- Continuity: When Jack sets down his coffee cup, just after the earthquake, the handle points towards the edge of the counter. In the close up the handle points to the corner.
- Continuity: When meeting about what to do with the film the next day, a paper leans against Rich's coffee cup, but is gone a moment later.
- Crew or equipment visible: During the opening credits sequence, the helicopter carrying the camera is reflected in the rear window of the Bronco.
- Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Hector's car is forced over the cliff you can see that the gas tank has been removed when his car stops tumbling.
- Factual errors: When a reactor is "SCRAM"ed it does not initiate the use of massive cooling systems. The SCRAM process is the rapid (4 second or less) insertion of the control rods into the core which shuts the reactor down by absorbing the neutrons. If the control rod SCRAM fails, then the reactor can be SCRAMed by using a neutron absorbing liquid injected into the core from pressurized tanks (no pumps.) Also, in addition to the cooling pumps, there is an Emergency Core Cooling System which injects a large amount of cooling water into the core if the primary colling system fails.
- Factual errors: In the United States, there are two main types of commercial power reactors: PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) and BWR (Boiling Water Reactor). In the scene where Gibson is explaining the basic workings of the plant to Kimberly Wells, the diagram on the board shows the former type, PWR. This is shown by the two loop system in which the water is pumped through the reactor under high pressure to prevent boiling, and then through a steam generator, or boiler, to create steam for the turbine using clean secondary water. In subsequent scenes, the dialog of the characters in the control room seems to suggest that they are dealing with a BWR system, where water is allowed to boil in the reactor vessel and steam is directly piped to the turbine, with no steam generator. Godell is concerned by the high water level in the reactor reaching the steam lines, of which there are none on a PWR reactor vessel. As well, in the action hearing later, the investigator talks about how the operators began cutting off feedwater and releasing steam in order to lower the reactor water level, which would only happen on a BWR.
- Factual errors: The emergency lights in the control room did not go on when the second plant accident occurred just after the SWAT team broke in. This was clearly for dramatic effect; in reality they would be on a backup power source just as the plant controls were.
- Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Throughout the film, Michael Douglas makes the mistake of pronouncing the word "nuclear" as the incorrect "noo-kyoo-ler". (A mistake he also makes in The Game (1997)).
- Continuity: Michael Douglas' character says the film of the accident is 230 feet. Yet when he is running the film through the moviola at the station there can't be more than 40-50 feet on the takeup reel at the end of the footage.
>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<
Goofs below here contain information that may give away important plot points. You may not want to read any further if you've not already seen this title.
- Continuity: SPOILER: Jack immediately cocks the pistol when he takes it away from the security guard. Moments later, to emphasize his command to Ted, he cocks it again in closeup.
Related Links
