Goofs for
Poseidon (2006) More at IMDbPro »

• Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the audience are clapping along to the band when they first begin playing the sound of the clapping is not synchronized with visuals.
  
  
• Plot holes: Why would both propellers (at the end of the movie) be sucking air in (or out) at the same time? Bow thrusters would create a vacuum in the chamber no matter which way they are turning, when to Starbord they create a vacuum to suck water and push it to the port side of the ship, and vice versa.
  
  
• Miscellaneous: In the sequence where they are crawling up the ducting and Conor unscrews the bolts holding down the grate, there are two or three shots where a hair on the camera lens is clearly visible in the lower left corner of the shot. This was observed in the HD version of the movie, but appeared large and clear enough to show up in SD as well.
  
  

• Factual errors: In the sequence at the end of the movie where the ship rolls back over before it sinks, it seems to defy the laws of physics, specifically buoyancy. In a previous shot, it is clear that only the tip of the bow is floating above the water line, representing at most 10%-20% of the mass and volume of the ship, yet when the ship rolls over, at least 25%-30% of the ship is above the water line and buoyant before the ship finally sinks all the way.
  
  
• Continuity: After they open the door with the hot handles from a flash fire, everything in the room looks burnt except the lights, but the plastic around them would have melted or have black on it.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Cruise ship poker dealers are certified professionals, however, the Poseidon dealer allows both "splashing the pot" (thowing chips directly into the pot) and a "string bet" (placing chips into the pot as a call and then placing more chips in as a raise). These are basic rules violations of professional dealing and would never be allowed in a cruise ship casino, especially in a high-stakes game such as the one in this movie.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: The source music in the ballroom does not match the Poseidon orchestra's motions.
  
  
• Continuity: At New Year's, Gloria is shown walking up, and clinking glasses with the chief officer on the stage. In the next shot from the balcony, they do it again.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the first shot of the drummer, he is out of sync with the drum sounds we hear.
  
  
• Continuity: When Robert and Jennifer cross the Grand Lobby, the hose appears and reappears between shots.
  
  
• Continuity: While in the ventilation shaft, Robert asks the group below for a ring or a coin, something so that Conner can get the screws loosened. Jennifer states she can't get her hand in her pocket, she already showed her father her ring, and put it on her finger earlier before crossing the grand lobby across the fire hose, her ring was on her finger, not in her pocket.
  
  
• Continuity: Watch the Captain just after he introduces Gloria. There is a shot of him stepping off the stairs at the side of the stage and walking towards the crowd, clapping. They show a closeup of Gloria, then a shot from the balcony. If you look at the side of the stage, the Captain is walking off it again.
  
  
• Continuity: In the ballast tank they open the valves to allow water in. Though ballast tanks have holes at the bottom of the ship the ship is not completely submerged. Where does the water come from?
  
  
• Factual errors: On a normal right side up cruise ship the pressure relief valves are placed at the bottom of the ballast tanks because of the greater water pressure. But the Poseidon is upside-down so the valve is at the top where the pressure is much less great, so it is impossible for it to open.
  
  
• Continuity: During the capsizing sequence the ship, both inside and outside, continually shifts degrees that do not fit with the tilt in the next shot or another view from the same room.
  
  
• Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When they are in the ventilation shaft, Dylan mentions to Elena about her "little brother". He then asks her if he is older or younger, to which she replies younger. If Dylan refers to him as a little brother it should have been obvious that he was younger than her. Dylan is trying to keep Elena calm. It's possible that he's assumed that her brother is younger in his haste and then realizes he doesn't know for a fact, so he inquires to keep her occupied.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the scenes in the ship's ballast tanks, the characters open the valves to allow water to enter. However, since the ship is upside down, the ballast tanks should not operate normally. Where does the air in the space go?
  
  
• Plot holes: Before opening a hot door Robert Ramsey, who "used to be a fireman", doesn't even check if the fire extinguisher works - not such a bad idea in such critical situation.
  
  
• Plot holes: Robert Ramsey, who "used to be a fireman", stands right in front of a hot door when Dylan Johns opens it. Definitely the ex-fireman never heard of "back draft" or he would stand to the side and definitely ask everyone to stand back.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: When the characters are swimming from the last ballast tank to the stairwell, while they pass the ladder, at least one member of the crew is visible kicking their feet behind the ladder.
  
  
• Miscellaneous: When they are trying to revive Elena after she drowned, she is only given 21 chest compressions. A lot more compressions need to be given for CPR.
  
  
• Factual errors: The Water seems to chase the fleeing passengers all the way to the bow room. However when outside the ship standing in the bow thruster the water is many meters below. The water level in the ship would be lower than the level outside. The weight of the ship would mean that if such a small volume of air remained the ship would already be under water outside. And when the trap to the bow-thruster was opened the sheer pressure of the air trying to escape would make this one large exhaust - with or without the bow-thrusters.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the opening sequence where the camera pans around the entire ship, all the lifeboats are facing backwards. The propellers are facing towards the bow of the Poseidon. Also sequences involving the Navigation Bridge show the space as being well lit. Ships bridges are kept in near pitch-black darkness so as not to hinder the navigation watch's night vision. And finally all ships machinery (like the bow thruster motors) have emergency shut offs in the space with the machinery.
  
  
• Continuity: Just before the fuel catches fire, you see Dylan pushing Jennifer down. When they show the fire following the fuel up, you see Dylan push Jennifer down again.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When they are in the ballast tank, waiting for the hatch to open, you can see the top of Connor's head go above the water level at least once, even thought the tank is supposed to be full.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: After they escape the ballast tank, Connor comes up from the water. He is obviously coughing, but there is no sound.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The experienced fireman grabs the door handle briefly with his hands to see if it was hot. It is taught in elementary schools to touch the hot door (or in this case the door handle) with the back of your hand. This prevents burns from limiting the use of your hand.
  
  
• Factual errors: During the entire film we never see any stabilizers on the outside of the ship, surley a ship as large as Poseidon would have had a least two.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: Towards the end of the movie, fishing wire can be seen holding the raft steady while everyone is getting on it.
  
  
• Factual errors: The bow thrusters have no doors covering them, without them the ships performance would be drastically reduced and the ship would need more fuel, any ship the size of Poseidon would have them to increase efficiency.
  
  
• Factual errors: At several points in the movie the ballast tanks are shown filling and the ballast gauges are shown going from empty to full. Since ships typically use a large float-type sensor, and the fact that the ship is upside down, the gauges should be reading full when empty and show decreasing level when filling.
  
  
• Factual errors: As the rogue wave gathered water, the ship would have gotten sucked towards it significantly, rather than staying in the same place until the moment it was hit.
  
  
• Factual errors: All the time spent underwater with their eyes open, their eyes would be so irritated by the salt and would be extremely bloodshot, not to mention it would be difficult for them to see.
  
  
• Factual errors: The ship was traveling the North Atlantic (London to New York) on New Years, meaning the water would be extremely cold. The main stars of the movie would have died from hypothermia, or at the very least they would have been freezing cold and barely able to function.
  
  
• Factual errors: There couldn't have been any working electricity. After the ship capsized, the generators wouldn't have been able to maintain a fuel supply, not to mention generators were falling and the fuel was burning up and exploding. This also means the thrust propellers wouldn't have been able to be running.
  
  
• Factual errors: Diesel fuel would not explode like it does in the movie. Diesel is also difficult to ignite.
  
  
• Factual errors: It is doubtful the vacuum created by the thrust propellers would be powerful enough to hold the extremely dense compressed gas cylinder against the access door, considering its heavy weight and its aerodynamic shape. It would be like trying to suck up a ball bearing with a vacuum hose. Even if it were strong enough to do it, that would mean it would be far too powerful for Josh Lucas' character to be able to fight, and he would easily get sucked right in.
  
  
• Factual errors: A/C ducts are not designed to be able to hold the weight of a person, much less half a dozen or so. Furthermore, they would likely be round on a ship.
  
  
• Continuity: When they're climbing up the A/C duct, the water is shown rising in the adjoining room at a decent, but not terribly fast pace. Once the water hits the duct, it seems to magically rise extremely quickly, negating the fact it's still attached to the room and will only rise as fast as it does in the (very large) room.
  
  
• Continuity: When the survivors climb out of the propeller tube Dylan is the first one out with the others following behind but when everyone is out he is the last one to climb out.
  
  
• Continuity: When the survivors are in the air shaft they climb out after Conor unscrews the bolts. In the next scene they are climbing out again
  
  
• Continuity: When you first see the Poseidon at night the moon is high in the sky, but when the rogue wave is coming the moon is very low, almost where it looks like it is going to set.
  
  
• Continuity: When the engine comes loose and crashes through the 'floor' above it hits the bridge with Lucky Larry on it. seconds later it hits the bridge again but Lucky Larry is nowhere to be seen.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: During the capsizing, there is a shot of the an indoor pool with a wave proceeding from the raised end down it's length. While dramatic, this wave cannot occur, as all water rises at the bottom end of tilting vessels.
  
  
• Continuity: When Dylan, Conor and Maggie are running to get to the bow thruster room the water is following them very fast but when they reach the room the water isn't following them at all.
  
  
• Continuity: After the Poseidon is hit by the wave, Dylan is shown getting up from the floor wearing his suit and tie. In the next shot his tie has disappeared.
  
  
• Factual errors: When the officer of the watch sights the wave, he orders "hard to starboard, starboard engines full astern!" When the capsized ship is shown, it can be seen that the ship (like many, newer, larger cruise ships) lacks a rudder and is equipped with "azipods." These are pods that are external to the hull which contain the motors with the propeller for each motor driven directly. Azipods can rotate 360 degrees and thus eliminate the need for a rudder since the thrust can be applied in any direction. If an azipod equipped ship needs to perform an absurdly sharp turn, all the azipods would be turned perpendicular to the length of the ship, in the case of Poseidon with the pods facing starboard. This would cause all the thrust to be applied to swinging the ship to starboard. Under normal conditions, this would be very disruptive since it would cause the ship to roll to port and break every dish on the ship. Reversing the "starboard engines," which would be the proper procedure on a conventional ship, would be counter productive with azipods.
  
  

• Continuity: SPOILER: Whilst trying to revive Elena the crucifix can clearly be seen around her neck, but before they leave her for dead it can be seen being placed around her neck.
  
  

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