Deliberate mistake: The pile of fish in the first fish trap is much taller than the trucks. That's impossible without some sort of lifting equipment - and no such thing is around in the aerial shots. (00:42:50)
Other mistake: It's difficult to spot (it's easier on DVD, but I don't have the timecode). Godzilla has just left Central Park after suspecting the trap with the fish. As she rumbles down the street, hundreds of Apache helicopters swarm in and attack. When they begin firing their cannons at Godzilla, if you look carefully, you'll see the tracer fire from one gunship overlap over another gunship. The cannon fire is heading away from the camera and getting smaller, so it should at least go through the other helicopter and disappear on the other side, but it remains superimposed on the Apache. A little special effects mistake.
Other mistake: When the first fish trap is set up and Nick realises that the manhole covers need to come off, the first covers come off, with the pile of fish in the background about one block away. Nick then runs another 1/2 a block to a block to remove another manhole cover before Godzilla sticks his head up through the road. Taking into account Godzilla's size, we can assume she is about 3 blocks away from the fish. When the shot cuts to the computer screen in the command centre, it indicates that Godzilla is SIX blocks away from the fish.
Continuity mistake: The ground does not shake every time Godzilla comes - only in some of the first scenes. And only when approaching - not when he is walking away.
Revealing mistake: When they have the second fish trap, Godzilla runs from the army and the chasing Hummers drive right over the deep massive footprints smoothly.
Factual error: The ship shown in the film is a dry-bulk carrier, not a fishing vessel.
Revealing mistake: When Godzilla's foot steps "around" Animal, then lifts, the large wall of windows in the background has no reflection of the foot, leg or any portion of the monster, yet our viewing angle would require it. (00:30:00)
Revealing mistake: When the two soldiers are in the subway tunnel just before Godzilla's eye opens at the end of the tunnel, check out the beams on the flashlights. When the flashlights shine on the walls of the tunnel, they are normal. When they shine FURTHER AWAY onto Godzilla, the light beams get narrower and more laser-like. The circle the light makes on a surface loses the dark circle in the centre when it shines on Godzilla too.
Factual error: The giant footprints in the movie are obviously dug out of the ground. If they were real, the ground would be heavy compressed in a footfrint shape. These look like they were dug with a foot-shaped shovel.
Factual error: When the F-18s are inbound to Madison Square Garden, the lead pilot arms a pair of AGM-84 harpoons, but he says he is arming LGBs, which stand for Laser-Guided Bombs. Harpoons are not laser-guided, they are radar-guided sea-skimming anti-ship missiles. (01:46:00 - 01:46:35)
Factual error: The Apache gunship helicopters seen in the film have three weapons pylons under each wing. In real life, Apaches have only two pylons under each wing. It's possible the makers of the film gave them the extra pylons to make them look "cooler".
Other mistake: When tracking the footprints of Godzilla in Panama they lead to the ship, but the ship should have been on the Pacific side of Panama and the footprints should have led to the Atlantic.
Factual error: F-18 Hornets deploy Harpoon anti-ship missiles to destroy Madison Square Garden. The Harpoon is an anti-ship missile, designed to punch holes in ships. It is not designed, nor capable of levelling buildings. A Harpoon also works best over water; firing over a crowded city confuses its radar seeker head and leads to tracking issues.
Suggested correction: There is a variant of the AGM-84 Harpoon called the "SLAM" (Standoff Land Attack Missile) which is a harpoon variant used for surface targets. Its designation is the AGM-84E. Also it's guidance system is an active radar homing system which is perfect for pretty much any targeting, not just over water. It is used on Phoenix AA missiles, Hellfire Air-To-Surface missiles and the very famous Patriot SAM missiles. Plus the SLAM even uses GPS.
Factual error: Pregnancy tests look for HGH or HGC, the first H is for human, so this won't determine whether Zilla is pregnant or not.
Continuity mistake: The mayor is giving a speech as Godzilla arrives in NY. There are five microphones in front of him. They move between shots, most noticeably the blue and yellow ones in the middle. (00:26:30)
Other mistake: Operations on the ground in Manhattan appear to be under the command of "Sgt. O'Neal." Such a sizable operation would never be placed under a sergeant, but would more likely be commanded by an officer, such as a captain or a major. Also, O'Neal is repeatedly called "Sir" by other soldiers. A sergeant would never be called "Sir."
Revealing mistake: When Godzilla eats at the first trap you can see soldiers coming out of her foot. When Nick goes around the statue to take another photo you can see this on Godzilla's right foot just next to the vehicles as the soldiers are shouting "Let's go, fall back."
Continuity mistake: Watch the roads during the chase scenes. They go from soaking wet to dry to wet again scene to scene, in the same street as they turn around.
Factual error: A sergeant is neither called sir nor is saluted. Sergeant O'Neal is called sir twice and saluted twice. The first time is shortly before they dump the fish for bait the first time. Someone runs up to O'Neal, says sir and salutes him. He says something about ten minutes then salutes him again and runs away. The second time is when O'Neal is on the roof and looks over the parapet and sees Zilla walking past. Right after that someone comes up to him and says "Sir, Godzilla has been spotted in section five."
Suggested correction: Sergeants, just like any other military member of a higher rank than the person doing the saluting, are called sir as well as saluted.
Not true. Sergeants are non-commissioned officers. They are respected for experience and expertise but they are not saluted first or called Sir. (Some services will have Drill Sergeants or Platoon Sergeants addressed as Sir by recruits in basic training but that's not happening here).
Continuity mistake: When the reporter is chasing Godzilla in New York, just before he stops his hat falls on the ground between him and a taxi. But in the next shot of him when Godzilla is about to crush him, the hat is gone and is never seen again.
