Goofs for
The Day After Tomorrow (2004) More at IMDbPro »

• Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Any inaccuracies regarding the Earth's climate depicted in this film are intentional according to the director.
  
  
• Continuity: During the plane sequence the Stewardess closes the curtains, and the left half doesn't touch the wall, but in the next shot just before the trolley hits, it is touching the wall
  
  
• Factual errors: During the plane sequence the stewardess closes the curtain before she takes her seat. FAA regulations state that where an emergency evacuation may be necessary the curtains must be open and secured as in take-off and landing.
  
  

• Crew or equipment visible: The Cameraman's reflection can be seen in the right-hand side of the Porsche during the tornado sequence
  
  
• Factual errors: During the typhoons in LA, the weatherman gets into his Porsche and tries to start the ignition with his right hand. All Porsches have their ignitions on the left side of the steering wheel.
  
  
• Errors in geography: Relative position and the distance between Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan island.
  
  
• Continuity: A traffic light is shown sticking out of the snow in Manhattan during the blizzard, but the streets had been flooded with enough water for the cargo ship to float into the city, which means that the level of the water (that soon froze) was far higher than the height of a street light.
  
  
• Plot holes: When Jack, Frank, and Jason are driving to Manhattan through the blizzard, Jason says they're "just north of Philadelphia" when the car crashes and they have to walk. Jack later says that they're still 40 miles from New York. Walking the approximately 70 miles from the car crash to Manhattan would be impossible in those conditions. In perfect weather, with food, water and supplies, and in optimal fitness, it would take a minimum of three days to make that walk. They were in blizzard conditions, probably exposed to near-zero, if not sub-zero, temperatures. They surely would have froze to death long before they ever got near NY. Even if they had made it to NY, if would have taken them probably a week to ten days before reaching Manhattan.
  
  
• Factual errors: There has never been a documented attack on any human in North America by healthy wolves without human provocation. Wolves would feast on carrion first, and there would be plenty of it under the circumstances. Stray dogs would be far more dangerous to humans; there have been numerous unprovoked attacks by healthy dogs - some such attacks fatal - upon humans.
  
  
• Plot holes: Sam and his friends are all in High School and on a High School scholastic team. Where are the teachers from the High School that should be there with them? They wouldn't send three teenagers from a High School without an adult.
  
  
• Factual errors: During the Mexican US Embassy scene we see a building with several fixed satellite dishes. The angle of the dishes is far too low for a tropical (or almost tropical) location, they'd be pointing much higher in the sky.
  
  
• Continuity: The position of the partially sunken ships near the Statue of Liberty changes between shots.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When Jack is briefing the President, the evacuation line that he initially draws across the US is clearly well to the south of Washington - suggesting that he's writing off everyone in the room as being doomed. In later shots, the line has clearly been awkwardly redrawn so as to place Washington to its south.
  
  
• Continuity: In scene 27, Sam is running from the wolves in the ship. He closes the door and a wolf runs into it leaving blood on the window. In another shot, the blood is gone.
  
  
• Factual errors: The penicillin aboard ship was found in solution. If in solution it should have been found frozen and it is clearly liquid when picked up. Normally penicillin is stored as a powder and reconstituted (by adding water or sterile sodium chloride solution) just prior to use.
  
  
• Factual errors: We are led to believe that the only global surveys of the weather available are through manual observations from the International Space Station. In reality there are several dedicated meteorological satellites in orbit around the Earth.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When the Japanese businessman's cell phone falls to the ground, it has a Rogers AT&T logo on the bottom, a Canadian cellular provider.
  
  
• Factual errors: The space station appears to be orbiting from east to west; in fact it orbits in the other direction.
  
  
• Continuity: When the cleaner looks under the door, there is a very bright light shining through, but in the external shot, we see it is very dark and the sun is shining on the other side of the building.
  
  
• Factual errors: In one scene in earth orbit, the space station appears to be tumbling out-of-control but the view from the observation portal the astronauts look through is steady. A space station would remain gyroscopically static in orbit unless acted upon by an outside force like gravity or a meteoric impact which was not depicted. The only other reason for a space station to spin would be to create artificial gravity, but the stations design does not indicate this would be the case.
  
  
• Continuity: When the first group of people are leaving the library, the homeless man is standing on a balcony watching them leave. In the next shot, Sam is trying to convince them not to leave while the homeless man sits near him.
  
  
• Incorrectly regarded as goofs: During the presentation of the ocean currents, the gulf stream seems to be flowing the wrong way, but the presentation shows the "oceanic conveyor belt", which flows below the surface of the ocean in the direction shown, thus causing the warm surface water to flow in the opposite direction (which is the Gulf Stream).
  
  
• Factual errors: On the Trimble GPS Unit, the screen shown is the Satellite Screen, not the Map Screen, so every time the navigator was asked where they where, he could tell them how many satellites where being used, but not the location of the unit.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When the wolves approach the iced-in ship, their shadows are inconsistent with their surroundings.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Onboard the ship, the pharmacy is locked from the inside, with a type of key in the door which means it could not have been locked from the outside.
  
  
• Errors in geography: During the Sky TV footage of blizzards in the UK, you can clearly see a yellow American style crossing signal in shot.
  
  
• Factual errors: As well placed as the Hawaiian Airlines ad was, Hawaiian does not fly anywhere east of Phoenix.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: When the cleaner is walking towards the brightly lit door, you can see the shadow of the boom operator behind him.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: During the destruction of Los Angeles, one of the buildings is apparently shaking violently yet the bottles on the shelf in the background are standing quite steadily.
  
  
• Continuity: When Frank is hanging from the roof of the supermarket, you can see that Jason's hand is bleeding. In subsequent shots, there is no blood and no bandage.
  
  
• Factual errors: During a meeting with his cabinet, the President stands and leaves, yet everyone seated at the table remains seated. White House protocol requires that when the President stands up, so does everyone else.
  
  
• Factual errors: American glaciologists in Antarctica are heard using US units of measurement during their work. The metric system is in use by glaciologists - even American ones - in all scientific contexts. The metric system is far easier to use.
  
  
• Factual errors: Hailstones are shown as plain clear chunks of ice. Because of the way that they form, hailstones are opaque balls of concentric layers of accumulated ice (like rings of a tree), or agglomerated lumps of smaller stones.
  
  
• Factual errors: Celtic Glasgow are shown wearing blue kits. Blue is the one color Celtic would never wear, as it is the home color of their arch-rivals Glasgow Rangers. This is corrected, in broadcasts on UK TV at least, although now they're solid green, rather than the traditional horizontal green and white stripes (the "hoops").
  
  
• Continuity: When Frank is hanging in the mall, and we see Jason supporting him on the glass, it appears that there is nothing other than the main roof supports holding him up. But in the close-up, there is a cross member holding up his weight.
  
  
• Continuity: Gomez's tie clip changes position between the meeting with the President, walking Prof. Hall to the elevator and returning to the meeting. It goes from straight, to 45 degrees and straight again.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: After the Global Warming Conference when Prof. Rapson is hailing the cab, he removes his fingers from his mouth before the whistle is finished. That type of whistle requires fingers to remain in the mouth.
  
  
• Continuity: When the reporter gets hit by the flying billboard during the tornado, the billboard flips over after hitting him and there isn't a body.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the shot where Jack Hall is explaining why the air coming out of the cyclone is so cold, the computer model of the low pressure system is spinning clockwise, not counter clockwise, as it should be in the northern hemisphere. Also in the starlit picture when the weatherman says that the low pressure systems resembles a "tropical hurricane" is also spinning clockwise.
  
  
• Miscellaneous: In at least two scenes, people in NYC are watching TV - WTTG, Channel 5 in DC.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Luther (the man with the dog) is wearing a yellow plastic bag on his head. The brand on the bag is "Super C", a Quebec supermarket that does not exist in the United States.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: All over the movie, there is no steam coming out of people's mouths when they are in a cold environment.
  
  
• Factual errors: In LA after the tornado hits the building with the cleaner, the main power is turned off, yet the emergency lighting has not yet activated. The emergency lighting in that particular building, as clearly seen behind the cleaner, is a self-contained battery which would have immediately turned on once main power is lost.
  
  
• Errors in geography: It doesn't make sense for the group leaving the library to make their way to Staten Island via Brooklyn. (They could have just crossed the frozen harbor, for example).
  
  
• Continuity: In the closing scene as the rescued students are flying in the helicopter above Manhattan and see the other survivors coming to the rooftops, J.D. is on Brian's left when Laura looks out the window. When you see them again, J.D is on Brian's right.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Sam starts making the snow boots after they find out that Laura's cut is infected, the others say, "I thought you said it was dangerous to go outside," and Sam replies, "I know I did," but when he says this, his mouth isn't moving.
  
  
• Factual errors: The tail rotor on one helicopter is shown in close-up stopping while in flight. A second later, we see a wide shot and all three of the helicopters have their tail rotors turning. Additionally, the tail rotor is mechanically linked to the transmission, which is linked to the main rotor. The tail rotor will always turn when the main rotor is turning.
  
  
• Factual errors: Penicillin in solution is not clear, it is a milky white color.
  
  
• Factual errors: When the super cooled air hits the American flag, it immediately freezes in place, sticking straight out. This would not happen, even at extremely cold temperatures, unless the flag contained a great deal of moisture. With that amount of moisture, the flag would be limp, and not flying straight to begin with.
  
  
• Factual errors: It's stated that the temperature that froze the gas lines was -150 degrees but when the pilot opens the door you can see his breath. At 90 degrees below zero your breath will freeze and fall to the ground.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When the man steps out of the house right after they showed the wind decorations blowing in the wind, you can see that his hair or robe is not moving, other than the movement he makes, and it was supposed to be very windy.
  
  
• Plot holes: When the "eye of the storm" comes over NYC and Jack, he begins to see everything clearly and the USA flag drops down from flying. This would be because, as he explained earlier in the film, there is barely any air movement. Why then, before the flag freezes, does it start to fly again, and so freeze in that position?
  
  
• Miscellaneous: In the shot establishing the upset animals in the zoo, the bear cage shot is clearly flipped as seen by the word "BEAR" being backwards on screen.
  
  
• Continuity: When we see the last scene with the helicopters flying over we cannot see the ship that had drifted into the city. Even though we can see the snow has gotten deeper the ship's superstructure would still be tall enough to extend above the snow
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When the cargo ship comes into Manhattan and all the people stop to watch it the camera angle switches to a view from the front. The buildings behind the ship don't have enough space between them to allow the ship through. There is no way a cargo ship could fit down the streets of Manhattan.
  
  
• Factual errors: In a case like this, a nationwide emergency, you wouldn't find the President and the Vice-President in the same Room. They would be kept apart. For instance getting the Vice-President to some Air force or Army base far away. This is standard government procedure in extreme situations like the one depicted in this movie. It is done as a precaution, if something were to happen to the President to have at least the Vice-President in safety in order to keep the Government functioning.
  
  
• Factual errors: 24:17 The scene shows a series of wind powered whirlygigs. The closest one begins to turn and picks up speed until it is at full speed before the ones behind it even begin to turn. Wind gradients are not that sharp, they all should have spun up to speed at the same time.
  
  
• Factual errors: 38:29 There is a weather report with a "sky TV" logo talking about the snow in the British Isles. There is snow in the shot but all of the cars are on the right hand side of the road.
  
  
• Factual errors: 1:01:15 The scene shows the lobby of the library flooded with water - the water at the edge near the stairs is apparently starting to freeze. Since this is a sheltered spot, it would be the last spot to freeze since the ceiling would prevent radiative cooling, and the walls would slow down the convective (wind) cooling. The ice would freeze from the outside first.
  
  
• Factual errors: 1:23:37 After Frank has fallen through the ceiling window, Jack wipes the snow from the window where he is and peers through it. He shouts to Frank but there is no fogging on the window even though he just wiped powder snow off it.
  
  
• Factual errors: Several times during the film, including the British helicopter crash, and when they are getting the penicillin from the cargo ship, characters are seen touching frozen metal with bare hands, and then removing there hands. If the temperatures were as cold as claimed, skin would freeze to metal and the hands would stick.
  
  
• Continuity: When Sams' group reaches the library, you can see that Sam has a duffel bag over his left shoulder. In the next shot, as they are about to pass between a couple of cars, the bag is gone.
  
  
• Continuity: When Dash Mihok is holding up Jay Sanders above the mall, his hands get cut from the glass, as we see a lot of blood. But in later scenes his hands are fine with no bandages to suggest he cut his hands.
  
  
• Factual errors: During the sequence with the three UK helicopters, they are depicted with three colours in the roundel, red, white and blue. All current military front line aircraft do not contain white in the roundel, only red and blue, pale or dark depending on the paint scheme.
  
  
• Factual errors: The view shown from the ISS of the earth covers a far larger area than what can actually be seen from it as the ISS is in a very low orbit.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the final shot the space station is moving across the screen with the Earth in the background. Midway through the camera pulls back dramatically and we see the Earth recede into the distance, while the station continues its journey across the screen, changing neither speed nor size. The inference is that the space station has instantaneously moved away from the Earth with a rate of acceleration that would allow it to achieve galactic escape velocity (speeds of over 1000 km/s). The space station should have receded along with the Earth into the distance.
  
  
• Factual errors: When Jack Hall show his computer model of the storms, they are displayed on a Mercator Projection map of the world. This type of projection distorts the landmass the closer you get to the poles. However, the display of the storms on the map shows them as being round. If they were accurately projected onto the map, they should also be distorted.
  
  
• Factual errors: When Sam hears that the platforms are flooded at Grand Central Station, they determine that rail service to Washington, DC is canceled. Trains to Washington from New York (Amtrak) use Penn Station, not Grand Central... although no doubt, those platforms were under water as well.
  
  
• Factual errors: It is told that the air should cool but doesn't because it descends too rapidly. We can see that the buildings all freeze up in New York when the Eye hits. This is absolutely impossible. No matter how fast and how cold the air is, it cannot cause this due to the process of compression. At ground level, the pressure is a lot higher than the pressure above the eye, and no matter how cold the air is, the air should reach near anywhere between negative 10 to 10 degrees Celsius above zero. When pressure rises, the air becomes compressed and starts to warm up. According to the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate, the temperature change is 10 degrees Celsius per km of height. The cyclone shown in the movie should be around 10km in height, so 10*10 = 100 (This is only an example). There should be around 100 degrees difference in this case, and therefore, not cause all the freezing up depicted in the movie.
  
  
• Factual errors: When the scientists are watching football in the UK, the match is between Celtic Glasgow and Manchester United. The commentator states that Celtic are the 'home team' but the match is being played at Old Trafford - Manchester United's stadium.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the students are in the library and trying to keep warm, they use books to keep the fire going. With all of the 100+ year-old oak furniture sitting around, why don't they use the wood?
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When flying to pick up the Royal Family the pilot of the RAF helicopter says they are "Forty kilometers" away. No RAF pilot would ever use kilometers. The UK uses miles on the ground and nautical miles in the air.
  
  
• Factual errors: When the students are flying through the thunderstorm you can hear typical rolling thunder. However, rolling thunder is echo caused by buildings and mountains. It would not be audible at the height of a plane flying.
  
  
• Incorrectly regarded as goofs: We are told that Australia has suffered its worst typhoon ever. In Australia they are called cyclones not typhoons. However, the information was given by an American scientist, hence the other term.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Near when they first raid the vending machines you can see a first aid kit in the background, but when they need to get the penicillin, they make no reference to thinking about checking the kit for medicine.
  
  
• Plot holes: At the end the president executes a SAR mission. The helicopters would have had to have come from the most southern states, as the others have been evacuated. However, none of the helicopters would have had sufficient range to fly to New York and back without refueling.
  
  
• Plot holes: How did the wolves get on the ship? For that matter, how did the kids? A ship rigged for sea presents 30 feet of vertical steel from water line to deck, all the way around. No gangways or ladders were lowered. Yet the wolves approached from the water line, and then were aboard the ship.
  
  
• Plot holes: What happened to the crew of the ship? There was no reason to abandon ship. If they died, where are the bodies?
  
  
• Continuity: When the President is being briefed, the line drawn on the map, there to indicate the freeze zone, moves to various locations in different shots. In looking at WV, the line is initially north of most of WV, then it crosses southern WV, then it crosses central WV.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When Jack and Dash reach the library where Sam is taking refuge they initially can't find it. When they do discover Sam inside the fireplace is clearly lit. That means that smoke should have been visible from the outside. If the chimney was covered by snow, then smoke would have filled the room where the survivors are, yet there is none.
  
  
• Continuity: When the homeless man is standing by the front door to JD's penthouse, in the background the taxi cab sitting behind the blue Chevrolet Impala has a police-style push bumper. In the immediate shot afterward where the Impala pulls forward slightly to reveal water gushing from the manhole, the push bumper is gone, and yet it is the same taxi cab.
  
  

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