Factual error: At the end of the movie where the action takes place on top of the Pyramid of Khafre (the big one in the middle), this same pyramid can be seen in the background. It is the same pyramid as this is the only one with limestone casing covering the top 1/3 of the pyramid.
Revealing mistake: When Mikaela is driving the Saturn she's wearing a long sleeved leather jacket, yet when Grindor shows up in front of them and the car spins, the driver is wearing a short sleeved t-shirt. (00:54:00)
Factual error: Right after the title the location moves to Shanghai, China and you see a train of a few oxide-red hoppers. One of them is lettered for the Missouri Pacific railroad, with the Mo-Pac eagle logo visible. Another hopper is lettered for Conrail. These American train cars would not be in China.
Visible crew/equipment: Near the end, when the Devastator is being transformed from the cement mixer, crane, bulldozer etc., the cement mixer with the Decepitcons' emblem stops abruptly and the stunt driver can be seen being thrown back into his seat.
Continuity mistake: When Mikaela is talking to Sam on the phone after Sam had his "nervous breakdown", when he is picking up the dropped papers, the people on the right coming down the stairs come down twice.
Continuity mistake: While we're repeatedly shown map views of the region while events are taking place in Jordan and Egypt, and characters even say things like they're "five klicks" (kilometers) from the water during the battle, things cover distance impossibly fast. For example, we're shown M-1 Abrams tanks being landed ashore by LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion), but just seconds later they're on site, engaging the Decepticons. This does not appear to be a time-lapse in the film itself, as we're shown the battle unfolding in what appears to be real-time. And that's ignoring that the pyramids, around which the battle is taking place, are really roughly 140 kilometers from the tip of the water. Even the closest point is around 120km from the water to pyramids.
Factual error: The British flag at NEST headquarters is upside down.
Plot hole: In the beginning of the film the Fallen is nearly barely able to live. Jetfire explains that without Energon, Transformers will "oxidize and rust, like my wretched self!". But after Optimus dies, the Fallen is suddenly able to do serious combat. Where did he get that new energy from, when The Matrix of Leadership is said to be the only remaining source of Energon?
Factual error: During final battle after Optimus' resurrection, the battle scene moves from the pyramids (located near Cairo) to the Karnak temple (located near Luxor, more than 1000km from Cairo) and back.
Continuity mistake: During the shot where Mikaela runs into the lamp post, both the Pretender and the front bumper slide under the car as she backs up and drives forward again. Seconds later, as the camera angle changes and they drive away, the front bumper is re-attached with only a dent where it hit the post.
Continuity mistake: When Judy goes upstairs to pack after finding the baby booties, behind Ron there is a chair at the head of the dining room table, in front of the box he just taped. Then, just before Ron says, "Your mother and I are really proud of you," that chair has vanished, only to reappear when Judy shouts that she's crying again. (00:09:45)
Revealing mistake: As the two main characters are running down the sand dune, you can see the darker sand of the previous takes where the director has raked down the sand so as not to show the foot marks in it.
Continuity mistake: When the Cube sliver burns through the floor and falls onto the kitchen table, in the overhead shot there is a red stool on the side of the table (bottom of screen) with the bowl of cereal, but as the appliances transform that stool is at the wall beside the doorway. It reappears beside the table a few shots later, as the transformed blender jumps on it. (00:12:30)
Continuity mistake: At NEST headquarters in Diego Garcia, when Galloway arrives holding up the Presidential order document, in the shot from behind him as he walks through the front gate, the booth is to his right (viewer's right) and the vehicle to his left (viewer's left), but in the shot facing him the booth is to his left (viewer's right) and the vehicle is to his right (viewer's left). (00:19:50)
Factual error: During the credits, Tyrese Gibson's character is listed as USAF Master Sergeant Epps. However, throughout the whole movie, Gibson is seen wearing the sleeve chevrons of a CHIEF Master Sergeant. Chief Master Sergeant is the highest rank an enlisted person can hold and is NEVER referred to either verbally or in writing as Master Sergeant. Master Sergeant is a different (lower) rank.
Continuity mistake: During the scene establishing the Decepticons on the Bayos freight ship, vehicles change. The first shot, overhead, shows Long Haul (green dump truck), MixMaster (grey cement truck), Rampage (red bulldozer), and Scrapper (yellow front loader with wheels). The next shot shows Rampage as being yellow, and Scrapper is now some yellow Volvo vehicle with treads and a claw. Also, by the angle of this shot and based on the previous shot, there would not be an angle to see through the background vehicles. In the next shot, when the transformers jump overboard, Rampage is red again, and the Volvo with treads is now the front loader Scrapper again.
Continuity mistake: In the astronomy class, Sam writes many symbols on the chalk board. In the first shot of the full board, one symbol is very messy. In a later shot, it is significantly cleaned up. (00:45:00)
Revealing mistake: During one of the shots in which the Pyramid of Giza gets destroyed, one of the falling rocks does not spin. During the fall, the rock bounces without spinning when touching the surface of the pyramid. It seems just to "hover" down.
Continuity mistake: After the Astronomy class, when Sam is in his dorm room he begins writing a green symbol on the Bad Boys poster, but when Leo and Alice show up that first green symbol has completely changed its shape and its position on the poster.
Continuity mistake: After Judy goes upstairs to pack, as Ron has a heart to heart with Sam, the dogs jump onto the couch and there are striped and patterned pillows beside Mojo. When Ron says, "Mojo, no dominating Frankie," the striped pillow is gone from that side of the couch. (00:10:00)
Chosen answer: He knows from stories passed down to him from older generations of bots, not much unlike stories about the past passed down to us from our ancestors. His line about no one telling him anything is just a way to avoid being put back in the box or being tortured by Mikayla.
dablues7