11 Movies Which Got Geography Completely Wrong
"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." – H.L. Mencken
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. H.L. MenckenEvery film has mistakes in it. Theres a section for each film called Goofs on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) web site, which lists the flaws for all to see. Sometimes the mistakes are technical, sometimes they involve continuity, and sometimes they involve dialogue. But theres one set of mistakes that in retrospect, seem totally baffling: geographical. American script writers, directors and producers are banking on the fact that most Americans are illiterate when it comes to geography. They arent likely to know or even care that a car cant be driven over a thousand miles in a scene change. Theyre at the theater for entertainment, not a geography lesson. Besides, if they need to go somewhere, their GPS will tell them how to do it. But when that film goes overseas, and it encounters people who actually know how far it is from Beijing to Hong Kong, it makes them wonder: Can anyone in America read a map? Do they even own maps? If these American films are any indication, the answer is no. Some directors, like Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich are very good at skewing geography to meet the needs of their story. But some of these you wouldn't think were issues unless you'd personally been there. Warning: spoilers ahead. If you don't want to know, skip that entry.