United 93--the movie :(

[LucyStorm]

This is simply my opinion about this movie, and I am not posting it to start a flame war. I am simply letting you know that if you think that this movie is going to make you feel good about what the passengers on United 93 accomplished, it won't happen. It really is not a tribute to the heroes of the day.

I have very mixed emotions about this movie. It could have been very well done, but it really wasn't. We learned more about the hijackers than about those on the plane who were heroes. I really don't give a flying leap if the hijackers called home to tell their families that they loved them, or if they prayed before the flight. Do I care that they shaved off all of their body hair before the flight except that on their head? Do I care that they kept tying red bandanas around their heads? The producers or whoever really didn't let you learn much about the heroes and victims on that flight, the pilots or the stewardesses. You never even learn any of the passenger's names. I had a very hard time figuring out who was supposed to be Todd Beamer until finally he said "Let's roll". I never did figure out who the other guys were that attacked the hijackers. The film made the military, the president, and the FAA look like imbeciles. And I'm sorry, but given the situation that morning, it is no freaking wonder that people didn't understand what was going on. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Flight 93 was probably one of the American citizenry's finer moments, and this film trivialized it. I have been to the field where United 93 crashed, and it is nothing short of a miracle that no one on the ground was injured.

I told my husband when I got home that I almost felt like this was a propaganda film. It certainly didn't do much to portray the heroes of that day, but did show the viciousness of the hijackers. Was the idea to get us angry again? To show the helplessness of those on board? I don't know, but I found this film appalling, and I am sorry that I spent any money to see it.

Just my humble opinion.

God Bless America!

 

[Belle0101]

I wait until the movies get to our library, free to rent, before I see them. Even at free I don't think I'll be renting this one.

I would have expected that it would have been more of a tribute to the heroes, their actions and less on the hijackers.

Thanks for the review.

 

[Holly]

I'm not planning on seeing it. That just isn't my idea of entertainment.

If it were set up as a tribute to the heroes of that day that would be one thing, but it isn't.

 

[RitaZ.]

I have no plans whatsoever to watch that movie. I just can't do it.

 

[poohandwendy]

I have been to the field where United 93 crashed, and it is nothing short of a miracle that no one on the ground was injured.

I've been there too, several times. My mothers former BF lives less than 2 miles from the crash site. He was home at the time, discussing the events happening with my mom on the phone, and he thought something crashed into his house, like near the garage doors, it was so loud (he said it scared him to death). Many of his neighbors saw the plane...as they were outside doing yardwork.

It is amazing no one was hurt on the ground. Thank God. It was bad enough, as it was.

I really dont want to see it, your review pretty much solidifies that.

 

[LoraJ]

I haven't seen the movie, I won't see it in the theaters, but I will probably eventually watch it on DVD.

My local paper has been doing stories on family members of some who died on Flight 93 and they found it to be a fitting tribute.

 

[LucyStorm]

"My local paper has been doing stories on family members of some who died on Flight 93 and they found it to be a fitting tribute."

I am glad to hear that Lora. I would not want to see them offended. I just don't feel that way about it. Thanks for that input.

 

[kaygela]

My DH asked me tonight if I wanted to see it and I said absolutely not. It just feels too raw. I think the people on the plane deserve our tributes as they were truly heroic but I don't need a film to make me proud of these fellow Americans. I live and work on Long Island and on 9/11 I watched fire trucks wizzing past my windows all day heading into the city. I had friends and former students that perished. I am sorry to hear that this film portrayed the events and people on the plane the way you said it did and that just further validates my lack of desire to see it. Thank you for posting.

 

[LoraJ]

"My local paper has been doing stories on family members of some who died on Flight 93 and they found it to be a fitting tribute."

I am glad to hear that Lora. I would not want to see them offended. I just don't feel that way about it. Thanks for that input.

Many family members also gave a lot of input into the film to help the writers portray their relatives.

 

[4nana]

Not interested in reliving our nation's 911 disaster, where so many loved ones were lost, including a dear sweet friend, and so many families are still suffering.

 

[Micca]

It's not for me either. I hope it brings some peace or closure to the victim's families.

 

[LoraJ]

Here's some examples of what family members say:

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1146129520142510.xml?jjournal?kj&coll=3

"Maggie Cashman had knots in her stomach when she arrived at a Newark movie theater to attend a private screening of "United 93."

But those anxieties soon gave way to tears and even comfort as the West New York widow said the film portrayed her husband as she always knew him to be: a hero. "


"Some have said it's too soon for a 9/11 movie, and in fact one New York City movie theater pulled the movie's trailer after some audience members complained. But film critics have generally given positive reviews, and family members of those killed aboard - many of whom worked closely with the filmmakers - said its serves as a fitting memorial."


"Pat Greene Alston, of Jersey City, a former co-worker of Jersey City resident Waleska Martinez, who died on the flight, chose to attend the screening as a way of showing support for her dear friend and colleague at the Census Bureau office in New York City.

"I felt that it was a good movie," Alston said. "It was tastefully done and the feedback from the families was that writers and producers did a good job."

 

[Chuck S]

This film just doesn't appeal to me at all, I got the "propaganda" impression (as memntioned by a previous poster) from the short preview I saw. Just not something I want to see.

 

[Tracey1974]

I can't- I just can't see it. Not yet and I don't know if I ever will be ready to.

 

[disney4us2002]

I will see it. I'll probably go alone. It's just one of those films that I know will be very hard to sit through and make the feelings raw again, but I just feel like it is something I must do. I felt that way about Passion of the Christ too. I was not sorry I saw that one but I won't see it ever again.

The reviews I've read have all been good, btw.

 

[nmudisneyfan]

I have no desire to see this movie from the first time that I saw a preview for it, I knew that it was not the movie for me. I just had this feeling.
To me, I think that this film came a bit to earlier. The events are still quite close to us and some people are still having a hard time dealing with what happened.

 

[Charade]

I will probably watch it when it comes out on DVD.

 

[DawnCt1]

The reviews that I have read have all given the movie the highest rating. This could be for two reasons; Either its an exceptionally good movie that delivers on its promise to show us what happened that day, OR there are pressures to report it as an excellent movie for the sake of political correctness. Either could be true. I have no doubt that there are opinions on both sides. With regards to the highjackers, I think that there is a natural curiosity about them. What they did prior to boarding, what they might have talked about, their demeanor, etc. Perhaps the movie is trying to show us that. I have also heard from reviewers that have seen it that the movie is effective in generating feelings of HATE towards these men so it doesn't sound like they are being treated sympathetically. I plan to see it and will probably go by myself.

 

[Charade]

With regards to the highjackers, I think that there is a natural curiosity about them. What they did prior to boarding, what they might have talked about, their demeanor, etc. Perhaps the movie is trying to show us that. I have also heard from reviewers that have seen it that the movie is effective in generating feelings of HATE towards these men so it doesn't sound like they are being treated sympathetically. I plan to see it and will probably go by myself.

I have NO, NONE, NADA curiosity about the hijackers personal life before they killed all those innocent people. I just want to be sure they can't do something like that again.

 

[Mishetta]

Do I care that they shaved off all of their body hair before the flight except that on their head? Do I care that they kept tying red bandanas around their heads?

I know I won't be seeing this movie, but I am very curious now after reading your critique of this movie ~ why did they shave off all their body hair & why did they keep tying red bandanas around their stupid pointy heads?? Was all that supposed to get them even closer to "their" God (whom we refer to as THE DEVIL???)