United 93

So, I just got back from watching United 93. I promise not to talk about anything directly related to the movie until later, and I'll make some space and give a spoiler alert, so that if you don't want to read it, you don't have to. I'm not sure it was wise for me to go see this when I'm going to take my first plane trip in less than two weeks, which I am very nervous about. But I did anyway.

First thing...if you get motion sick easily, don't go see this movie. It has a very unsteady camera througout and I had a very upset stomach when I left and I still have a headache.

What a great movie. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but the reviews were good, so, I figured my $10.75 was worth spending.

***Spoiler Alert***
I'm putting the rest of the post in white font, so if you want to read it, highlight it. If not then don't. I will be talking about scenes in the movie.

I was surprised at how much time was spent in the air control centres. I didn't even think of this facet of the entire day. It showed really the disbelief when they were told of a possible hijacking. The general response seemed to be "You're joking." Really, in 2001, who would have thought that a plane would be hijacked?? Obviously not the military or anyone who worked in air traffic control. If the movie is accurate, it seems that one control man figured it out and really had to argue to make people believe him. This raises a good point. Sure we train everyone on what to do if a certain occurence happens, but if everyone thinks you're joking or that it's a drill, what good is all that training?? Time should not be wasted having to "convince" one's superior that action needs to be taken.

I think what I expected in place of the many minutes spent in air traffic control was a bit more focus on the people of United 93. I expected that a few people would be focused on and it would show a bit of their life before the flight and show them saying good-bye to their family members. But what I realize now is that that is hollywood. When it's a fake story with fake poeple, you can do this. United 93 was real. These are real lives and it would be insulting to try and summarize them in 2 minutes. It would be equally insulting to only focus on some of the passengers, as if others weren't worth the time to put them on screen. What did happen was that everyone on the plane was afforded equal time and no one passenger was the "hero" of the movie. They worked together and were all in the same circumstances. One life was not better than the other and the movie really showed that these people were all heros.

Another facet which really surprised me was the portrayal of the hijackers themselves. The extreme nervousness with what they were about to do. Would they get through security?? Would they reach their target?? What if the passengers rebelled?? What was happening on the other planes?? Could they pull this off?? These questions were so evidently running through their heads. As was put in another review I read of this movie, they were not portrayed as "monsters". They were portrayed as human beings. People who were afraid of what was to come yet determined to do what they felt was right. I don't think the audience was meant to connect with them, but I felt that this aspect just made the movie much more believable. I think after 9/11 we tend to just think of them as things with no feelings and no fears and as invincible. But even from the start, showing one of the hijackers phoning home to say "I Love You" shows that they aren't some "cartoon monster". This really lent to the credibility of the film and just made it even better.

Finally, the part I liked the best was the end. The crash was not shown, but it was obvious. You go from yelling and screaming as the passengers overcome the pilot, to dead silence. And I mean dead silence. There was not a sound in the entire theatre from anyone in the audience. You just sit there watching a black screen and reflecting on what you just saw. Obviously, the words came on the screen about the crash, as happens in any documentary at the end. But I felt it was a great dramatic ending that really worked. There was not a sound in the theatre. Even walking out no one was talking. The first thing I heard was outside the theatre, someone commenting on the shakiness of the camera. As if we could not yet speak of what we just saw.

It really was a great film. I'd suggest watching it in theatre, as long as you can hold the food in your stomach. Watch it with the proper respect and I think it will only give you an even greater respect for the people who died on September 11, 2001. And it will make you think about yourself and which one of those people you would have been had you been on the plane. The teenage girl crying in a ball?? The man phoning his wife to tell her he loved her?? Or one of the ones who decided it was time to fight back?? Whichever one you are, it will give you a greater respect for your life.

United 93...go see it.

If you read my review and are commenting, please don't comment on the plot so that those who wish to see the movie won't have it ruined for them.