Speed 2: Cruise Control Review
by Monika Huebner (monika AT darwin DOT inka DOT de)December 9th, 1997
Speed 2: Cruise Control
A movie review by Monika Huebner
Copyright 1997 Monika Huebner
Director: Jan de Bont
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, Willem Dafoe
This movie tries to present itself as the sequel to Jan de Bont's debut as a director, 1994 surprise hit SPEED. But the only thing the two movies have in common is Sandra Bullock as the female lead.
Annie (Sandra Bullock) is in the wrong place at the wrong time again. She's going on a cruise with her new boy-friend Alex (Jason Patric), and of course it is her ship that is kidnapped by John Geiger (Willem Dafoe) who has a bone to pick with the shipping line. They sacked him after he got sick. Now he wants the diamonds stored in the ship's safe for compensation.
That actually is the whole storyline. SPEED 2 could do without dialogues. The movie is all about images and remarkable sound. I don't really know why this is called an action movie. Except for a few scenes that are vaguely reminiscent of SPEED this goes along the lines of the desaster movies of the 70ies. First we are introduced to a number of people who are going to be important later on in the movie. Then desaster strikes.
Sandra Bullock was said to have been glad that she could take action this time around. I looked for the "action" but couldn't find it. Most of the time she is part of the decoration. The only time she is part of what happens is when she can have a shot at defusing a bomb and freeing some passengers trapped behind a fire door. Now we know that she can handle a chain saw. We also know that fire doors on cruise ships can be cut apart in seconds. The bomb defusal of course goes wrong, but only the furniture is damaged, not our heroes who still are needed.
Jason Patric alias Alex spends most of his time flirting with Annie, helping other passengers and frolicking in the water. His initial sea-sickness is suddenly gone, because there are ship, crew and passengers to be saved from evil Geiger. He does a pretty good job but I can't blame Keanu Reeves for declining this part.
Then there's Willem Dafoe, the villain, who desperately tries to look as frightening as Frankenstein's monster. He doesn't succeed, though. An untidy appearance isn't enough to convince the viewer of his psychopath potential. Before he tries again to make us believe he is a dangerous man he should practise for a while in front of a mirror.
I can't really recommend SPEED 2. You will probably like the movie if you like funny situations that aren't meant to be funny. Especially the showdown, when the ship first runs into an oil tanker and then dissembles a whole village is a treat. There you get to see the most superfluous scene in the movie. In keeping with last year's desaster movie tradition a dog is miraculously saved from certain death. A really funny (and meant to be funny) scene takes place on the oil tanker right before the collision. Some crew members watch two ships colliding in an old movie. Had they looked out the window they wouldn't have missed the huge ship racing toward them.
Those of you who still want to see the movie should pick a theater with a large screen and a good sound system to enjoy the visual effects and the phantastic surround sound effects. In an adequately equipped theater it's as if the explosion were going off all around you and you can feel the seats vibrate. But the ILM special effects can't save the movie. For all the money they could have done better.
Rating: *1/2 out of ****
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