiculous.
Some of the best additions to the film actually came from Cage himself.
In an interview on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Cage's co-star Alessandro Nivola
revealed that the conversation about a "sex sandwich" came directly from Cage.
"You had a sex sandwich with his wife and his sister the night he was sent here."
"I guess that explains why he's so upset."
Apparently, Cage and Nivola would be joking around, and the assistant director would write
down everything that they said.
When Woo read the transcriptions, he loved the new lines so much that he added them to
the script.
Whether or not "Face/Off" is self-aware is a question that sci-fi fans have pondered
for years.
Nivola's comments suggest that Woo knew what he was doing when he allowed his stars to
make the characters' personalities even sillier.
One particularly goofy moment takes place when Sean Archer holds Castor Troy at gunpoint.
Because Nic Cage is Nic Cage, he decides to break into song.
"I'm ready...
ready for the big ride, baby!"
The improvised tune — which Cage thought up himself — stayed in the movie, and is
even repeated later on.
Peter Quill isn't your typical hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Although he addresses himself as the notorious outlaw "Star-Lord," he hasn't exactly earned
that reputation.
His affable quality is one of the reasons that the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films stand
out within the MCU.
The Guardians don't know the first thing about saving the universe — they're a bunch of
misfits that have to band together for the greater good.
Despite the hilarious script by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman, one particularly amusing
moment from the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" film wasn't written by them at all.
In the scene, Quill offers the orb to the Collector, but accidentally drops it.
In a director's commentary, Gunn suggested that Pratt had inadvertently dropped the prop
while they were filming.
Pratt supposedly told Gunn that he did it on purpose, but Gunn wasn't 100 percent sure.
Either way, Pratt claimed that he had perfected the art of improvising jokes during his time
on "Parks and Recreation."
Based on the novel by Andy Weir, "The Martian" features one of the best ensemble casts in
recent memory.
There are a number of great actors in the film, but Donald Glover's hilarious performance
as Rich Purnell is a true standout.
Rich is a brilliant astrodynamicist who comes up with a risky plan to rescue Mark Watney,
an astronaut who's been stranded on Mars.
Rich's unpolished nature ends up irritating NASA director Teddy Sanders, making for some
of the best jokes in the film.
When he first comes up with his idea, Rich is so excited that he leaps out of his chair
and accidentally falls over.
It's a hilarious moment in the movie, but during filming, the crew was actually concerned
about Glover's safety.
Glover revealed on "Conan" that he needed an ice pack after the incident, but he was
ultimately okay.
"When you see me in the movie and I'm eating it… that's really eating it."
The 2019 "Captain Marvel" film used impressive digital de-aging techniques to show a younger
version of Nick Fury in the 1990s.
Before he became the veteran leader in "The Avengers," Fury had a sense of humor about
his job investigating extraterrestrial creatures.
Fury is skeptical about the alien visitors, and his banter with Carol Danvers makes for
some fun buddy comedy.
After a Skrull that was pretending to be Agent Coulson is killed, a medical examiner performs
an autopsy on the creature.
Fury examines the corpse, lifting the sheet covering its lower half to check out what
its body looks like without clothes on.
Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck said that this moment was completely improvised by Jackson.
They thought the scene was so hilarious that they decided to keep it in the final cut.
How do you take a character designed as a tool of propaganda and turn him into a compelling protagonist?
"Captain America: The First Avenger" figured it out.
This 2011 action adventure flick expertly showed how Steve Rogers earns his place as
a hero.
Initially, he's a scrawny kid who just wants to serve his country — but after undertaking
an experimental "super-soldier" procedure, he gains all the powers that would make him
into Captain America.
When Steve's new muscle-bound body is revealed, the government officials, scientists, and
intelligence officers present are all shocked by his transformation.
They can't believe that the skinny kid that they once knew now has the body of a warrior
— especially Peggy, who instinctively reaches out to poke Steve's chest.
Atwell said that she made contact with her co-star's pec without thinking, but the touching
moment still made it to the final cut.
If you're the type of science fiction fan that likes tight, reasonable storylines that
make complete logical sense, then Roland Emmerich's "Independence Day" probably isn't for you.
This crowd-pleasing, silly sci-fi disaster film is a lot of fun to watch if you don't
take it too seriously.
If you can buy into the idea that an advanced alien civilization can be brought down by
a computer virus — and that the world's militaries would unite behind an American
plan — then sit back and enjoy!
Otherwise, you may need to look for more elevated material.
Although some sci-fi fans have complained that "Independence Day" is rife with plot
holes, there was one error that wasn't intentional at all.
When David Levinson has a breakdown in the Area 51 bunker, he complains about the effects
of deforestation, pollution, and the government's incompetence.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"I'm making a mess!"
"Yeah, this I can see."
During his rant, David accidentally knocks over a trash bin that is labeled for the "Art Department."
Does the government's covert alien investigation unit have an arts program, or did a crew member
just forget to remove a trash can from the set?
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most notoriously meticulous filmmakers of all time.
Even after half a century, "2001: A Space Odyssey" still baffles audiences.
It's one of the few films that you can watch over and over again and discover new details
each time.
There are still plenty of questions fans have: What does the monolith represent?
What happened during Dave Bowman's trip into the stargate?
The ambiguity of the film is one of the reasons that it has endured.
Even though he was definitely a visionary, Kubrick was still a filmmaker capable of making mistakes.
During Dr. Heywood Floyd's examination of the monolith on the moon, Kubrick's reflection
can be seen in the astronaut's visor.
Was this just a blunder that the production crew missed?
Or is this another Kubrickian detail that has a deeper meaning?
Rutger Hauer's incredible "Tears in Rain" monologue wasn't the only spontaneous moment
during the filming of "Blade Runner" that made it to the final cut.
When replicant Pris is found by the genetic designer J.F.
Sebastian, she slips and falls, cutting her elbow on a car window.
Even though the film uses some extraordinary special effects and makeup work, the blood
in this particular scene is real.
Hannah actually chipped her elbow, leaving a wound that required eight stitches.
Scott decided to keep this take in the film.
Pris' clumsiness helps make her a more relatable character.
One of the most beautiful things about "Blade Runner" is that the replicants are ironically
more "human" than the actual human beings.
Replicants have a limited lifespan, so they value the time that they have.
After all, Rick Deckard only learns the value of life by forming a romantic relationship
with the replicant Rachael.
Pris is one of the most underrated characters in "Blade Runner," being more than just Roy
Batty's girlfriend.
Designed to be a "basic pleasure model," Pris shows her intelligence by earning Sebastian's
trust to aid in Batty's plan.
Wise-cracking droids are an essential part of the Star Wars saga.
After all, the original 1977 film opens from the perspective of R2-D2 and C-3PO as they
find themselves mixed up in yet another galactic adventure.
However, 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" features one of the funniest droids that the
franchise has ever seen: the reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO.
This particular robot, voiced by Alan Tudyk, has a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
K-2 helps his rebel ally Cassian Andor perform a top-secret mission in order to
infiltrate the Empire.
Since K-2 looks like any other Imperial droid, he can easily blend in.
During one scene, K-2 pretends to be holding Cassian and Jyn Erso as his captives, getting
a little too far into character as he does.
(slap) "Quiet!
And there's a fresh one if you mouth off again."
"We'll take them from here."
According to Tudyk, this was one of many improvised lines that made the final cut.
Despite "Rogue One" being one of the darkest films in the franchise, K-2SO's quips are
critical to making this dark action thriller still feel like a "Star Wars" adventure.