Waterworld

Factual error: The Mariner's tiny gill-slits behind each ear could barely oxygenate a one-foot-long fish, never mind a full-grown human being. To accommodate his 6-foot body, the Mariner would need multiple 8-inch gills stacked on either side of his neck, at least. Compounding this error, the Mariner then draws Helen to safety underwater, telling her, "I'll breathe for both of us!" So, now his grossly undersized gills are oxygenating two full-grown human beings.

Charles Austin Miller

Factual error: The Smokers' plane is shown with every surface completely rusted reddish-brown. But planes are made from light alloys, not steel. They can eventually corrode - very slowly - but the film of corrosion is white, not red like iron rust.

Factual error: Regardless of the type of event that caused the ice caps to melt, Waterworld, as shown, is impossible because: A. Scientists have measured that if all landlocked ice (Antarctica, Greenland, and the like) melted, the worldwide water level would not rise by anywhere near enough to cover the whole world in water. B. The melting of the North Pole ice cap would have no effect at all on the worldwide water level because that ice cap is already floating in the water (try putting an ice cube in a glass of water and letting it melt. The water level won't change). C. Unless the event that caused the ice to melt also altered the earth's tilt, the poles would still be cold and would refreeze, lowering the water level.

Grumpy Scot

Factual error: The Mariner's gills that allow him to apparently breathe ocean water, are extremely unlikely. Even mammals that live underwater, like whales and dolphins, did not evolve gills. It is not possible for a warm-blooded creature to supply itself with enough oxygen using only small gills.

wizard_of_gore

Factual error: The Mariner takes Helen down to the sea bed in a makeshift 'diving bell'. He tells Helen there is only enough air for one person. The depth they dive to is shown as quite comfortably exceeding 200m. (To save this turning into a science essay I'll include this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyle's_law). Regardless of suspension of disbelief, there is no way that a bell of that size would carry enough air for even one person at that depth for that long.

Factual error: When Costner spots the Smokers on their jet skis, his catamaran has no sails up and is dead in the water. He hastily puts up the sails and speeds away, outrunning the Smokers. This would be impossible in real life, from a standing start and light wind.

Revealing mistake: When the Mariner hangs a man from a rope on his ship, the man jumps ahead a little: he puts his hand round his throat and makes strangled noises before the rope even goes straight.

rabid anarchist

More mistakes in Waterworld

Helen: You've been there, haven't you? Dryland? You know where it is.
Mariner: Yeah, I know where it is.
Helen: And uh, and we're going?
Mariner: You and I are. The kid we gotta pitch over the side.
Helen: What?
Mariner: My boat's tore up. I'm taking on water. [Points to filtration system.] I'd be lucky to get half a hydro ration out of that.
Helen: You know, I said I won't drink.
Mariner: For twelve days? [Helen nods.] No. It's better that one of you dies now, than both of you die slow.
Helen: Wait. Wait. We saved your life. We got you out.
Mariner: No. You got me out so you could get out. We're even.

More quotes from Waterworld

Trivia: The land they end up finding at the end of the movie was in fact to be the tip of Mount Everest. I know this because I once saw a copy of the movie where they discovered the plaque left behind by the first climbers of the mountain and it said it was Mount Everest. This was the movie's broadcast premiere on ABC in 1998, and up until recently, the plaque was never shown on-screen again.

brandinham

More trivia for Waterworld

Question: Why did they burn the Mariners boat? Wouldn't it have made more sense to capture it and use it for themselves? They know they are gonna run out of "Go Juice" at some point so why not use the fastest sail boat to find dry land?

Answer: Most likely to make sure that the Mariner and Helen couldn't follow them and rescue Enola. They were trying to find Dryland and if Enola was taken from them, they'd never be able to find it. Also the smokers ship was filled with people and using the Mariner's boat and constantly going back and forth from Dryland to the ship would have taken too long. Better to use the ship they're all on and get them there quicker. Also, none of the Smokers could read the map that was on Enola's back.

Answer: If they'd have captured it and took it for themselves then they wouldn't have been able to follow them either. They could have used the Trimaran to find dry land a lot faster than using the tanker. Once they'd found dry land, simply go back to the tanker and tell them where it is so the tanker can make its way there too.

More questions & answers from Waterworld

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