United 93 DVD

Advantages: completely compelling from start to finish, great acting
Disadvantages: based on true events that rocked the world

...and that the passengers on United 93 (which were the only passengers on any of the four doomed flights who knew the horror of what the terrorists had already "achieved" that day) "were the first people to inhabit the post 9/11 world" - this statement really couldn't be more true. I think it would take a heart of stone not to shed a tear at all during this movie - and if you manage to make it through most of the film, the heartbreaking calls the passengers ...
...than likely be the straw that breaks the camels back. I was absolutely howling, since these were probably pretty much the exact words the victims had said to the people they loved, and it just reminded me of how this was going to end. And not long after these calls, the film, and the lives of the people onboard, DID end. The memory of the passengers and crew who perished is further preserved and honoured in the (somewhat limited) bonus material ... Read review

Advantages: An important account of a very difficult day
Disadvantages: Very hard to watch

United 93 Directed by Paul Greengrass I’m sure we can all remember where we were on the lunchtime of September 11th 2001 when terrorists attacked American soil using hijacked aeroplanes. I was at work, talking to a very nice BT customer about her phone account. The four huge TV screens in each corner of the call centre were, as normal, tuned into the lunchtime news on BBC 1. It was the only day in 7 years that I can remember the place being absolutely, ...
...of the last journey of United Airlines Flight 93, beginning in the airport terminal, where they are delayed, through to a last take-off and eventual crash into a filed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Using real-life information from the data recording devices on board, as well as information from phone calls made from the plane to officials and loved ones, Paul Greengrass (director) manages to create a real time version of what happened. It’s a film ... Read review

Advantages: Exceptional Film
Disadvantages: Heart Wrenching

...night I sat and watched United 93, it was a film that had me completely clued to the T.V I am not going to go into great detail with this review as we all know the horrific outcome anyway. We all remember Sept 11th 2001, it will remain firmly fixed in my mind forever, and I was at home at the time looking after my twins who weren’t even 1 then. This film is about the events that happened upon the Fourth plan that got hijacked by the terrorists, ...
...The passengers start to board United 93 and everything looks like it is going to plan. The plan is delayed at the airport for a short time, and even though we all know the outcome your willing the story line to change, but unfortunately the aircraft takes off before it can be stopped. Reports then start coming in that other plans may have been hijacked and from here the true story of United 93 starts to unfold. Every thing on board United 93 is ... Read review

Advantages: A gripping account of the horrible events
Disadvantages: Very hard to watch, and I feel it's too soon

...to write a review on United 93. That may sound selfish, or ignorant, but I can imagine that the seven other Ciao users before me have felt the same. I have looked around the site at other United 93 reviews for ideas on where to even start writing about this film, but I’ve decided that it just has to be written in my own way. Before I begin on the positive side of the film, I think the biggest negative is that it’s just too soon. For those who don’t ...
...the Whitehouse, and the other, United flight 93, is unaccounted for. We as viewers can see what is going on inside the plane, as four terrorists murder the pilots, a passenger, and an air hostess, and hi-jack the plane. Watching the film isn’t very exciting, it’s more terrifying. The film is in real-time, and along with the shaky camera work, this makes you feel as though you are on the plane. When you are watching the film, you feel almost guilty, ... Read review

Advantages: A superb ensemble and great direction.
Disadvantages: Knowing the outcome, it can be harrowing to watch.

...knows exactly what happened aboard United Airlines Flight 93, but it is thought the passengers decided to fight back against the hijackers, knowing what had already befallen the other planes. To be honest, I though it was too early for a fictionalised film based on the events of 9/11. I was worried that they would be seized upon for as a tub-thumping vindication for Bush's ill-conceived War on Terror. It was a difficult decision to even go to watch ...
...moved by the story, as told by British docudrama-maker turned film director Paul Greengrass. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised considering how sensitively he handled the television film "Bloody Sunday", which garnered plaudits from all sides. He shoots the film with hand-held digital cameras that give the events a harrowing sense of immediacy. You almost feel as if you're there as the camera jerks and swoops about the claustrophobic aircraft cabin. ... Read review