Factual error: Throughout the movie, Hopper is wearing both the silver and gold ESWS (Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) and SWO (Surface Warfare Officer) pins on his uniform at the same time. While it is possible to qualify both of these (one while enlisted, and the other after becoming an officer) you would never wear both of them at the same time. The officer's pin supersedes the silver pin.
Factual error: Albeit needed cinematically, the satellite station is not projecting beams of light, they are transmitting sound.
Factual error: When Hopper is running from the convenience store you can see Rite Aid in the background. You also see Honolulu police cars in the same scene. There isn't a Rite Aid in Honolulu.
Suggested correction: Not sure about this one. Honolulu is on Oahu, so I'm not sure what the police cars correction is, and there are Rite Aid stores on Oahu, and in Honolulu.
Where is (or at least was in 2012) the Rite Aid in Honolulu?
Rite Aid stores are in 18 states, and Hawaii is NOT one of them. I even went to the Rite Aid website and used the "store locator." When I wrote "Honolulu", the result was "no stores within 50 miles." (This would be currently, so the question below about 2012 remains unanswered).
Factual error: When the USS John Paul Johns sinks and the lead characters are climbing onto the flight deck, the twin helicopter hangar can be seen behind. The ship is a early Flight 1 Arleigh Burke class DDG and lacks the hangars that were only introduced with Flight IIA. (01:35:15)
Factual error: At the very start of the movie, when they zoom in a planet that is "too cold" the temperature of the planet is shown as -314 C. The maximum negative temperature is 273.15 C, which would be absolute zero. Also when zoomed in, the further right in the screen, the colder it gets, a maximum of -415 C can be seen. (00:01:44)
Continuity mistake: Towards the end of the movie, when the USS Missouri gets hit by the mother alien ship, the scenes show all of its turrets, or at the very least 6 out of the total 9 turrets getting blown up in to pieces and some of them being snapped, but a few scenes later she is firing back at the alien ship through all 9 of her turrets.
Continuity mistake: When the old guys are getting the battleship ready, there are two on the walk way turning the crank to withdraw the path. When the angle changes to show the walkway moving, the two guys vanish.
Continuity mistake: When Sam and Mick are on the mountain, they meet Dr. Zapata who emerges from behind a bush with a twig in his hair above his forehead. In the next cut the twig has moved to the top of his head, and in the next it is gone.
Other mistake: When they load the last shell to hit the island Hopper orders it to be taken from turret 3 to turret 2, but turret 3 is later seen firing.
Continuity mistake: When the USS Sampson gets blown up by the aliens, the front of the ship explodes first, then the rear, but in the next sequence the rear explodes first, then the front.
Factual error: At the Award Ceremony, Alex is announced as a Lt Commander, but he is wearing Lieutenant's stripes on his shoulder. (01:57:22)
Suggested correction: It was a spot promotion that he didn't know he was getting. The Admiral called him LCDR to let him know he was getting promoted.
Other mistake: Early in the movie, It is said in the movie that the force field is 300,000ft in altitude, and approximately 2 miles in diameter. It is far less than 300,000ft high, and larger than 2 miles wide.
Factual error: During the soccer match with Japan, Hopper is kicked in the face and had blood coming from his nose onto his lips and chin. Then while talking to a Japanese player the blood is gone, then a few seconds later when he makes the penalty kick the blood is back on his face.
