Best sci-fi movie factual errors of 2015

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Ant-Man picture

Factual error: Twice in the film it is made clear that the Pym particle works by reducing the space between atoms in order to shrink an object, and by increasing it to enlarge them. This means that the object will weigh the same, whether shrunk or enlarged - it cannot be otherwise. A 90kg man the size of an ant would punch a hole through any surface upon which he stood (and couldn't ride ants), Doctor Pym has been walking about with a 60 tonne tank in his pocket, Darren Cross lifts a full grown sheep between finger and thumb, and the supersized Thomas The Tank Engine would be far too light to crush the police car (in fact it would float harmlessly away as it would probably weigh less than the air it displaced).

PEDAUNT

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The Martian picture

Factual error: After Watney patches the blow out of one of the HAB's airlocks with plastic sheeting, tie down straps, and duct tape, he pressurizes the HAB and the plastic sheeting pushes out like an inflated balloon. Assuming the plastic and duct tape would hold this is correct, however the plastic would be much more taut given the pressure difference inside and outside.

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Suggested correction: The plastic would certainly be flexing in and out because of the pressure of the wind gusts during the storm. We saw earlier that the gusts of the storms were strong enough to blow a suited explorer off their feet and push them across the surface. Let's say that the HAB is pressurized as much as it can be without blowing out of the plastic, tape, and bungees sealing the airlock. A storm gust would still be able to push the flexible plastic in momentarily, and it would pop back out after the gust passed.

The movie took liberties with the physics of Mars. The gusts on Mars wouldn't be able to blow over a person or a spaceship, let alone push them across the surface, but they needed it for the plot. But using the same physics they then have wedded themselves to, it could then be strong enough to cause the plastic to flap, even though in real life it wouldn't. This is more of a deliberate mistake than a factual error since the writers certainly knew what they did didn't match reality.

Except they didn't 'wed' themselves to their fictional physics. Towards the end of the film NASA tells Watney that a flimsy plastic covering on his ascent vehicle will not be dislodged on acceleration to Martian escape velocity because the atmosphere is too thin to cause any problems. That's cheating in anyone's books.

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Terminator Genisys picture

Factual error: During the opening narration Kyle Reese states that Skynet attacks humanity on August 12, 1997. In the shot of missiles decimating San Francisco, multiple 2005-present Toyota Priuses, Dodge Chargers and other late model cars are seen.

Phaneron

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Suggested correction: That 1997 was from another timeline before the events in Terminator 2 altered history. It's possible those models may have existed earlier in that timeline than in our world.

This is assuming too much about the alternate timelines. There would have to be more concrete evidence that such things would be altered in said timelines. Also, considering that timeline is supposed to be what took place from Terminator 1 in its own separate timeline, we would go still by our own following the events of it leading up.

Quantom X

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Jurassic World picture

Factual error: The battery of the electronic goggles used by Gray should be dead after 20 years. (01:09:30)

oswal13

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 picture

Factual error: When Katniss approaches the gate to President Snow's mansion, just after the massacre of civilians in the large plaza, she sees her sister attending to wounded and runs toward her. There is a fiery explosion and Katniss is thrown onto her back and we see that radiant heat from the blast has caused the front of her coat to burst into flames. Flash burns are a common injury following an explosion, but Katniss has not a mark on her face, and not a trace of redness then, or shortly afterward when she is treated in a dispensary.

stevewaclo

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Suggested correction: As is made clear in the book, the fire never touches Katniss' face.

First off, whatever is in the book is not enough to correct a mistake for a movie. Secondly, flash burns do not require fire to contact the skin, they are caused by the thermal radiation from the explosion.

Bishop73

Also book/film discrepancies are invalid by sites rules.

Ssiscool

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Z for Zachariah picture

Factual error: Ann plays an organ in a church with no electricity. And no, there was no manual bellows to make it work; the movie makers simply didn't know the difference between the operation of an organ versus that of a piano.

ReRyRo

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Self/less picture

Factual error: The limo used in Louisiana has a front license plate and it's a Louisiana plate. Louisiana only issues a rear plate.

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Stormageddon picture

Factual error: A library assistant is showing his cellphone to a Fed. The Fed pulls out his gun and shoots the assistant from about 8 inches away into his left temple. Another Fed, standing to the immediate right of the assistant is shown after the shot. But there is no blood or material spray on him at all. His white shirt is immaculate. In fact, there is no blood anywhere.

toroscan

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Tomorrowland picture

Factual error: In the early scene when they enter the "It's a small world" ride at the '64 World's fair, the monorail in the background runs way too fast. The actual one moved very slowly. Also the monorail would not have been visible from the Pepsi Pavilion.

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