Plot hole: According to the phone book the name given was "M. Horowitz" but when Mary mails he first letter to him she already knows it's "Max."
Plot hole: Every ghost that we see in the house looks the way they did when they died, for example the girl from the film's intro is seen without skin on her face, which happened to her before she died. However, in the final scene when we see Simon's ghost joining them, he looks completely normal, when he should have had a throat slit wound and the carved markings on his skin. (01:31:20)
Plot hole: During Ed's transformation back to humanity, he burst into flames several times. His heartbeat was monitored using wires attached to his chest. They did not stop working despite being in the flames.
Plot hole: The main character never takes the elevator. He only takes the stairs. When leading a workshop he leads a group of people from street level by saying 'follow me' and in the next shot the whole group is on top of a high rise hotel. How did he and the entire group get from street level to the roof together if he never takes the elevator?
Plot hole: In the series we learn that these creatures take a lot longer than us humans to grow up and that they live a lot longer. They mention that the children are about 900 years old, so a grown-up would be more than 1000 (probably 2000). The series is set around our time (1990s/2000s) and Fjellrose and Erke are very old. Yet the film is set about 100 or 200 years ago, you can tell by the way the humans are dressed and the way their houses are built etc. So Fjellrose and Erke should still be grown up, but they are young children. If they are only 100 to 200 years younger, then they should be much older in the film or much younger in the series.
Plot hole: Although this film is a virtual jigsaw puzzle of flashbacks, the dynamic between Dan, Laurie and Rorschach pretty much defines the movie's continuity in the present. However, when Rorschach is framed for murder and arrested, he goes directly to a maximum-security prison, apparently without trial, conviction or sentencing (all of which would require months of due-process, at least). Even if this lapse of time is some sort of artistic device to rapidly advance Rorschach's story, there is no corresponding lapse of months in the relationship between Dan and Laurie, which runs parallel with Rorschach's story. Either there is no due process for Rorschach in this story, or there is a glaring plot hole.
Plot hole: Mr. Cranston asks Denise to be the accompanist for the school's production of "Chicago". This is an error. In the year 2009, in which the film is set, this would be impossible since the licensing company which has the theatrical rights for "Chicago" restricts the show from being produced (even by amateur groups and schools) anywhere in the greater New York area while there is an open-ended production running on Broadway.
Plot hole: If the missing people were already in that cave, then why did they have to cut locks of the building and pry boards off the hole?
Suggested correction: Rorschach was a famous and dangerous outlaw. We are talking about an alternate 80's here with Nixon as president and a nation-wide ban on masks (the Keene Act). Rorschach probably faced the death penalty for his long list of crimes, besides the murder he was finally captured for (not to mention to handful of cops he seriously injured whilst trying to evade capture). I don't think it's strange that his trial was quick or not fully by the book. They made sure he was locked away fast and quietly. The justice system probably works a lot faster in a world of masked vigilantes.
lionhead
Yes, Rorschach was a vigilante; but, before masked superheroes were outlawed, Rorschach was also responsible for sending dozens (if not scores) of far worse criminals to prison, thus benefitting society. This much is stated in the film. His contributions to justice would certainly carry weight, and testimony in his favor would have to be considered in any legal proceedings against him. Also, after his capture, authorities were still trying to assess his mental state, which implies that some sort of due-process was still in place. Rorschach should have received a months-long trial, at the very least.
Charles Austin Miller
To be fair, the original, Hugo Award-winning "Watchmen" graphic novel makes the same continuity leap when it comes to Rorschach's fate. Rorschach keeps a secret diary that dates everything, but it egregiously skips over his trial and sentencing, even though the relationship between Dan and Laurie remains consistent. So, we can say that the movie is faithful to the novel, but the novel itself is flawed with a gaping plot hole.
Charles Austin Miller
The cops of that city don't care about his past deeds, which includes dropping the body of a criminal in front of the police station with the message "Never." They don't like him. Not even his colleagues liked him. That was a long time ago too, he's been the sole masked vigilante for a long time and I bet the cops just started disliking him more and more for his antics. Thus, a quick trial.
lionhead