Factual error: Flynn says that the chamber in the Mayan temple is "an exact replica of their great temple of Teotihuacan." But Teotihuacan was not a Mayan city, but rather the hub of a separate civilization (themselves called the Teotihuacan). It was in central Mexico, hundreds of miles from the Mayan area in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Factual error: In one of his first appearances, Proulx the Architect is using a modern pen on a pad of paper when taking notes.
Factual error: At the end of the movie the cast is counting down to the explosion of the Krell furnaces. They reach zero and the furnaces explode. They see the light from the explosion just it happens. But they are 100 million miles out by then. The light would have taken over 8 minutes, about as long as light from the sun takes to reach earth, to reach the ship.
Factual error: In the scene where Tom and Sarah are in the French castle, there's a flag hanging in the background. This is the official flag of the Austrian province of Tyrol although the whole scene plays in France. (00:36:45)
Factual error: In 1983, Billie covers "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On" which was not released until 1984. (00:22:50)
Factual error: When the Bronco is underwater at the end of the movie, Claire's hands are tied to the steering wheel. Doug rips the steering wheel off. Anyone who has worked on cars knows you need a puller to get a steering wheel off, you can't just rip it by hand.
Factual error: When Marylin Rexroth's ex-husband dies, she inherits his money because he had not removed her from his will after divorcing her. Under California Probate Code § 6122(a)(1), the dissolution of a marriage automatically revokes any disposition or appointment of property made by the will to the former spouse.
Factual error: After Hardy dies and they're going through his possessions, a football scarf is pulled from his kit bag. The scarf has a Sunderland AFC badge. The film is set in World War II. The badge on the scarf was introduced in the 1970s.
Factual error: When Kate gives Angie a ride back to Kate's house/apartment, the outside scene shows a road sign for PA-51. PA Route 51 is a road in southwestern Pennsylvania, not a road near Philadephia, which is where the film is set.
Factual error: Peter and Lizzie play their semi-finals on the same day, but the men's semis are the day after the women's at Wimbledon (unless there has been significant rain, which there wasn't).
Factual error: When Dodge and Lexie are in the building running from the police, you see an exit sign. This movie is set in the 1920's, before exit signs were invented.
Factual error: During the Thanksgiving sequence, all of the characters are outside in shirtsleeves. This is odd as by November, it is cold in Wisconsin.
Factual error: When the Petrox engineers dump Kong into the pit filled with chloroform they haven't knocked him out - they've killed him. Chloroform vapour is heavier than air so Kong is breathing it in a pretty pure form - and it is lethal in concentrations as low as 40,000 parts per million. In the time it would take to render a gorilla unconscious by this method, it would die. This ignores the fact that liquid chloroform is a severe irritant and a contact poison, and its breakdown products include phosgene and hydrogen chloride, both deadly poisons. They might as well save themselves some time and use that dinky little bulldozer to fill in the pit.
Factual error: When Dora and Paul walk into find the newborn baby kitten on the floor, it shows what a kitten would actually look like if it was newborn. However, after they save it and are with all the kittens later on, the kittens are walking around and they have their eyes open. Kittens don't open their eyes or walk for at least 2 weeks after being born. In the movie, they had just been born.
Factual error: Deer are not repelled by the smell of human urine, and in fact it does not have "a" smell - it has many. The smell of human urine varies enormously based upon diet, health and environmental factors so that no wild animal could possibly be scared of them all. Even if Lou didn't know this (and everything about her character suggests she should), Doctor Stone would - he is a doctor, after all.
Factual error: The cavalry sing Low Bridge (or Fifteen Years On The Erie Canal) as they trek across Texas in 1879. This was written by Thomas S. Allen in 1905 during the time the Erie canal was switched from mule power to engine power. (00:49:00)
Factual error: In the scene where Ms. Ungermeyer returns to the hotel and takes the elevator upstairs, Sergei detains her in the elevator (to give Lizzie time to get into her room) while the classmates, including Kate, walk up the stairs. Since the rooms were on the first floor, Kate should have reached her and Lizzie's room before Ms. Ungermeyer; however, they enter the room at the same time.
Factual error: A very common error in First World War films. British soldiers were not permitted to shave their upper lips until 1916 - in 1914 almost all (unless physically unable to grow them) would have had moustaches.
Factual error: During Gavin Grey's first NFL game in 1957, the helmets depicted for both the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers are historically inaccurate. The Redskins did not employ the burgundy helmets with the feather-stripe running along the center until 1958, and the Steelers didn't use black helmets with the Steelmark logo until 1963. In 1957, the Redskins used solid gold helmets while the Steelers used yellow helmets with a black stripe along the center and black numerals on either side.
Factual error: The movie theater ticker says it's Monday, April 12th, 1997 - but the 12th was on a Saturday. (00:00:20)