Today I will continue to analyze the goofs in the movie Kong: Skull Island,
for entertainment purposes, not criticism,
because it's obvious that the big monsters appearing in the movie are fictional already.
In addition, I am not the one who found these mistakes,
I just picked out from the opinions of others.
ok, not introduce anymore, let's get started.
Anachronisms
First, the film is set in 1973.
The graphics on the seismic devices are far beyond the capabilities of computers in 1973,
let alone portable computers.
The film depicts an anti-Vietnam War protest in 1973
and treats President Richard Nixon's troop withdrawal announcement as a surprise.
In fact, the Paris Accords had been signed in December 1972
and anti-war demonstrations petered out after Nixon accepted cease-fire terms the previous May.
It was no secret to anyone in January 1973 that U.S. military involvement in Vietnam was over.
Early in the movie, Packard reaches for a box of cigars, with a Rocky Patel cigar label,
which contains his medals.
Rocky Patel Cigar Company has only been around since 2002.
The cargo ship displays a giant "no smoking" sign in red letters.
Smoking bans on general merchant vessels became effective only in 2009.
No ship in the 70's would have had such instructions prominently painted on the deck.
Weaver is inspecting B&W film in her darkroom by holding it up to the light.
The edge marking says Kodak 400TX, a 2007 model.
When she is detailing her military experience
Mason mentions she was "...embedded with MACV-SOG".
The practice of embedding journalists with military units during wartime
become a formal practice until the Iraq War of 2003.
Prior to that many journalists during the Vietnam War,
like Joseph L. Galloway who was with the 7th Cavalry at the Ia Drang Valley,
had to find their own way to the battlefield.
The Athena cargo ship used to carry the team to the island wasn't built until 2003.
The Ka-Bar combat knife carried by one of the soldiers had serrations on the back edge.
The serrations shown are a copyrighted pattern of the Spyderco company
that did not exist before 1981.
One of the technical staff is referred to as a "data wrangler," a 21st century job title.
The satellite that produced the imagery is called Landsat in the film.
The satellite launched in 1972 was called Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS).
Its name was changed to Landsat in 1975, two years after the film was set.
Character error
The Japanese soldier carried his sword in a wooden scabbard.
This type of case is called a shira saya (resting scabbard).
It is used to store a Japanese sword, not carry it.
As a former SAS operator,
it is highly unlikely that Conrad would lead a jungle mission
equipped only with a tight t-shirt and a shoulder holster.
Despite being an alleged former SAS member,
James Conrad not only "sweeps"
passes the muzzle of his weapon across the bodies of someone he doesn't want to shoot
several people, he clearly fires directly over the head of Mason Weaver
while she is standing within five feet of him.
Any trained professional would avoid both of these
as they could easily result in the friendly fire injury or death of a team member.
Several of the helicopters get swatted out of the air when they get too close to Kong.
These flight crews have had sufficient time to recognize
and evaluate the giant ape standing in front of them,
and are at that time a safe distance away.
There would be absolutely no reason to fly within the ape's reach
while attacking him with their helicopter based weapons.
No pilot, either experienced or inexperienced, would do such a thing.
They lose eight or ten aircraft simply because they are flying at low altitude right next to Kong.
Continuity
The establishing shot of the Athena shows a CH-47 Chinook helicopter on the bow,
four UH-1 Hueys amidships,
and one CH-53 Sea Stallion on the stern.
In the helicopter battle with Kong later, at least 10 Hueys are shown.
During the helicopters versus Kong fight,
the time of day changes multiple times, from sunset to bright sunlight.
Packard uses an M14 throughout the movie.
At one point you see him looking though a scope on his rifle.
Later on you see him holding the rifle and the scope is nowhere to be seen.
While Randa and Brooks are speaking with Senator Willis in the corridor outside his office,
a female extra approaches them from behind and enters a room.
A few seconds later, the same extra again approaches them from behind
and reenters the same room.
When Weaver climbs the hill to fire the flare at the end of the movie,
the surface of the hill changes substantially between shots.
In one, it's a series of rock columns with cuts, then it becomes a rounded rock hilltop,
then it's covered in vegetation, then it's back to a rounded rock hilltop.
When Kong slices the skullcrawler with a boat propeller there is a gaping cut on its neck,
yet a couple seconds later the wound is gone.
When Kong saves Weaver from drowning,
she is lying in his hand upside down when she should have been upright.
This is shown when Kong reaches into the river and grabs her.
After Kong saves her from the alpha Skullcrawler,
Weaver's position in Kong's hand changes as he puts her down.
She goes from being inverted to being sideways then returns to her original position.
Errors in geography
The opening scene starts on the beach, followed by a short foot chase through the woods.
Suddenly they come to the edge of a cliff that is several hundred feet above a valley below.
Since they started out on the beach at sea level,
and during their short run through the woods they obviously did not climb a mountain,
it is impossible for them to come to a valley lower than sea level
that close to shore that is not filled with water (aka a lagoon).
Factual errors
After sitting (and breaking down) for almost 30 years,
it is doubtful the aviation fuel would cause the home made boat's engine to turn over,
let alone run.
When Packard looks in his box of medals,
there are a couple dog tags in there with black rubber "silencers" around their edges.
These were used extensively in Vietnam to keep the two tags from rubbing together
and creating noise.
Yet later when the dead men's dog tags are collected, not a single one has a silencer.
After the several helicopter crashes,
the pilots are shown slogging through the jungle in regular infantry "steel pot" helmets
and fatigues.
Pilots don't carry "backup helmets" and they would have had only their flight helmet
or maybe a rolled up cap in their flight suit.
They don't bring infantry gear to change into in case they crash.
When she is detailing her military experience
Mason mentions she was "...embedded with MACV-SOG".
MACV-SOG stood for Military Assistance Command Vietnam
Special Operations/Studies and Observations Group.
It was comprised of Vietnamese and American troops
Special Operations Forces like the Green Berets and SEALs
and was a joint operation with the CIA concerned with behind the lines operations,
making it highly unlikely that a journalist, especially a female photojournalist,
would be attached to them.
At the beginning when the American pilot shoots at the Japanese pilot
and empties his 45 a clicking is heard as he continues to pull the trigger.
When a 45 is empty
and the slide is locked back the trigger is also locked out so there is no way it would be clicking.
One pilot is shown carrying and using an AK-47.
While this MAY have been acceptable on a combat mission in Vietnam,
in a situation where there are no other troops similarly armed,
it would be unacceptable and rather foolish.
The shooter would be unable to either receive additional ammunition
from a teammate in a crisis.
When the dog tags of the dead soldiers are collected, they are shown on their "long" chains.
In actuality, whenever tags are collected,
the tag on the short chain is taken
and the tag on the long chain is left of the body to aid future identification.
This is a common mistake made in many movies.
As the ship approaches Skull Island, it's said they are fifty miles away.
That would be well over the horizon so not visible.
When Randa inadvertently snaps a picture of the skull crawler
before it kills him he flips the camera over and reacts to his impending doom
however no camera from this era would had that feature like a smart phone or digital camera.
James Conrad says "Sure you could load up on the Atabrine for the malaria...
but what about the other bacteria?
Malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite, not a bacterium.
Admittedly this is about an imaginary species
but it defies physics that the flying reptile creature could have carried off Nieves.
The maximum carry load for most flying predators is around half their own body weight
although a bald eagle was observed carrying a deer fawn that was near its own weight.
Nieves is 5' 8" and probably weighs around 165 lbs.
The movie creature didn't look much bigger than a Stellar's sea eagle
which is one of the largest raptors that carries its prey
and whose body weight range maxes out around 20 lbs.
Plot holes
It seems strange that as at least 2 members of the team are carrying grenade launchers,
not one is fired at any of the beasts they encounter.
As bullets appear to be doing pretty much nothing,
a change of ordnance would probably have made sense.
Revealing mistakes
After filling his canteen, Jack ends up hiding behind a rock as Kong approaches.
Kong tends wounds in the water, but a giant squid attacks him.
Yet, despite all the violent activity and water splashing,
no waves reach shore nor Jack, for that matter.
My video is over.
Thanks for watching, see you later.