Movie of our times

Rating: Null/10 (27 January 2008)

United 93 is a movie of our time. Future generations will probably not relate to it the way we do. As you all know, of the 4 hijacked planes on 9/11, one of them never made it to target because the passengers attempted to retake the plane. That plane was United 93.
I didn't really know what to expect except the usual skepticism around such a movie- that it is American propaganda, or that it is made too soon. Or maybe it leans one way or other that people don't agree about.
However, I thought this is a good movie. Thematically, movies of this sort are very simple, they just have go and make it happen. Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, Bloody Sunday) did basically that. The fallibility of bureaucracy and the irony of religion was all portrayed well.
Do we want to relive 9/11 in the form of a movie? I wasn't sure I did, but I think awareness of it is important enough for me to watch the film.
In contrast with other movies of its genre, namely Snakes on a Plane or Airforce One, I found this movie a lot easier to relate to. I can't seem to take those other movies seriously while this one took that on as a theme and reflection of real life- that bureaucracy never took the situation seriously.
A spoiler here: the most memorable scene was the juxtaposition of prayers- as the passengers prepared to retake the plane, some of them chanted "Our Father in Heaven" alongside the terrorists' prayers in Arabic. Pretty cool.
-G.G.