Goofs for
Poseidon (2006) More at IMDb Pro »

• 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 11 chest compressions. A lot more compressions need to be given for CPR.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When they try to rescue the little boy from the piano, the curtains magically hang up the right way up, instead of hanging down.
  
  
• 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.
  
  

• 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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