Posted on 04/17/2006 11:50:17 PM PDT by goldstategop
Universal's new movie, "United 93," is about United Airlines Flight 93, hijacked on 9-11 by Islamic terrorists shortly after leaving Newark, N.J., for San Francisco. The terrorists intended to fly the plane to Washington, D.C., and crash it into the Capitol. Instead, the passengers fought back and forced the plane down in Pennsylvania, thereby saving the lives of any number of people on the ground in Washington and saving America from a devastating blow to its image.
Incredibly there is some controversy about this film. Apparently many Americans are not "ready" to see a film about 9-11 "so soon" after 9-11.
If this is so, it is an ode to the weakening of the American people.
Five years after the most devastating attack on American soil, people are asking if Americans are ready to see a film -- not some fictional, politically driven, reality-distorting film by Oliver Stone, but a film based on the phone conversations of the passengers and flight attendants, on the flight recorder tape, and approved by the families of all 40 passengers -- one of the most terrible and heroic events in American history.
Did anyone ask in 1946, five years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, whether Americans were prepared to see a film about the Japanese attack?
If anything should be controversial, it is Hollywood going AWOL while its country fights the scourge of our time, Islamic totalitarianism. For five years, America has been battling people who are dedicated to destroying every value that Hollywood claims to care most about -- freedom, tolerance, women's rights, secular government, equality for gays -- and Hollywood has yet to make a film depicting, let alone honoring, this war.
Finally, a major studio comes out with a film reminding Americans about the nature of our enemy, about what really happened (to the best of our ability to reconstruct) on one of the 9-11 planes, and the press wonders if Americans are "ready" to see the movie.
Universal invited me to see a preview, and unless they change it (or don't drop a few gratuitous, politically inspired words that appeared right after the film ends), I believe it is just about every American's duty to see this film. There is no gratuitous violence -- if anything, Universal went out of its way to prevent us from seeing the reality of the throat-slashing of passengers and crew -- but there is unremitting tension and sadness, since we all know what will happen to these unsuspecting people, and we know this is real, not fiction.
There is also American heroism. People completely unprepared for an airplane flight to become their last hour alive rise to the occasion and save fellow Americans from death and from the humiliation of having their nation's capitol building destroyed.
The only people likely to object to this film are those who don't want Americans to become aware of just how conscienceless, cruel and depraved our enemy is, or those who think that our enemies can always be negotiated with and therefore object to depicting Americans actually fighting back.
Teenage and older children in particular should see this film. If the younger teens have nightmares, comfort them. But young Americans need to know the nature of whom we are fighting. If they are attending a typical American high school or college, they probably don't know.
Congratulations to Universal Studios on making this film (presuming that, as assured to me, they removed the post-film politically inspired message). And shame on Hollywood for only making one such film in five years.
Perhaps if "United 93" turns out to be the unforeseen box office success that Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" was, the lure of major profits will exert more influence over Hollywood than even Hollywood leftists do.
In the meantime, go and see "United 93," to see why some Americans still take "Home Of The Brave" seriously; and to see why we have to win this war more than any since World War II. That's how bad our enemy is. You have an unfortunately rare chance to see that enemy at work when you see what happened to everyone who boarded United Airlines Flight 93 that left Newark on September 11, 2001.
Going to New York May. I want to see the crash site. I hope I can keep my temper.
Here's the part I can't imagine, and hope I never have to. I'm just not that brave. I'll admit it. God bless the people of Flight 93, now and forever.
They should be the role models for all civilians in this war.
I knew how "The Passion of the Christ" ended too, but it didn't stop me from wanting to see it. Good film making is it's own reward. I agree with other posters that it is a good idea for some to go see it, especially the young, so they have a good sense of the evil that we are fighting. I fully understand that evil so I am not sure if I will have to see the movie, but just knowing the outcome wouldn't deter me. I've seen some good films many times and enjoy them each time.
I went to the Ground Zero site in March '02, six months after it happened.
I was not able to keep my temper.
I thought I would get all weepy, but instead, I was infuriated when I saw what they had done. It was a cold, drizzly day, but I felt no cold because I was so angry. We had to walk around South Street Seaport in the drizzle for a while afterward before we calmed down.
http://www.united93movie.com/index.php
A friend of mine who viewed the film movie at the same Los Angeles preview event as Dennis Prager said the movie is an emotional roller coaster and is a must see for everyone in this country.
Interesting description. I imagine the same would happen to me.
I watched the beheadings for much the same reason as Prager suggests we should all see this movie. If I dare suggest some should watch the beheadings to see what evil we face, I get much the same reaction that Prager describes with the nanny state.
I understand your description of feeling no cold.
Interestingly, I was freezing during and after the beheadings. And nauseous. Not from watching them, but from my anger.
I will watch this movie.
Part of seeing this movie is honoring the people that gave so much to save others. To fight back instead of being sheep to the slaughter.
Mind you, I'm not criticizing the movie or the fact that it was made. It just kind of rubs me the wrong way when someone tells me I MUST do something. I know a lot of people here are fans of Prager, but he's always been a bit too pompous for my liking. This is a good example....it's not so much what he says that irks me, but the way he says it.
It would seem that most Americans don't have 911 searde into their memories - the Left and MSM have done a good job of keeping it hidden and of blurring the facts. IMO, it would do this country a world of good to be reminded, as graphically as possible, of exactly who and what we are fighting.
I spent 24 years in the military and I never mistake some film critic's views of "must see" as an order.
I'll take your advice...and route.
Is that a definition or an order? The people on this thread who have said they won't watch, have thus shown themselves not to be patriots? Cut me a break.
"The beatings will continue until morale improves."
For the past week or so I've been trying to set up a screening for the seniors of my county HS at my expense. I'm running into some problems, what with the Easter break, but, if I can get the support of the principal (iffy), I hope to have things firmed-up before the release.
I went to see The Passion of the Christ, and I know how that ends . . .
More people would go see the movie if the proceeds went to something worthwhile like, border security.
Libs have swept the entire matter under the rug - it was just a tragedy you see, like a tsunami or earthquake.
This movie might make some of you uncomfortable, but it might steel your, and America's, resolve at mercilessly bombing the daylights out of these cowards who would otherwise kill you, your family, your friends, and destroy your country.
Flight 93, though costly in American lives, was our first victory in the WOT!
You need to be beaten more frequently.
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