19 Funny IMDb 404 Error Pages Based on Movie Quotes
“I love IMDb. I love that people all over the country get that into it. When I was a kid, you literally had to go to the theater and stare at the poster to see who the hell was involved.” – Allen Covert
IMDb is probably the best thing that ever happened to movie buffs. Now more than ever, you can get all the information you could possibly want about a movie, director, actor, producer, sound engineer etc.
Big websites are always a hassle to maintain, and sometimes errors just happen. We are talking, of course, about the dreaded 404. But good design can make the experience of finding a broken or dead link enjoyable, and the people responsible for IMDb got the hang of this really well.
Their 404 error pages show that they really know their target audience, and stumbling over a 404 can can be a really nice surprise. What IMDb have done is create error pages, based on lines from movies. The results are hilarious, and even educational at times, seeing as they also mention the movie that the quote is based from.
Since they are so delightfully funny, we have made a list with all of IMDb’s 404 error pages, so you will not have an excuse to procrastinate over the next few minutes (other than reading this article), and create your own smart and quirky error pages.
The Lord of the Ring is an incredible book that got made into an incredible movie. If you are passionate about all things fantasy, than you have J.R.R. Tolkien to thank for coming up with all the tropes we know and love, and Peter Jackson for finally making fantasy popular again. And, of course, you have to thank yourself for going to the cinema, and for buying the DVD. We did it, geeks everywhere!
Cool Hand Luke is a cult classic, and it put Paul Newman and his icy-blue eyes into everyone’s dreams. The movie follows the titular character, Luke, as he refuses to “conform to life in a rural prison. The movie is also on IMDb’s Top 250 list, charting 147th at the time this article was written. If you haven’t seen it, and you’re looking for an excuse to not work, then go watch this movie.
French film director Michel Gondry is one of the most quirky and whimsical directors out there. Aside from making movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which provides the quote in this image, and The Science of Dreams, he’s also done some amazing videos for artists such as Massive Attack, Bjork and The Chemical Brothers.
The Big Lebowski is the ultimate stoner flick. Incredibly funny and thought provoking, in the same time, the Coen brother’s story of a man seeking “restitution for his ruined rug”, made it’s way into peoples hearts and screens in 1998, with an intelligent script and great performances by actors like Jeff “The Dude” Bridges and the always creepy Peter Stormare.
The tremendously quotable “There is no spoon” line from The Matrix was used to great effect as the inspiration for this amusing little 404 error page. The Matrix is another game-changing movie, like The Lord of the Ring, which you have also seen on our list.
It’s use of stunning effects, combined with a truly original script, kept people glued to their seats, back in 1998, when it was originally released, and has raised the bar for subsequent action movies and blockbusters.
Pulp Fiction relaunched John Travolta’s stagnating career, and made Quentin Tarantino a pop culture icon and renowned director. The movie itself is extremely quotable, and this reinterpretation of Samuel L. Jackson’s quote from the movie made is just one of the many meme-sparking lines from this iconic movie.
A thing that keeps slipping our minds is that the Wizard of Oz is a 75 year old movie. That means audiences first got to see this stunning motion picture three-quarters of a century ago.
Think of that next time you see scenes from the movie, and press pause to really take in what an absolutely incredible technical feat it must have been to make the movie look like it does, back in 1939.
Frank Darabont’s Shawshank Redemption is one of those movies that more people have heard about, than actually seen. Regardless, it really is a fantastic movie, and this famous line from the movie fits a 404 error page like a glove. Based on a short story by none other than Stephen King, this movie got nominated for 7 Oscars, back in 1994, and is currently number 1 in IMDb’s Top 250 list.
Se7en, by David Fincher, and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, is one of the greatest thrillers ever made. It also solidified Brad Pitt’s position as a serious actor, and not just another pretty face for people to look at.
The movie itself is dark and twisted and (not to spoil the movie, but) there’s no Hollywood happy ending here, but the error page does a fantastic job in making it seem a little more light-hearted.
Back to the Future has produced more memes than you can shake a stick at, that’s for sure. The movie has been discussed and analyzed (or over-analyzed, more like it) by what seems to be everyone who grew up during the 80’s, so it stands to reason that there had to be a line from the movie showing up on IMDb’s 404.
And now for another entry from David Fincher. Fight Club is probably his most famous movie, and probably his most misunderstood. “I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise.” is one of the most famous lines from the film, being that it’s spoken in the seen where Jack (spoiler warning) beats himself up to get corporate sponsorship for his & Tyler’s Fight Club. Like the previous David Fincher entry, this movie is really dark and gritty, but the 404 message makes it less depressing.
Ah, Star Wars. An epic quest through space to defeat the supreme forces of evil, the Sith. A fantastic story, that revolutionized the Sci-fi genre, and showed Hollywood that you can turn a profit from big-budget niche movies, as well. Of course, being such a huge cultural phenomenon, Star Wars is one of, if no the most quoted movie in history.
Even a simple “No!” is a meme now, because of Star Wars. “These are not the droids you are looking for” is the line that introduces us to the Jedi’s power over weaker minds, and has been referenced in several medias, from songs to, more recently, 404 error pages.
The 80’s was a lovely time for fairy tales, with movies like The Labyrinth and The Princess Bride mesmerizing audiences, and influencing later directors to create epic tales of fantasy, themselves. Vizzini is one of the most loved characters from this story, and his catchphrase, “Inconceivable!”, is the most quoted line from the movie.
1999 saw the release of Office Space, a hilarious comedy about employees rebelling against their greedy boss. That boss’ name is Bill Lumbergh, he’s the movie’s “quote generator”. His famous, prolonged “Yeah…” has been made into a great 404 page, and it also kinda makes want to see the movie.
Bill Murray. Need we say more? It’s a quote from Groundhog Day, which is a movie that Bill Murray stars in.
Dude, Where’s My Car skyrocketed Ashton Cutcher to fame. Although essentially playing the same role he does in That 70’s Show, people fell head-over-heels for his dumb-but-endearing character, who searches throughout the movie for his a car, after a night of particularly heavy partying.
Airplane! is what made parodies popular. The flight-disaster spoof had the great Leslie Nielsen delivering hilarious lines with his typical stoic face and serious demeanor, and people rushed to cinemas to see him do it. Even years later people are glued to their TVs whenever this movie is on, and the famous “And don’t call me Shirley” still gets a laugh even now, almost 35 years later.
Lost was a series about… something. What we do know for sure is that it is the show that eventually led to show creator J.J. Abrams getting to helm the new Star Wars series, and created so many memes and fan-fictions, that even if you haven’t watched the show, you can probably recognize the characters, and probably be able to somewhat explain the plot. Dude…
The Muppets made made made puppets a popular form of entertainment for the first time since the Middle Ages, or something. At the height of their popularity, the first (and many say best) Muppet movie was launched, cleverly titled “The Muppet Movie”. It follows Kermit the Frog quest for success in Hollywood.
And that’s the end of our list. IMDb has done a terrific job in creating these fun 404 error pages, and there’s a poll going on, where you can vote new quotes to be added. We hope you enjoyed our list, and that it’s given you a bit of design inspiration for your own projects.
Let us know which quotes are your favorites from the list, or any movie quote-based 404 error page suggestion you have, in the comment section.
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