Sometimes the best parts in a movie aren't in the script. From impromptu slips to
unexpected explosions, these sci-fi movie bloopers were just too good to leave out.
The first "Guardians of the Galaxy" film captured audiences with its endearing take
on the universe. Showcasing quirky aliens, colorful worlds, and light-hearted adventure,
the movie expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the far reaches of space.
At the center of the story is Peter Quill, charmingly portrayed by Chris Pratt. Quill
has come into the possession of one of the most powerful weapons in the galaxy,
an orb that audiences would later discover holds one of the six Infinity Stones.
The sought-after, high-priced orb has an array of people hunting for it,
including Thanos's followers and The Collector, played by Benicio Del Toro. While Quill and his
new-found acquaintances do their best to protect the powerful artifact, the blundering protagonist
comes close to breaking the treasure. After discovering the orb's value, importance, and
fragility, Quill fumbles and drops the artifact as a deal is made to sell it to The Collector.
It is an iconic moment that defines Chris Pratt's clumsy character — and surprisingly it was not in
the script. According to director James Gunn, Pratt's fumble was unexpected and incidental,
yet the filmmaker loved it so much, it had to make the film's final cut.
"The Martian" is a wonderful movie about science prevailing in the face
of adversity. Based on a novel by Andy Weir, the story follows astronaut Mark Watney,
played by Matt Damon. Watney is inadvertently abandoned on Mars and forced to survive an
extended stay while awaiting a rescue mission from NASA. Although he exceeds expectations
while living in the alien atmosphere, things do not go so well back on Earth.
Amidst failed rocket launches, costly bureaucracy, and time limits, scientists
on Watney's home planet do what they can to bring him back. One of the geniuses who comes up with
a plan to rescue Watney is the eccentric Rich Purnell, played by Donald Glover. Among strange
traits like sleeping in his office and talking erratically to himself, a defining moment for
the character is when he trips on his own feet and quickly recalibrates himself. Hilariously,
Glover admitted during an interview on "Conan," that the fall was an honest mishap.
"When you see me in the movie and I'm eating it… that's really eating it."
However, the moment still appears in the movie.
The first "Star Wars" movie is undeniably considered a classic. Beloved by fans the
world over, "A New Hope" launched one of the biggest franchises the
world has ever seen. But although "Star Wars: Episode IV" is considered perfect
by many moviegoers' standards, the film is not without its mistakes.
One of the funniest blunders in "Star Wars" takes place on the galaxy's most dangerous weapon,
the Death Star. One stormtrooper can be seen knocking his head on the top of a door as the
Imperial army descends on R2-D2 and C-3PO in the control room. Although the upward sliding
doors make the Death Star appear futuristic, the bump showcases how flawed these entranceways and
low-visual helmets would be in the real world. Somehow landing in the final cut of the film,
the Stormtrooper's doorway miscalculation is one of the most famous bloopers to appear in a movie.
There are times when directors actively try to capture the perfect blooper to
get the most genuine reaction from the performers as possible. One of
the best examples of this trickery comes in director Ridley Scott's 1979 space-horror,
"Alien." Scott made many notable choices that helped make "Alien" the smash hit that it is,
including choosing a female heroine over a standard male action star.
Well, fans of "Alien" may be surprised to know that one of the movie's most famous
moments involved a nasty surprise for the entire crew of the Nostromo. In his book
"Cinema Alchemist," the film's art director, Roger Christian, explained the momentous
scene where an adolescent alien explodes from the chest of officer Kane. Christian wrote:
"Ridley did not want the actors to see the setup. Just to experience
the horror of the moment the baby alien actually breaks through."
So when the alien violently protrudes from Kane, the reactions you see on the actors are
all genuine. Meanwhile, the blood-covered look of shock on their faces remained in the film.
When the original "Blade Runner" was released in 1982, it redefined what science fiction could
look like in cinema. Yet another film on this list directed by Ridley Scott, the story is an
adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" Featuring a dystopian
future plagued with synthetic replicants, the movie follows hardened cop Rick Deckard as
he hunts down the advanced robots and uncovers dark secrets about the company that made them.
One of the futuristic replicants that Deckard has been assigned to "retire"
is Pris, who is performed by '80s film darling Daryl Hannah. Unfortunately,
the young actress took such a spill that she needed medical attention.
In one scene, a panicked Pris is seen tripping and falling into a car window. However, the
tumble was unintentional, as the window was not supposed to break. As a result of the accident,
the actress had broken her elbow in eight places. Thankfully, Hannah was able to
finish the scene with no one the wiser, and her fall made it into the final cut of the film.
The "Back to the Future" trilogy is a beloved take on one of science fiction's favorite themes:
time travel. Starring Michael J. Fox as the accidental time traveler Marty McFly,
the "Back to the Future" movies have become notorious for their charm and sense of wonder.
This makes it all that more surprising to discover that during the franchise's second installment,
there is a scene displaying such a horrific accident that the actress involved nearly died.
In "Back to the Future Part II," an elaborate stunt featuring the film's hoverboards resulted
in stunt professional Cheryl Wheeler being badly injured. The accident can be spotted in the movie
when a group of bullies chases McFly through the streets of the future town. As the trio of
intimidators hit a ramp and are launched into a window, Wheeler can be spotted missing the mark
and crashing into a concrete pillar. Thankfully, the stunt performer survived her injuries,
but it remains one of the more terrifying real-life mishaps to appear in a blockbuster.
"Rogue One" remains one of the most celebrated projects outside of the main
"Star Wars" trilogies. Revealing the tale of how the Rebel Alliance came into possession of
the plans for the Imperial Death Star, the movie starred a cast of unique characters,
including fan-favorite K-2SO. Performed by Alan Tudyk, the bluntly-spoken droid
provides the "Star Wars" film with most of the comic relief. However, not many fans know
that many of the robot's most side-splitting lines were improvised by the comedic actor.
In 2017, Tudyk provided an interview for the "Star Wars" Twitter account answering questions
from fans. He goes on to share his favorite character moment which involved an impromptu
scene of the droid slapping Cassian Andor across the face and telling him,
"And there's a fresh one if you mouth off again."
Hilariously, the ad-libbed moment caught actor Diego Luna, who played Andor,
off-guard, and he nearly broke character as a result. Thankfully,
the actor held it together as the scene is one of the most laugh-worthy moments in the franchise.
Although it may be lauded as the least loved Spider-Man movie,
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" maintains some charming moments. Most of the endearing
qualities from the film come from stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, who portray Peter Parker
and love interest Gwen Stacey. Despite their spectacular performances, however,
it did not stop Emma Stone from making one of the biggest on-screen blunders of her career.
During Spidey's climactic battle with Electro, Gwen insists on helping regardless of the risk
it puts on her. Garfield's character is left with no choice but to force her to
remain behind by webbing her hand to the hood of a police cruiser. Gwen then yells:
"Peter!"
She then covers her mouth, after realizing she was revealing Spider-Man's secret identity. Well,
according to director Mark Webb's DVD commentary, this was a "happy
accident," as Stone's reaction was not scripted. Thankfully, the seasoned actress did not blurt
out "Andrew," because the unintentional moment was fittingly placed in the film.
Sometimes there are movie extras so good that they earn a credit in the film. Such
is the case with one of the most forgettable "Star Trek" movies, "The Voyage Home." The
film involves time traveling to Earth in 1986 in order to bring humpback whales to
the future so they can communicate with a mysterious probe. As such, extras for
the feature could be plucked off the streets without wardrobe changes or excessive makeup.
According to StarTrek.com, one background actor never intended on appearing on screen, and only
decided to work after her vehicle was towed by the film's production crew. Appearing in a scene
where the crew of the Enterprise is searching for directions, Layla Sarakalo was not supposed
to answer the actor's questions. Instead, the impromptu extra answered naturally and honestly:
"Ooo, I don't think I know the answer to that. I think it's across the Bay. In Alameda."
However, the director thought the genuine moment was so good he decided to keep it in the film.
One of the more ambitious and creative sci-fi movies released in the '90s was
"The Fifth Element." Starring Bruce Willis as a taxi driver who’s thrown into the most
important treasure hunt in the galaxy, the film was the highest-grossing French film for a number
of years. Featuring a cast full of eclectic and interesting characters, one of the most
memorable was the villain Jean-Baptiste Emanual Zorg, portrayed by Gary Oldman, and his henchmen
Left Arm and Right Arm. Unfortunately, much like the on-screen characters, Oldman's actor
sidekicks were also left out of the big boss's nefarious plans when it came to filming the movie.
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Oldman recalled a specific moment that caught one of his henchmen,
named Tricky, off guard. At one point, Zorg opts to destroy a building but fails to share his plan
with Tricky. Unfortunately, the actor was just as naïve as to what was about to happen. When
the building explodes, Tricky can be seen reacting genuinely to the huge boom happening behind him.
Often considered one of director Steven Spielberg's most magical outings,
"E.T." became the highest-grossing movie of all time when it was released in 1982.
While the film has built a legacy as one of the most beloved movies of its generation,
it is also known for being the breakout role for a young actress named Drew Barrymore.
Barrymore regularly impressed her famous director throughout the making of the film.
Only six years old during the filming of "E.T.," Barrymore reunited with Spielberg forty years
later on the set of her own talk show, "The Drew Barrymore Show." During their interview, Spielberg
admitted that Barrymore was responsible for many of the iconic lines of the film, including:
"I don't like his feet."
The director also admitted that the actress "didn't even care what the film was about."
Meanwhile, the interview features an old "Entertainment Tonight" clip of young
Barrymore from 1982, with the actress admitting that she was acting like herself the whole time.
"I could act like myself the whole time on that shoot because Gertie's sorta like me."
Many of the impromptu lines would have been left on the cutting room floor by other directors,
but Spielberg found the magic in them and worked the movie around Barrymore's ad-libbing.