Factual error: When Pelham 123 gets split in two (as in it's uncoupled from the rest of its train), they do so from a control panel from the inside of the car above the seats. Subway cars, like all rail cars, can only be split manually through a lever near the coupler, not through a control panel. In addition, subway cars have ropes between cars, which must be taken down before cars are split. Otherwise they will still stay connected.
Factual error: During the surgical operation, Dr. Heiter makes incisions on the buttocks for the triangular flaps of connecting flesh; but the flaps are pointing outward, rather than inward. The only way to graft the buttock flesh to the face of the next subject would be with the buttock incisions pointing inward.
Factual error: When Wolverine is being chased after the explosion of the barn, there's a Humvee chasing the motorcycle. The movie is supposed to take place in the late 70's - the Humvee started production in 1984 and started service in the late 80's.
Factual error: When Robert Bingham is shooting at Cal, an MPD (Washington, DC) squad car shows up. However, the scene is set in Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, outside of MPD's jurisdiction. Arlington County Police would have responded instead. (01:13:05)
Factual error: Contrary to what the movie states, priests can be elected Pope - they are simply elevated to the rank of Bishop before taking the office.
Suggested correction: Him being only a priest was simply an excuse not to elect him. Those who did not want him to be pope were trying to find any reason to keep it from happening.
Any baptized Catholic male can be elected pope, although it has only happened once. Pope John XIX in the 11th century was a layman, ordained after his election.
Factual error: After James leaves the bar and is driving, you see a dealership in the background and you can see new trucks and a new model yellow mustang. The movie takes place in 1987, so the vehicles are about 20 years too new. (01:26:00)
Factual error: When Sam speaks with his daughter on the long range phone there is virtually no delay between some questions and answers. It takes over two seconds for radio waves just to travel from the Moon to the Earth and back in a straight line. The interval between question and answer physically can't be shorter than that and realistically should be around 3 seconds or even more, accounting for additional signal relays and time needed for a person to form a statement. Same for the communication between Gerty and the Lunar employees when Sam 2 got out of his infirmary bed.
Factual error: When the group discovers the armoured truck in the woods, the officer says it's from the 1950's. After they open the door and are looking at the money, it looks brand new. Money sitting in the weather and heat would get mouldy and deteriorate after 50 plus years.
Factual error: Gallaxhar scans the galaxy to find the missing quantonium. The scanner zooms in on earth, showing it to be very close to the center of the galaxy. Earth is actually nowhere near the center of the galaxy; it's located much closer to the outer edge.
Factual error: After they finally start spending money, and after you see them in the older model black Mercedes Benz S-Class, you see clearly a newer model silver Chevrolet Corvette ('05-'09), even though the scene is supposed to be taking place during the latter part of 1996 or early 1997.
Factual error: We see Hoffman has to use pliers and force to remove Strahm's hand from the grill. However, since the hand is freshly severed, rigor mortis would not have set in, and he should have been able to remove it with ease. (01:09:30)
Factual error: If you're a Hertz #1 Club Gold Member like Ryan is, you don't need to swipe your card or sign for a rental as shown in 2 scenes. You just go to your assigned car in the lot and show your driver's license at the exit.
Factual error: When New York is destroyed by the fireball, the Times Square giant TV (& other electrical items) is still on (although no picture - just static), but the super-flare would cause electrical items to overload before the main fireball hit, almost like an EMP.
Factual error: Julia Child's address on the envelope that she received from publishing company Alfred A Knopf contains a zip code. The envelope contains a letter informing Julia that Knopf wanted to publish her cookbook. That first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was first published in 1961. The US Post Office didn't initiate zip codes until 1963.
Factual error: When Larry and Amelia's plane takes off, the cables it is held onto easily rip off from the canvas. For security measures, a real cable would be made of steel, therefore ripping the structure instead of just snapping like a string.
Factual error: When the guys first set up the website to accept submissions, the year is 1997. We see a shot of the computer screen which displays that they are running Windows XP, which wasn't released until 2001.
Factual error: The sheriff mentions that they don't have a license plate on the front of their vehicle, but according to the aliens' map device, they're located in Michigan, where a front plate is not required.
Factual error: After trying to get his balloon back, Carl Jr. falls and breaks his arm. The ambulance that picks him up has a modern-day electronic siren, when in the 30's it would be a mechanical siren and would be much smaller.
Factual error: When the TV news vehicles are leaving the hospital, supposedly set in Oklahoma, the ocean is briefly visible in the background.
Factual error: Many of the songs featured in the film, almost all of which are portrayed as being singles actually being played by the disc jockeys, came out after the 1966 setting of the film, including Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (June 1967), Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover" (November 1968), The Who's "I Can See For Miles" (October 1967), Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cried Mary" (May 1967), the Turtles' "Elenore" (November 1968) and Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" (April 1968) among several others.