History YMMV / TheChinaSyndrome

** As mentioned on the main page, the film's plot rather eerily foreshadowed the Three Mile Island incident.

* InferredHolocaust: One possible interpretation of the ending. When the television feed suddenly cuts out and goes to the SMPTE color bars, [[BlackScreenOfDeath then nothing]], then the credits with no backing music. Given that the main characters are still on the grounds of the power plant, it could be easily construed as [[spoiler:the pump finally failing completely, a total loss of coolant and core meltdown (or, worse, [[GoingCritical going prompt critical]]) and the titular China Syndrome occurring, or at least destroying the nearby area in a steam explosion ala. Chernobyl]]. [[note]] Perhaps, but the movie also opened with tone and bars and other than the song played in the opening credits, there was no backing music in the entire film. Also, the reactor was scrammed.[[/note]]
* ValuesDissonance: Kimberly wants to do hard news stories, but is specifically told by her boss that she's too beautiful and ''"we didn't hire you for your brains."'' Try saying that to a subordinate today. We dare you. [[note]]Is this true? Perhaps the boss's comment is rather direct, but pretty people are employed in these happy news roles to this day, and in far greater numbers and percentages. Whatever the employee's aspirations, would this be some stunning comment?[[/note]]

* InferredHolocaust: One possible interpretation of the ending. When the television feed suddenly cuts out and goes to the SMPTE color bars, [[BlackScreenOfDeath then nothing]], then the credits with no backing music. Given that the main characters are still on the grounds of the power plant, it could be easily construed as [[spoiler:the pump finally failing completely, a total loss of coolant and core meltdown (or, worse, [[GoingCritical going prompt critical]]) and the titular China Syndrome occurring, or at least destroying the nearby area in a steam explosion ala. Chernobyl]].

* ValuesDissonance: Kimberly wants to do hard news stories, but is specifically told by her boss that she's too beautiful and ''"we didn't hire you for your brains."'' Try saying that to a subordinate today. We dare you.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: While CG&E clearly is partly evil (in trying to murder Hector among other things), after Jack seizes the control room, Mccormack is justified in sending the SWAT team in to neutralize him. WE know Jack's intentions, as do Kimberly and Richard, but Mccormack doesn't. Jack is certainly disturbed and could probably do something a lot more dangerous than ruining the plant by flooding the containment. And the SWAT team is justified shooting him too because once the SCRAM is triggered, Jack starts running around the room frantically operating the controls. They cannot assume his intentions are good.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: While CG&E clearly is partly evil (in trying to murder Hector among other things), after Jack seizes the control room, Mccormack is justified in sending the SWAT team in to neutralize him. WE know Jack's intentions, as do Kimberly and Richard, but Mccormack doesn't. Jack is certainly disturbed and could probably do something a lot more dangerous than ruining the plant by flooding the containment. And the SWAT team is justified shooting him too because once the SCRAM is triggered, Jack starts running around the room frantically operating the controls.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Kimberly wants to do hard news stories, but is specifically told by her boss that she's too beautiful and ''"we didn't hire you for your brains."'' Try saying that to a subordinate today. We dare you.

* MisaimedFandom: Halfway through the film, Creator/JackLemmon makes an impassioned speech about how the system (referring to the nuclear safety system) works and the problem is, in fact, corporate cost-cutting. (And even Creator/JaneFonda, very opposed to nuclear power, admits that, rather than nuclear power, corporate greed is the main theme of the movie.) Fast-forward 30 years, the anti-nuclear movement is going strong, new nuclear power plants are an extreme rarity (not to mention they are considered one of the best ways to generate power without contributing to climate change)...and corporations are under fewer regulations than ever.

* HarsherInHindsight: As mentioned on the main page, the film's plot rather eerily foreshadowed the Three Mile Island incident.

* HarsherInHindsight: As mentioned above, the film's plot rather eerily foreshadowed the Three Mile Island incident.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Inverted. There's no orchestral or overlapping soundtrack. Any songs you hear come from the environment of the scene being filmed - say, a radio playing in the background. [[SilentCredits Even the end credits roll without music]]. (But see WhatCouldHaveBeen in Trivia.)

* MisaimedFandom: Halfway through the film, Creator/JackLemmon makes an impassioned speech about how the system (referring to the nuclear safety system) works and the problem is, in fact, corporate cost-cutting. (And even Creator/JaneFonda, very opposed to nuclear power, admits that, rather than nuclear power, corporate greed is the main theme of the movie.) Fast-forward 30 years, the anti-nuclear movement is going strong, new nuclear power plants are an extreme rarity...and corporations are under fewer regulations than ever.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: Inverted. There's no orchestral or overlapping soundtrack. Any songs you hear come from the environment of the scene being filmed - say, a radio playing in the background. [[SilentCredits Even the end credits roll without music]]. (But see WhatCouldHaveBeen in Trivia.)

* MisaimedFandom: Halfway through the film, Jack Lemmon makes an impassioned speech about how the system (referring to the nuclear safety system) works and the problem is, in fact, corporate cost-cutting. (And even Fonda, very opposed to nuclear power, admits that, rather than nuclear power, corporate greed is the main theme of the movie.) Fast-forward 30 years, the anti-nuclear movement is going strong, new nuclear power plants are an extreme rarity...and corporations are under fewer regulations than ever.

* TheScrappy: Kimberly Wells

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: Inverted. There's no orchestral or overlapping soundtrack. Any songs you hear come from the environment of the scene being filmed - say, a radio playing in the background. [[SilentCredits Even the end credits roll without music]].

* {{Misaimed Fandom}}: Halfway through the film, Jack Lemmon's makes an impassioned speech about how the system (referring to the nuclear safety system) works and the problem is, in fact, corporate cost cutting. (And even Fonda, very opposed to nuclear power, admits that, rather than nuclear power, corporate greed is the main theme of the movie.) Fast forward 30 years, the anti-nuclear movement is going strong, new nuclear power plants are an extreme rarity and corporations are under fewer regulations than ever.

* {{Misaimed Fandom}}: Halfway through the film, Jack Lemmon's makes an impassioned speech about how the system (referring to the nuclear safety system) works and the problem is, in fact, corporate cost cutting. Fast forward 30 years, the anti-nuclear movement is going strong, new nuclear power plants are an extreme rarity and corporations are under fewer regulations than ever.

* {{MisaimedFandom}}/CompletelyMissingThePoint: Halfway through the film, Jack Lemmon's makes an impassioned speech about how the system (referring to the nuclear safety system) works and the problem is, in fact, corporate cost cutting. Fast forward 30 years, the anti-nuclear movement is going strong, new nuclear power plants are an extreme rarity and corporations are under fewer regulations than ever.