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