Factual error: Towards the end of the film, Solomon is trapped in a small Plexiglas box and fires his gun into the bulletproof sides numerous times, but the bullets don't ricochet or get embedded in the glass.
Factual error: The 15 bus in London does not go over Westminster Bridge.
Factual error: In the film, the San Andreas fault produces the largest, most sensational earthquake in earth history that levels both Los Angeles and San Francisco, also creating a massive tsunami that also floods the latter. In reality, and according to many earthquake experts, the biggest quake that this fault could produce is an 8.3 and, being a land and not ocean fault, cannot cause a tsunami. Or as consultant to the film Tom Jordan, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center stated, "I gave (the filmmakers) free advice, some of which they took... But much of which they didn't - magnitude nines are too big for San Andreas, and it can't produce a big tsunami."
Factual error: On the bus ride in Nepal, they're playing a Hindi song from an Indian movie (Kabhi Khushiyan Kabhi Gham) that was released in 2001. The time frame on the bus is 1996.
Factual error: When the house explodes, there is a massive explosion and fireball that creates a pressure wave strong enough to send Brian flying into the van. However, not a single window breaks on the houses just feet from the explosion. (00:15:40)
Factual error: At the beginning, the film is set in 1995 only for a brief few minutes. Then, it goes on to say "15 years later." This brings us to 2010. In 2010, the latest iPhone was the 4. However, throughout this film, nearly every iPhone shown (quite a few) appears to be an iPhone 5s. This is obvious by the rectangular body with fingerprint sensor. In addition, in some places the latest iPads are used, the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 - These were released in 2013 and beyond. Finally, although I am not 100% sure, towards the end of the film as the woman steps in to the car for the final time on the hill next to the boat, it appears she is wearing a gold Apple Watch or other smart-watch which was released later than 2010.
Factual error: The East German police cars bear the name folkspolizei. The correct spelling is volkspolizei (People's Police).
Factual error: George Cornell was killed in March 1966, but before and after the killing you see the Triumph Spitfire Reggie Kray bought for Frances, which carries a 1967 reg plate.
Factual error: Towards the end of the film, where St. John is trying to escape with Kim in his private jet, they are apparently attempting to take off from Santa Monica airport. When the camera shows the aircraft beginning its take off roll, the runway markings show that they are using runway 05L to take off from, however, the two runways available at Santa Monica airport are 03 and 21. (01:33:00)
Factual error: The film is set in Nairobi. It's all wrong, from the local language, not using Swahili, the car registration numbers are the wrong format, Kenya plates are like British, yellow at the back, not white. The skyline is wrong, and the drone view of the city map is wrong, the golf course is not the correct layout.
Factual error: Nux fills the bottom of his car with petrol then lights a flare but nothing happens - the fuel should have ignited from the fumes being given off, it wouldn't need to come in contact with the liquid directly. The driver is sitting in a confined space with windows and doors shut when he lights the flare and we see the petrol sloshing about the floor of the car about an inch deep and fumes rise upwards to where the flare is.
Factual error: Michael's wife meets with Longo in prison, and she has an iPhone. The trial was in 2003, 4 years before the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.
Factual error: Although this 2015 Norwegian disaster film is far superior to the many American disaster movies that it emulates, "The Wave" still suffers the most common error found in tsunami-themed disaster flicks: Crystal-clear flood waters. Of course, tsunami flood waters in particular are always inky-black with churning sediment and debris.
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.
Factual error: In the end credits, when the listing of songs used in the film is rolling, the Kiss song is listed as "Detroit City Rock." Actually, the song title is "Detroit Rock City." (01:38:10)
Factual error: When Elizabeth gets on a double-decker bus and meets Jack for the first time, she is asked to pay for a ticket which is issued from a machine. These devices were not available until the 1950s.
Factual error: The limo used in Louisiana has a front license plate and it's a Louisiana plate. Louisiana only issues a rear plate.
Factual error: In the fighting scene in U-Bahnhof Alexanderplatz the underground trains move much faster than in real world. Alexanderplatz is a railhead station. The trains would either crash into a wall or would not have enough room to accelerate that fast.
Factual error: A band poster for the Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth is shown while Bruce drives around the town, however the poster features the band as they are in 2015 while the film is set in 1990.
Factual error: During the opening credits, it is stated that in WW2, German troops gave the US Marines the name of "Devil Dogs." At no time did the Wehrmacht engage the USMC.