Best movie factual errors of 2012

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Flight picture

Factual error: Whenever the fire extinguisher is activated for a jet engine, that engine becomes inoperable. In the movie, the co-pilot first activates the extinguisher for the left engine, and 30 seconds later, for the right engine. At that point, both engines should be shut down. However, the engines are still operating (and revving up) and Whitaker even asks Margaret to apply full power, which is also audible. (00:23:00)

NoDouty

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Chernobyl Diaries picture

Factual error: The idea that anyone survived living in Pripyat Hospital is absurd. The uniforms of the doomed firefighters were stored in the basement and are so radioactive that anyone straying downstairs for more than 45 seconds has about a week to live. The ground and upper floors are far less radioactive but prolonged exposure - in other words, living there - would be fatal. Nobody could survive on the grounds for more than two or three months without receiving a lethal dose of radioactivity. Incidentally, prolonged exposure to radioactivity doesn't turn you into a deranged zombie - it turns you into a corpse.

PEDAUNT

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Battleship picture

Factual error: After the Missouri knocks the shield down, the admiral orders all aircraft launched, but the flight deck is shown in sailing transport mode, not flight readiness. Would have taken an hour or more to clear the deck and launch.

Blooddog35

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Suggested correction: It's a non issue, it was a massive international naval exercise, Good chance of more than one carrier participating. In fact, every picture of an actual rimpac exercise has multiple carriers visible. Just because 1 carrier isn't in flight readiness mode doesn't mean that others aren't. Might explain why he ordered every plane in the air but there's what? Only 3 that actually save Mighty Mo.

True there may been more carriers but you are being attacked and invaded no flag officer would leave his deck cluttered they would be at battle stations for sure.

Blooddog35

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Argo picture

Factual error: It's mentioned that the British and New Zealanders turned the Americans away. This is untrue - the Americans stayed with both for a time until it was decided that they would be safer with the Canadians.

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Prometheus picture

Factual error: The type of surgery shown made by the machine transversely cuts the rectus abdominis muscles. Besides not being a standard surgical incision in order to "remove a foreign body" as stated, it seriously damages important muscles of the abdominal wall making any immediate active mobilization of the trunk virtually impossible, even under strong analgesia.

Manuel Correia Ramos

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Red Tails picture

Factual error: The German fighters depicted in the film are Messerchmitt Bf 109 G-6s, and every single one of them is using the Rüstsatz VI gun pod, that is, 2 extra 20mm Mg 151 cannons. The Luftwaffe only equipped their Bf 109s with the gun pods when they were going to intercept bombers. In this movie, even on the fighter vs fighter missions, they have these gun pods, which is inaccurate, because the gun pods dramatically reduced the turning performance of the Bf 109s.

André Vinícius

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Django Unchained picture

Factual error: Dr Schultz pays with 12 $1000 bills, but $1000 bills were not created until 1861, after the time period of this movie.

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The Impossible picture

Factual error: When Henry uses someone's mobile to call home, which would be overseas, he only presses about 4 numbers, when he should have had to press about 10.

kh1616

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The Woman in Black picture

Factual error: In the scene where Arthur first enters the house and starts going through paperwork, there's a shot of Nathaniel Drablow's death certificate which shows 'body was not recovered' in the box next to his cause of death. Such a thing would not be written on death certificates of the time - that box is reserved for 'Signature, description and residence of informant', a heading which can partially be seen as the camera pans across the certificate. For the death to have been registered, an informant's signature would have to have been there. (00:20:05)

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Total Recall picture

Factual error: In the movie, when the elevator ("the fall") reaches the middle of the planet, everything turns weightless. In reality, everything should have turned weightless as soon as the elevator was dropped, given they're in freefall.

rainerpl

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Hotel Transylvania picture

Factual error: Johnny shows Mavis the sunrise by keeping her back in the shadows. But if your whole body is in an object's shadow then you can't see the light source. The rising sun is reflected dead center in Mavis' eyes, which means the sunlight is touching her, which means she ought to be on fire.

Phixius

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Suggested correction: Not really though. You see you can stand in the shadows but still look at the sun. No one actually does but it is possible.

A shadow is caused by something blocking the sun. If you stand in the shadow (i.e. you are no longer casting your own shadow), you can not see the sun. Think of lying on the beach and someone stands over you in such a way their shadow is cast over your head. The sun would be blocked from your view. You obviously would still see all the scattered light, but the sun would not be reflected off your eyes.

Bishop73

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Rise of the Guardians picture

Factual error: In the beginning where Tooth is sending her fairies to various regions, she sends a few to Moscow, stating that there are "22 incisors and 18 premolars" that need collecting. Premolars are not baby teeth; they are permanent adult teeth. (00:06:10)

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Men in Black 3 picture

Factual error: The flag of Spain shown at Cape Canaveral is not the official one used in 1969 but the one adopted in 1981. (01:19:50)

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter picture

Factual error: At the start of the war, it says Fort Sumter 1861. However, on the battlefield we see the US flag with 35 stars. In April 1861, there were only 33 states.

Bishop73

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Man on a Ledge picture

Factual error: At the beginning of the film, Nick gazes up at the Roosevelt Hotel. The camera pans up and we can count the number of floors - 18. Yet, during the film, Nick is purported to be on the 21st floor.

AngryBird

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Factual error: In the scene in Stuttgart, we see a "reserved parking" sign written as "Reservierten Parken". First of all, this is grammatically wrong - if used at all, it should be "Reserviertes Parken". But you wouldn't find a sign in Germany saying that. They say "Reservierter Parkplatz".

Daniel4646

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Skyfall picture

Factual error: During Bond's fight with Patrice in the Shanghai high-rise, Patrice's sniper rifle fires several times, presumably by accident. However, moments earlier, when Patrice assassinates his target in the neighboring building, the rifle is shown to be bolt-action. A bolt-action rifle can't be fired more than once without manually re-cocking the gun in order to fire the next round. (00:45:50 - 00:47:20)

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Les Miserables picture

Factual error: In the scene where Javert commits suicide, you can see the back side of Notre Dame in the background. However the river Seine does not flow in the direction as shown in the following scenes. The river Seine flows from the east to the west in Paris, not the other way round.

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The Expendables 2 picture

Factual error: As the guys zipline down the electric cables, they continue past every pylon without a problem. Cables are connected to pylons, so the connections to the zipline couldn't move past pylons freely. (00:08:10)

Ssiscool

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Factual error: In the beginning scene in the locker room, Taylor brings up his Glock and calls it the "Glock 19", however a shot shows the pistol's trademarks, displaying it as a Glock 22.

1HelpSw33p

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