The passengers of flight 93 realize they can try to stop the hijackers aboard the plane in Universal Pictures’ United 93, © 2006.

September 11th, 2001, science class, Feaser Middle School, I watched in horror on the television screen as the a gaping hole in the World Trade Center stared back at me. The smoke was thick, it rose into the sky and the streets of New York City became covered in debris. My fellow students and I worried ourselves until our teachers turned the TVs off. When I arrived at home I remember watching CNN and hearing something about Bin Laden and someone using the word “terrorist.”

When the World Trade Center did finally collapse, after the Pentagon had been bombed, and when the final hijacked plane had crashed in a rural area of Pennsylvania, thousands were dead. This was the beggining of the War on Terror. What many people don’t realize is that the fourth highjacked plane never made it to its destination, the passengers of that flight actually fought against the terrorists and forced the flight to go down.

This is was the first battle of the war and we won. It was not soldiers this time, it was not the president, and it was not a force of nature, it was what we are. American citizens that found the courage inside themselves to protect the lives of many others even if it meant sacrificing their own.

In Paul Greengrass’ United 93, we closely follow the passengers of flight 93 that departed from Newark in the last two hours of their lives. Before that plane crashed on that fateful Tuesday morning of September 11th, the passengers boarded the plane as well as three men with knives and a possible bomb. None of the other passengers expected anything from these men.

During takeoff of their flight the National Air Traffic Comand Center (led by Ben Sliney as himself) loses contact with a flight and then they recieve word that a commercial aircraft has hit The World Trade Center. When a second flight is lost and the actual flight is seen hitting the World Trade Center the Command Center grows increasingly suspicious, but when another flight hits the Pentagon sending a fireball into the air, a National Emergency is declared. Again, no one aboard flight 93 is aware of this until an hour through the flight the three men murder the pilots and take control of the plane and the passengers let their loved ones know their time is at an end and learn the nation is under attack.

Though devastated by everything that has happened within the last hour, Todd Beamer (David Alan Basche) declares that they shouldn’t just sit there, but attempt to overthrow the highjackers whether the bomb is real or not. In such a time of crisis, the first battle on terrorism of the 2000s had been won.

Only three words can truly explain the film United 93, and those are memorable, devastating, and necessary. The film shares all these with the true attacks on September 11th. The events, as well as this film was memorable, thousands of lives were lost but we did our best to stand as a nation. The attacks devastated our country, and watching the actors on the plane say goodbye to their loved one’s is indeed tear-jerking and upsetting. Necessary is probably the most powerful word to describe the film and the actual events. Many people believe this film is too soon, but the question is, if not now then when? The passengers on the flight found it necessary to stand up and overthrow the highjackers with jaw dropping courage.

Director Paul Greengrass bravely took on the challenge of making this film and for that he should be respected whether one liked or disliked the film. He researched and found out everything that happened on that fateful day as well as respectfully talked to the families of those who lost their loved ones on 9/11. What many people do not understand is that the families wanted their loved ones to me honored and remembered and Greengrass did exactly that.

His script as well is taken almost directly from the transcripts and every event that happened on the flight is taken seriously and the man refuses to hold back any reaction by a passenger or phone conversation. Everyone died, so everyone deserves a story, and everyone got their story.

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd’s camerawork is masterful. The camera seems to lack any support except for two hands and functions more as the eyes of a passenger on the 93. One feels as though you are looking into the aisle next to you and remember seeing someone saying “I love you” on the phone and then hanging up in tears. For this reason, the film is all the more powerful and upsetting.

The cast consists of mainly unknowns and that adds to the overall affect of the film, without seeing any Hollywood faces it is a lot easier to believe that these are in fact real people who suffered actual events.

Though the film concentrates on the events of 9/11, it doesn’t go outside the news reports from CNN, United 93, or The National Air Traffic Command Center. It does not in anway reflect upon the current happennings in Iraq, but merely upon the events of America’s wakeup call and bravery of those heroes on United 93. I cannot deny that is unsettling, upsetting, and hard to watch, because it all of those things, but as I said before, it is necessary and we cannot forget what happened that fateful day as long as we live. This is the first of most likely a series of 9/11 films that we will see in these next few years, though all them should be taken under careful consideration. No bias that may have previously been before the viewing of this film will exist by the end, but no one will forget what happened in that theater.

Rated R for language, and some intense sequences of terror and violence. Running time 111 minutes.

MAXimum Warning: This is an extremely powerful film and anyone who has lost loved ones during the events of 9/11 should be cautioned before the viewing of this film. Though I stated this film is necessary, I would advise not bringing anyone under the age of 13 to this film without careful consideration.