Continuity mistake: When the Phalanx on the Sampson starts shooting at the incoming projectiles, it's a short-barreled version. When the shot cuts, the barrels are much longer.
Factual error: When the alien ship crashes into Hong Kong's Bank of China building, flaming debris can be seen flying past the statue of the Big Buddha, which was also established in an earlier shot as being located just behind the financial area of the city, Central. In reality, the Big Buddha is nowhere NEAR Central, out of view of the Peak, and not even located on Hong Kong island - but on Lantau island, to the west. The Big Buddha is also not included in the Hong Kong city skyline.
Factual error: The first time the film displays the name USS John Paul Jones during the RIMPAC exercise it is shown as a destroyer with the hull number 65 (DDG-65 is USS Benfold) instead of 53.
Continuity mistake: The USS Sampson has no Close In-Weapons System at the bow when the movie starts, but uses one to counter enemy fire later.
Continuity mistake: After the Sampson is hit, and the captain says "continue fire", there is a shot straight from the front of the ship. That shot is flipped, you can see the damage done by the shell is now on the other side of the ship.
Factual error: Albeit needed cinematically, the satellite station is not projecting beams of light, they are transmitting sound.
Factual error: The USS Missouri is a 68-year-old museum ship. Only a few museum ships are still able to sail under their own power. The USS Missouri, however, is not one of them, and could never have left port. There is no fuel on board, corrosion has done serious damage to the rotor blades and controls, and if one was to try and refire the boilers, they would surely explode. Also, there is no ammunition on board, plus all controls have been stripped, and all tubes and barrels blocked to prevent dirt from damaging them. Therefore, it cannot ever fire a shot again. Though it was renovated in 2010, it was mostly to prevent it from rusting away and sinking.
Continuity mistake: At the scene when Hopper is playing soccer he receives a kick to his face, however the blood on his face changes between shots.
Factual error: In the scene where the alien is in the engine room, it shows the alien scan an exposed gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engines on a US Navy ship are not exposed, they're encased inside a module (big steel box) so in the event of a fire they can be easily contained with HALON.
Continuity mistake: In the scene on the mountain where the Hawaii police ask Mick and Sam to leave the mountain. Mick and Sam ask why and they are told during the conversation that the aliens have blocked all cell phones, radio and internet but in the next scene with the police they use a radio to communicate with each other.
Suggested correction: Even if jammed, a radio signal could still potentially reach a few dozen yards to another vehicle, even if it couldn't go a mile or more. Power drops proportionally to the square of distance, so the power at 50 feet away is ten thousand times higher than at 5000 feet away (roughly a mile), and a million times higher than at 10 miles.
Factual error: Each turret on an Iowa-class battleship required a crew of 94 to load and fire two salvos a minute. The makeshift crew, including former Missouri sailors (mostly septuagenarians) were equaling that rate of fire with a half dozen men.
Factual error: Loading the projectiles and powder in the 16 inch rifles is done using a ram. The projectiles seem to just glide in on their own.
Factual error: There is a shot depicting the crew physically carrying a large shell from the rear turret of the Missouri to one of the forward turrets. That shell is supposed to be a 16" High Explosive shell which is also the lightest shell fired by the main battery. Those shells were roughly 5 feet in length and weighed 1,900 pounds and yet we see one being shoulder-carried by 6 men. They are also not utilizing the equipment designed for the purpose of moving these shells.
Factual error: When Hopper is running from the convenience store you can see Rite Aid in the background. You also see Honolulu police cars in the same scene. There isn't a Rite Aid in Honolulu.
Suggested correction: Not sure about this one. Honolulu is on Oahu, so I'm not sure what the police cars correction is, and there are Rite Aid stores on Oahu, and in Honolulu.
Where is (or at least was in 2012) the Rite Aid in Honolulu?
Rite Aid stores are in 18 states, and Hawaii is NOT one of them. I even went to the Rite Aid website and used the "store locator." When I wrote "Honolulu", the result was "no stores within 50 miles." (This would be currently, so the question below about 2012 remains unanswered).
Factual error: When Hopper orders to drop the port anchor during the final battle, the chain changes between being stretched and taut from scene to scene.
Continuity mistake: The missiles fired at the aliens during the boardgame inspired scene, are shown to be a Standard Missile (SM-2) when leaving the launcher, then a Tomahawk cruise missile when flying towards the aliens.
Factual error: Towards the end of the movie, an Australian F/A-18E Superhornet is shown destroying the aliens, complete with Australian pilot. Firstly, the Ensign displayed on his helmet is incorrect. Australia doesn't operate any of those aircraft, only 2 seat F/A-18F and older F/A-18A Classic Hornets.
Suggested correction: A close examination of the F/A-18s in this sequence shows the correct configuration for 'legacy' F/A-18s, including the distinctive straight engine intakes that is the most obvious difference between the F/A-18A to D models and the later F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Therefore the aircraft do correctly resemble RAAF F/A-18A's. A better question is where they have come from considering that RAAF F/A-18s are not carrier capable or qualified.
Continuity mistake: Towards the end of the movie, when the USS Missouri gets hit by the mother alien ship, the scenes show all of its turrets, or at the very least 6 out of the total 9 turrets getting blown up in to pieces and some of them being snapped, but a few scenes later she is firing back at the alien ship through all 9 of her turrets.
Other mistake: Early in the movie, It is said in the movie that the force field is 300,000ft in altitude, and approximately 2 miles in diameter. It is far less than 300,000ft high, and larger than 2 miles wide.
Factual error: During the soccer match with Japan, Hopper is kicked in the face and had blood coming from his nose onto his lips and chin. Then while talking to a Japanese player the blood is gone, then a few seconds later when he makes the penalty kick the blood is back on his face.
