Continuity mistake: When Sam is sitting in the kitchen eating, his mother is talking to Jack on the phone and just after Jack says, "Sam is a straight A student he doesn't fail classes," Sam puts down his glass of milk and leaves his left hand up, but in the following shot it is down by his stomach. (00:12:25)
Continuity mistake: The image from the space station that is sent to Tamlyn has no vortex. However when she sees the images on her screen there is a vortex about 50 miles in diameter.
Continuity mistake: When the man asks Jack "Why for the love of God would you aggravate the Vice President?", he has both his hands up. When it cuts his hands are down. (00:13:20)
Continuity mistake: When the students are looking around the library for books to burn, it cuts to a girl and man standing on the balcony beside a book cart. When the guy reaches across to grab a book and says, "We can't burn this one..." he is holding the book with both hands, but in the following shot his left hand is on the book and the other hand is on the cart. (01:11:35)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Sam smashes the vending machine in the library, you see him first take out about three items from it, and then in the next shot you see him holding two items, but when he throws them onto the table there are about a dozen packets of sweets and crisps. (01:11:25)
Continuity mistake: Just after Terry looks at the boys on the screen with Simon, in the overhead shot of Manhattan traffic, the homeless guy in the middle of the traffic is walking towards a black car with a police car beside it. But in the following closeup he has passed the cop car and is now at the bumper of the black car. (Zoom in is required). (00:19:00)
Continuity mistake: When the tidal wave is about to hit Manhattan, Sam and his two friends are walking up the stairs, and the black friend's hood is over his head, but in the following shot it is no longer over his head. (00:46:35)
Continuity mistake: The older scientist reaches down to grab Jack with his right hand. In a closeup, Jack grabs the right hand and the same scientist catches him with the left hand as well. In the next shot from above, only his left hand is down, but as he pulls Jack up both hands are on him. (00:05:40)
Continuity mistake: Near the start, when it cuts to a street in Japan, a large hailstone hits the policeman's car. When it hits, the wipers just brush it away and keep working, but in the following shot when the policeman looks back at his vehicle, the hailstone is still there and the wipers are no longer working. (00:10:45)
Continuity mistake: When all the people are in the library sheltering from the cold, in the overhead shot of the guard (the one who told the homeless guy he can't enter the library with a dog), he is in front of Laura and then walks to his right with clothing/blankets in his hand, but in the next shot he is behind Laura and the black cop. (00:58:40)
Continuity mistake: When the wave is hitting the city, there is one bloke standing by the library who is watching the camera. Camera cuts to another view, and the bloke has disappeared. (00:48:45)
Continuity mistake: When the group of teenagers is viewing the destruction in Los Angeles, they are watching FOX 11. However, a few seconds later when one changes the channel to show the air traffic suspension, it is shown that they are watching FOX 5. (00:30:55)
Continuity mistake: When Sam and the others are walking in the rain toward the library, they are carrying backpacks or duffel bags, but when they reach the steps they are not carrying any extra baggage.
Suggested correction: The bags were slowing them down, so they probably just abandoned them in the street.
Continuity mistake: Sam smashes the window on the boat to get into the medical room. Glass is left in the frame, however. Camera does an instant cut and the glass has gone completely. (01:30:00)
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the film, when Dennis Quaid is running from the cabin to help his friend, in the far shot, you can see him run onto the ice, but in the following shot, he is on the stairs. (00:04:30)
Continuity mistake: When Sam and the other two students are on the big ship, Sam goes outside so that the wolves will chase him, locks the door, then climbs the ladder to a door where the students are. The black student is startled and turns around with a metal scoop to his right getting ready to sling it, but in the following shot the scoop is over his left shoulder. (01:34:20)
Continuity mistake: When Sam, Laura and the black student enter J.D.'s hotel room, Laura asks, "You live here?" and J.D. looks at Laura then puts his coat down, but in the next shot his back is to her and is putting his coat down again. (00:40:50)
Continuity mistake: In the scene when Terry Rapson is looking at his grandson's drawing, Simon comes into the room and puts a cup of tea on the desk. In the first two shots you see that the cup is in the same position where the handle is facing exactly towards the camera, but in the third shot, it has changed position, and the handle is now pointing to the left. (00:49:25)
Continuity mistake: When Jack arrives in New York he's right next to the Statue of Liberty. When the camera pans abowe the Statue of Liberty, you can see that front of the Statue is in light, and it's back in shadow. In the next shot front of the Statue is in shadow, and back in light. (01:42:35)
Continuity mistake: When Jack and the other bloke are standing and ask where the library is, they take off their skis and sled, and run a few metres and look over a sand dune. The camera zooms out a fair bit, but the sled has disappeared. (01:43:05)
