Best movie factual errors of 2011

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Super 8 picture

Factual error: After the train crash, the teen characters discover cube-like items. One of them states it looks like a Rubik's Cube. The movie itself takes place in 1979, but the Rubik's Cube, although invented in 1974, was not licensed to sell in the USA until 1980. It was not even called a "Rubik's cube" until 1980 (prior to this, it was known as a "Magic Cube"). (00:21:55)

spectrauru

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Colombiana picture

Factual error: When Cattleya escapes through the sewer drain and winds up in front of the U.S. Embassy, she uncovers the manhole all by herself. Impossible for such a young child to do.

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The Mechanic picture

Factual error: When Bishop and McKenna are discussing how to kill the preacher, Bishop states that epinephrine and adrenalin are a lethal combination; they are actually two different names for the same thing.

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The Thing picture

Factual error: Winter in Antarctica would not have a night and day as portrayed, with the amount of light changing so much during the course of 24 hours.

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X-Men: First Class picture

Factual error: Erik arrives in Argentina at a place called Villa Gesell, shown to be a town in middle of mountains. Villa Gesell is a beach town on the Atlantic Ocean coast, with no mountains.

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Captain America: The First Avenger picture

Factual error: When the action moves to England after the failed award ceremony, the British Union Flag hanging from the wall is upside down. The broad white band should be at the top left (nearest the top of the flag pole).

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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows picture

Factual error: In the scene straight after the opening credits we are taken to Baker Street where construction work is being done. This work is identified by a sign with a logo as being for the underground line. The logo type face was developed by a Mr. Edward Johnston for London Underground from 1913 but the distinctive typeface used in the film was not in place until 1919. This is obviously long after the 1891 setting of the film.

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Apollo 18 picture

Factual error: When Nate dies by the alien moon rocks, his helmet visor "explodes." The visor in the film shatters like glass, but the real visors on actual spacesuits are made of polycarbonate, a plastic that does not shatter but deforms.

Matdan97

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Take Me Home Tonight picture

Factual error: In one of the first major scenes where Matt Franklin and Tori Frederking are being introduced at the rental store - there is a shot where you can see the entrance of the store, and there is an electronic article surveillance detector on either side of the entrance to the store. This technology for use in a video rental store (for VHS tapes) did not exist in the 1980s.

LogicX

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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol picture

Factual error: When Tom Cruise chases the villain in a parking lot in Mumbai, the "Parking" sign is written in Kannada (the scene was shot in the Sun Network station at Bangalore). Regional signs in Mumbai are in Hindi or Marathi (the state language of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital).

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Contagion picture

Factual error: When a global map is shown, the location of Toronto is incorrect. What is labelled as Toronto is actually the location of Montreal. (01:08:05)

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Scream 4 picture

Factual error: In the scene where Olivia's body is being removed from her home. Olivia was covered in blood, yet the sheet covering her has blood only in her chest area. The sheet would have had way more blood on it. Also, I'm an EMT, sheets are not used on victims that are dead. A body bag that zips closed and is made of rip proof plastic is used to transport deceased victims (especially if they are as bloody as Olivia was supposed to be). White sheets on a corpse are only seen in the morgue. (00:40:00)

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon picture

Factual error: When the Autobots return to the moon in the present day to retrieve Sentinel Prime, they pass by the Apollo 11 lunar module (LEM). The LEM consists of an upper part (ascent stage) that houses the astronauts, and a lower part (decent stage) that holds the braking rocket used to land on the moon. When leaving the moon, the ascent stage blasts off, leaving just the decent stage on the moon. In the film, the entire LEM is shown sitting on the moon, which is impossible since the astronauts came back to earth.

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Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: These movies aren't set in a specific time.

Credit for the following goes to another member here, Super Grover, who actually answered a question about the dates the films are set a while ago. These dates are estimates. The intro of 'PotC: The Curse of the Black Pearl' takes place mid-1720s (roughly 1725), when Will and Elizabeth are around 11/12 yrs old. Then eight years later the duo are about 19-20 yrs old during the main part of 'The Curse of the Black Pearl', then around a year later are set to marry in 'PotC: Dead Man's Chest' followed by the consecutive 'At World's End', which take place around 1733 / 1734. The next movies 'PotC: On Stranger Tides' and 'Dead Men Tell No Tales' (after the intro) take place in the 1750s. Again, credit to Super Grover.

Ssiscool

They're set in the 1700's. In "On Stranger Tides", King George wants Jack to find the Fountain of Youth before King Ferdinand, who reigned from 1746 - 1759.

Bishop73

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Fast Five picture

Factual error: When the bus slams into Brian's car at the start, Brian's car doesn't move an inch. Given the speed and weight of the bus, Brian's car should have been shunted a good distance. (00:01:45)

Ssiscool

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy picture

Factual error: George Smiley stays in a hotel near Liverpool St Station, London to investigate the spy at the heart of the circus. There is one scene where we see, from above, a train leaving the station. Liverpool St station is electrified using overhead wires - the train is leaving a station using a different electrification system called 3rd rail which has never existed at Liverpool St.

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The Dilemma picture

Factual error: Passiflora Incarnata doesn't cause the symptoms described in the film. There was one remote incident where some of the symptoms (nausea) occurred but it can only happen if ingested which did not happen in this movie.

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War Horse picture

Factual error: Major Stewart addresses the Indian NCO as "Sergeant Major" and he is so described in the credits. There was no such rank in the British Indian Army. Indian cavalry sergeants were known as Daffadars. More senior Indian cavalry officers held VCO ranks (Jemadar, Risaldar and Risaldar Major) which had no British equivalent. Given the importance of rank and protocol, it is highly unlikely that a British commissioned officer would be unaware of this.

Necrothesp

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The Hangover Part 2 picture

Factual error: The protagonists travel to the wedding resort at Krabi on Thailand's West coast from Bangkok by speedboat in a relatively short time. To travel from Bangkok to Krabi by sea would involve a 1,500 mile journey through the straits of Malacca via Singapore and would have taken them at least 48 hours, non stop, with additional fuel onboard.

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