10 Subtle Movie Details That Carry Deep Meaning

Have you ever rewatched a favorite movie and suddenly noticed something that previously escaped your attention? A small detail in the background or a reference to another project — moviemakers often hide messages and symbols in their creations. Warning: after reading this article, you’ll want to revisit all these movies again.

In the blockbuster The Gorge, a scene with a chess game references another famous project starring actress Anya Taylor-Joy — the series about a chess player called The Queen’s Gambit.

... and the improvised drumming scene is reminiscent of Whiplash, the movie that made actor Miles Teller famous.

The latest installment of the franchise, Final Destination: Bloodlines, mentions the iconic episode with a truck and logs from part 2 in the form of a drawing.

In Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), there’s a secret message in the Book of Fairytales.

It is formed from the first letters of each line and reads: “You already have it.” It is, of course, about the fact that Goldie already has a family and doesn’t need to wish for one.

The wolf is visible at the opening party. The figure is out of focus, but has the right silhouette and is standing perfectly still in the crowd.

In Mission: Impossible — Fallout, the identity of the main villain is revealed at the very beginning of the movie.

Ethan Hunt scans Agent Walker’s face while mentioning the movie’s main villain, John Lark. What Ethan doesn’t know is that Agent Walker is John Lark.

In The Little Mermaid (1989), the painting in Ariel’s Secret Grotto is Magdalene with the Smoking Flame (1840) by Georges de La Tour.

In Titanic (1997), the iceberg that the R.M.S. Titanic hits actually fits the physical description made by a survivor on board, Joseph Scarrott.

He said, “Well, it struck me at the time that it resembled the Rock of Gibraltar looking at it from Europa Point.” Such an iceberg was photographed near the site.

In Tenet (2020), blue and red represent inverted time and normal time, respectively.

The armored truck transporting the algorithm piece is blue. The firetruck used to steal it to prevent it from being used is red.

In X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), when Dr. Trask warns the President about Mystique, he says, “She can transform into anyone: a general, a Secret Serviceman, even you, Mr. President.”

Throughout the movie, Mystique turns into each one, in that order.

And here are movie bloopers that were spotted by attentive viewers.