Speed 2: Cruise Control Review
by Walter Frith (WFrith1680 AT aol DOT com)July 4th, 1997
'Speed 2: Cruise Control'
A movie review by Walter Frith
The title of 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' is an oxy-moron. The film is anything but in control whether it's intentional or not. What made the first film so incredible was that confined areas had plausible scenes of tension with a couple of exceptions. There was also a genuine acceptance for the second rate characters and a villain with panache and flamboyance. A lot of that is missing from this sequel that suffers from being nothing more than a crashing bore.
In one of the first opening scenes of 'Speed 2' we are asked to believe that reckless driving is funny and is part of being a free spirit as Sandra Bullock flunks out on her driving test and her boyfriend (Jason Patric) is a member of the LAPD just as her companion (Keanu Reeves) was from the first film. We are told she apparently broke up with Reeves because of the dangerous nature of his job. Why would she hook up with a guy in the same line of work? You can tell that Patric's role was originally intended for Reeves who decided not to make this sequel and he is off the hook from a badly written movie.
Bullock is astoundingly annoying in this film and director Jan DeBont who made the first film and 1996's 'Twister' should have recognized the bad jokes, frumpy dialogue and razor thin interest that 'Speed 2' would generate. I guess his background as a noted cinematographer has not allowed him at this point to catch these academic errors.
Willem Dafoe is a mad bomber this time around who sabotages Bullock and Patric's cruise in the Caribbean with computers and gadgets of assorted terror and his motivation is bent on revenge against the system that Dennis Hopper's villain had from the first film. Dafoe doesn't look like he's having all that much fun playing the bad guy this time around and that's suspicious. Jason Patric, who is such a good actor is naturally expected to save the day with his experience as a police officer but this time around his faceless, dull expressions make Keanu Reeves look like a genius.
This movie is an example that sometime less is more and while this sequel is bigger in its presentation of special effects, it's a reminder that quality and not quantity is what sells and that movie audiences don't want their intelligence insulted
OUT OF 5> zero
More on 'Speed 2: Cruise Control'...
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
