Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) User Reviews (333)

Speed 2: Snooze control

[Rob_Taylor · 3/10 · 7 April 2003]

Now I liked Sandra Bullock in the original Speed. I even liked her in that film where she went into a beauty pageant. But in this monstrosity, I just wanted to slap her repeatedly and say "What are you doing!?"

She is just dire. Not in acting (well... any more than usual, anyway) but just in the way her character made you want to shake her until she regained some sense. Whoever was responsible for the script needs a good beating here. Unless I am completely mistaken, her character between the events of the first film and this one, turned into a complete and total airhead bimbo.

Add in Jason Patric (who will never be leading man material) and it seems that only Willem Dafoe was having any fun. Truly awful!

But it is good to see that ocean liners, which may have to weather tropical storms, apparently have windows made of glass so easy to break that anyone can hurl themselves through them on a whim. Priceless cinema.

Avoid this one if you liked the original.

Avoid this one if you expect a thrilling sea drama.

Avoid this one if you like Sandra Bullock.

Avoid this one if....well....just avoid it.

This is all you get when you spend $120,000,000 to make a film?!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 17 November 2019]

"Speed" was a surprise hit movie. While it cost about $30,000,000 to make, it made back more than four times the cost. So, some Hollywood executives (with a collective IQ similar to that of a gerbil) thought...'if we do a sequel, we must spend $120,000,000 on it because THAT is why the first movie was such a success'. Not surprisingly, the movie tanked and it somehow has made it to IMDB's infamous Bottom 100 list--the 100 worst ranked major releases of all time.

In the original, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock work to prevent a bus from exploding and killing folks. Now, because this is an overbloated sequel, they've placed the story aboard a cruise ship...which is also out of control and will kill everyone unless our heroes save it....though this time Reeves refused to reprise his role. So, they cast the rather bland Jason Patric in the lead...who offered little improvement other than he was very good at using sign language in one small scene.

How bad is this film? Well, not bad enough to be on the Bottom 100 list. So why is it on the list? After loving the first film, so many folks expected more of the same...and got nothing but a dull overblown action picture with little in the way to interest viewers....and I think THAT is why it made the list....because it disappointed so badly. Instead, I wish IMDB had a list for films with the worst ratio of cost to enjoyability of the film...in which case "Speed 2" would easily make the top 100.

By the way, this sequel ended up spending nearly as much for ONE crash scene as the budget for all of "Speed"! And, after paying $11,500,000 just to obtain Sandra Bullock for this film, you can only assume that the film simply had nothing left to pay competent writers. Instead, I assume, they hired some penguins to write the script....some very, very dull and untalented penguins!

Everyone to the lifeboats! Women, children and paying moviegoers first.

[chrisbrown6453 · 3/10 · 19 June 2002]

Let the screenwriters and director go down with the ship I say. As the sun sets slowly in the West, Speed 2: Cruise Control sinks without a trace. The sequel to 1995's surprise drive-a-bus hit has barely caused a ripple at the box office. The threadbare script is mostly to blame. It consists almost entirely of simplistic, exclamation-point dialogue like, "We're gonna crash!" "We're going too fast!" "Do something!" "This isn't happening!" "We gotta get him outta here!" "There's not much time left!" and the ever useful, "Oh, s**t!"

There is, indeed, not much time left for characterization or interpersonal drama. Speed 2 gets off to a winky-dinky start with Sandra Bullock taking yet another disastrous driving test. Bullock's natural charm can go only so far, however, and you keep wanting to throw her a life preserver or a new script. As people drop dead around her, she must continue to whine about the ruination of her vacation. Bullock doesn't get a lot of help from blandish co-star Jason Patric, who plays her cop boyfriend. The nasty, computer-literate villain, who likes to attach blood-sucking leeches to his body, is certainly quirky. Willem Dafoe, who's pretty quirky himself, does what he can with the overriding vagaries of his character's mad-bomber motivation. The action bits are fairly frequent, but seem anemic when compared to what else is available to fans of such. Director Jan De Bont fared much better in 1996 with the flying cows and funnel clouds of Twister. Speed 2 ends up with some highly anticipated destruction as the cruise ship plows into the island of St. Martin. No matter, as I hear the whole thing was computer-generated anyway. This cruise is no carnival, and could have used a cameo by Kathie Lee. Would loved to have seen Dafoe slap her around a bit.

You'll know why Keanu turned down this crummy sequel when you see it

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 2/10 · 2 March 2007]

I was so curious as to what they would do in the sequel of Speed, I just watched Speed today and absolutely loved it! So, I can understand why Keanu turned down the movie, first off not only the script was bad, but the coincidences were beyond ridiculous of Sandra Bullock being in the same position twice and Jason Patrick?! He was so scared of doing a great movie like The Lost Boys, but yet he couldn't hesitate to do this movie? The movie just lost it's course and didn't work on any level, if it had different characters, maybe, but these great actors should know better and check twice before signing onto these sequels.

Annie is with this new policeman, Alex, and he surprises her with cruise tickets. He is planning on asking her to marry him, but that is shortly interrupted when Willaim Defoe is now the super duper bad guy. He is upset that he designed the ships computer system but gets no credit, so guess what? He decides the best way to avenge this is to blow it up! But with Alex on board... yup... you guessed it, he's gonna stop William and save the day! Good for him!

Speed 2: Cruise Control was just a money maker that is truly a fake movie that was really sad. The acting was really bad and Sandra's character went from admirable to just plain annoying. Alex had no character or any sympathy. The explosions were lame and the plot was just beyond unbelievable, poor William, he was probably on medication when he said yes to making this movie. Well, just please stay away from this movie, it'll be a waste of your time.

2/10

Made worse by the knowledge of the brilliant film it succeeds

[bob the moo · 11 January 2004]

Having long since broken things off with her boyfriend, Annie and her new beau plan a romantic holiday on an ocean liner. When onboard a disgruntled ex-employee of the liner disables the computer controls and sets it on a collision course while he escapes with his goods. Alex has to take him on and try to stop the ship as it `races' out of control.

As if Twister hadn't done it already, Speed 2 basically showed us that the potential that was shown by De Bont's debut was clearly misplaced and he has yet to show he was really anything other than in the right place at the right time when it came to Speed. The smell of desperation is in the air from the very start when Reeves declined to star, although Bullock was more desperate and did it. This caused Annie to repeatedly state that `relationships built on etc etc never work out', all in an effort to explain it away and help the audience move on. That the film is constantly harking back to a much better film is a big problem, it would almost have been smarter just to move totally away than to retread.

The plot is plain silly and never gets close to being involving. To demonstrate this, I never once gave a rats' ass what was happening - people got crushed by the boat and mangled in it's propellers (unseen) but the film (or me) never care and never lingers. Likewise the supposed big climax is unengaging and smacks of desperation - bang for buck and all that. The whole set up never really feels immediate or threatening, even when the boat swings out of control it is difficult to feel terrified as the boat slooooowly goes towards the tanker, worst come to worst people can jump off to safety. The cruiser setting also is daft when seen beside the bus concept - the vast majority of the audience will ride a bus quite often, very few of us can relate to an ocean liner! The speed is a problem and it is almost laughable it works so poorly!

The cast is another problem. Bullock tries to repeat her sparky performance from the first film - when she manages it, it only feels like an impression, when she doesn't manage it she is cast as a shrieking beauty needing saving. However she also struggles from a lack of chemistry with Patric. It is a shame as he is an OK actor but not used to a pure action role and not used to not having material to work with. He lacks charisma and is quite unconvincing. Dafoe is awful; he drags the film down as much as anyone. His villain is a joke and never threatens in the way that Hopper's did (who managed to be funny and scary). It is a bad impression all round. The support cast of `innocents in peril' do much the same as the ones on the bus did, but we care less about them - they are well off and are separated from the action; those on the bus were in the thick of it and `normal' people who we could relate to.

Overall this is as good a reason for not making unplanned sequels as any - there should be a board to approve all sequels to prevent cashing in! The memory of the original is cheapen by this nasty film that is uninspiring and unthrilling at best, dull and stupid at worst. De Bont never gets up a decent head of steam and he shows his inability to inject drama out of his own skill - anyone can point a camera, not everyone can (or should) direct. A dull 2 hours later, I was wondering why I wasted my time with a film that was so clearly all at sea.

A big boat full of crap

[lambaldy · 1/10 · 6 June 2004]

Speed. the first movie wasn't that bad, and so the other day I decided to watch speed 2, which appeared on television here. (god knows why) After 2 minutes I realized why Keanu didn't accept the role for this second part. The entire movie is filled with extremely bad timed jokes and unrealism beyond recognition... The killer being sandra bullock chainsawing open a fire door with people trapped behind that door (as if there wouldn't be an emergency handle, and what the **** is a chainsaw doing near the cabins?!?) After completing this task sandra keeps the chainsaw in the opening she just made. the people look at her and say she has to get out of the way with the chainsaw. she looks back, doesn't respond. They have to ask AGAIN and then she's all like: "oh oh oh, yeah yeah yeah yeah, sorry sorry sorry." taking another 5 minutes to apologize before she finally removes the roaring blade....

another great feature about this movie is the fact that people have to die 4 times before actually dying, or other impossible things that somehow the actors can make possible with their magic wand or something. a nice example: **** SPOILER **** The bad guy (i didn't even bother remembering his name) is flying one of those water planes. He isn't really paying attention as he flies over an oil tanker and hits the mast with a speed over 50 mph at minimum... Instead of crashing down or getting hit off course, nooo... the plane instantly stops and gets stuck at the top of the mast. The bad guy naturally hasn't a scratch. Then suddenly the plane decides to explode, taking the entire oil tanker with it. Of course there couldn't be any safety measures on board, since oil isn't flammable at all.

anyway my conclusion is that speed 2 is a blown up piece of poo, and should have never been made. this is one of those movies just to get people in the seats, leaving them to die of boredom in the theatre. (and was probably a career killer for sandra bullock, too....)

A MISERABLE EXPERIENCE....

[DoctorSkyTower · 1/10 · 29 July 1999]

After seeing THE best action movie ever (Speed) I went to this expecting more of the same awesome action.

Instead I was physically sea sick! Sat through the entire thing feeling like I was at sea in a teacup (in the middle of a cyclone), made worse by the terrible acting (even Temuera Morrison wasn't up to par in this) and lame 'action scenes'. The baddie wasn't bad enough, his reasons for hijacking the ship was just plain dumb, and Keanu Reeves, where the heck was he?

This whole flick was over-the-top-bad, trying waaaaay too hard to equal Speed One. But putting all the action on a cruise ship - a SMALL cruise ship at that? There was twice as much action in the elevator scene at the beginning of Speed One!

I found the gigantic tanker explosion, the ship crashing through the dock at the end TOO long and boring. By this time, however, the sea sickness had subsided (probably because the ship had already landed!) The ending would've been easier to bare if the characters hadn't said such dumb cliches....

I think I should've stayed at home....

Speed 2 Lost Control

[au_law2001 · 2/10 · 15 January 2005]

Nah, it just isn't worth watching, or renting, why? Well let's just say it didn't live up to the first one. It wasn't very fast paced, or exciting, it was very predictable. And it's mostly them on the boat, trying to get everyone out, because it is out of control. It lost most of the elements the first one had. It didn't have the 'speed' theme, it was mostly a boat out of control, how? Someone just hacked it, and there it went, it wasn't on the threat of terrorists, there wasn't the threat of a bomb explosion, and it wasn't even sinking. Where's the excitement? The movie doesn't even deserve to be called 'Speed' because there was nothing about 'speed' in it, sure it had Sandra Bullock in it, but Keanu Reeves was missing in it. If you want to see a film about a boat out of control, just watch Titanic.

Forced to watch...

[esalzman3 · 1/10 · 14 January 2005]

Even though I write this review almost seven years after viewing, I have to alert anyone who might be interested in renting or buying this heap. Surely this movie still can't be rented? Please, don't waste your money, just stick with the first Speed and walk away slowly.

At the time I was a projectionist for the movie theater where I worked. I had to watch this film to make sure the print was in good condition and that I put it together correctly. The only thing that made it worth seeing? I guess is that I was on the clock while watching. This movie was terrible and very uninteresting.

OK, the first Speed was exciting and interesting. Keanau Reeves is dopey, but he does give cool-headed action hero quality to his characters. So does he show up in the sequel? No. I'm sure he read the script or saw SOME red flag that made him think, "Walk away slowly". Perhaps he had other commitments. Either way he was fortunate enough to not be involved in this wreck. The villain, Willem Dafoe, is just not convincing (Ooooh, he's a disgruntled computer programmer!). Jason Patrick's character seems to be a cardboard stand-up, and Sandra Bullock gives classic lines like, "Oh man!". The end sequence DOES have an impact, but they drag it out SO LONG that I started laughing! I mean, one minute would have been cool to see all that destruction, but FIVE MINUTES of crashing?!? It might look cool to a six or seven year old (maybe a preteen), but for me it was a barrel of laughs...and this isn't suppose to be a comedy.

Not a bad movie.

[capricornius · 6/10 · 18 June 2018]

I hear a lot of people say that this is a bad movie. I honestly don't think it's that bad. Alright alright, Dennis Hopper in the first movie was just the right type of villain, the kind you really hate, Willem Dafoe is certainly a great villain too. His facial expressions are just great and typical for a villain, he's just so creepy.

If you're looking for that once-in-a-decade A+ masterpiece, this movie is not for you. But if you're looking for a movie to watch when there's nothing on TV, then this is a great choice. Obviously it's not greatest movie ever made, but I've seen much worse.

I'd give it a rating of 60%, or 6/10

One of the worst action films ever

[james_starkie · 1/10 · 1 December 2000]

Oh Dear. Speed never need a sequel. It was a solid action movie with good performances and - most importantly - lots of speed, the essence of the film. Unfortunately, Speed 2 lacks both of these things, as well as anything else which could make it a good film.

Annie (Bullock) is off on a cruise with her new boyfriend, Alex (Patric). But surprisingly things don't go to plan when a crazy ex-employee of the ferry company with a terminal disease (Dafoe) takes over the ship using only his laptop. So its up to Alex, Annie and a few stupid crewmen to save the day.

So that's it in the way of plot. I'd go onto character development but there's nothing to say about that so I'll skip to the acting. Although Bullock is given top billing, she is (unfortunately) relegated to the sidelines and Keanu replacement Jason Patric does most of the work. As for his acting abilities, lets just say a coffee table would have been more convincing. And you thought Keanu Reeves was wooden. Dafoe is almost as bad.

Another area of dire quality is the script. Actually, atrocious would be more appropriate. Unlike the original it's filled with lots of "funny" bits, which only made me cringe even more than I was doing before. Even the action is poor. Where Speed screamed along at 100mph, the sequel kind of meanders along like a pensioner driver.

Verdict: Bad story, bad acting, bad script, bad film. Sitting through this film is as torturous as listening to Westlife. So in case you haven't caught on yet, AVOID THIS FILM.

Relax!!!!!

[koralysm · 10/10 · 1 July 2020]

People need to chill out with these bad reviews! This movie is fun to watch. Is it an Oscar worthy movie? NO! But it is entertaining and one of my family's favorite movie we enjoy watching from time to time.

Nowhere near as bad as people say!

[aidanmenton · 6/10 · 8 May 2017]

I had heard so many bad things about Speed 2: Cruise Control so I avoided it for many years imagining it to be absolutely appalling. However when it came up on Netflix as suggested recently I gave it a watch and for the most part found it every bit as exciting as Die Hard 2 or any other action movie from the 80's or 90's. Granted it has it's flaws but overall a very enjoyable action flick with some great actors. The action sequences are really good I did think it went on a bit too long and it would have benefited from being a bit of a darker movie but other than that very enjoyable certainly not as bad as some people seem to think! If you haven't already seen it don't avoid it like me because of all the negativity surrounding it. I think it's become popular to hate it the way people hate Nickelback!

Pretty good fodder for an MST-style party.

[williamjacobs · 1/10 · 7 July 2005]

Favorite parts?

The lifeboat rescue scene. It seems like it takes half an hour to conclude this "action" scene. It was long enough for me to notice part of the problem. The soundtrack! Music is supposed to set the mood and blend into the film invisibly. The music chosen for this sequence, I suspect, should have been selected to incite pulse pounding nail-biting excitement. Instead, we are treated to a sad, tragedy-laden violin concerto appopriate akin to a funeral dirge. The non-sequitor was surrealistically hilarious.

The beaching of the liner. The ocean liner grounds itself not 100 feet out to sea when the bottom of the boat wedges into the sand but OVER the beach and after it tears up the boardwalk taking out a few flimsy oceanfront hotels that would have been carried away a la Wizard of Oz by any respectable hurricane. The writers appear to have neglected that ocean liners don't skim on the surface of water like jet-skis. Even supposing it did, liners are triangular and would fall over if placed on a beach. Ya kinna defy the laws of physics, cap'n!

Dreadful failed attempt at suspense. When big boats go bad they do it slowly. Yes it takes miles for a ship at full throttle to come to a stop, but the moment of tension occurs a good fifteen minutes before impact. After that, it's a matter of waiting for the inevitable. It's a matter of forlorn mourning, not edge-of-your-seat terror. Titanic captured this well. Speed 2 desperately tries to make a 30 mph crash have the same feel as a NASCAR crack-up. It just can't be done.

To round out the rationale... The acting is wooden, our beloved steely bus driver of Speed has been replaced by a piece of arm candy that Jack would've thrown out the window. Jack supplanted by a generic cleft-chin Dudley Doright named "Alex". The rest is recycled badly. A park bench with the Budweiser labels poking out from inside.

slower, poorer...

[dbdumonteil · 14 September 2003]

The enormous success of "Speed" in 1994 could only create a (poor) sequel. The less we can say is that the scriptwriters have got a great narrow-mindedness. Here, the bus was replaced by a cruise ship and the movie doesn't work, partly due to this: a cruise ship can't go as fast as a bus even if it's trapped.

Then, Keanu Reeves' absence can terribly be felt. His replacement is so colorless and listless that Sandra Bullock almost steals the show from him. Moreover, as a rule, "Speed2: cruise control" is supposed to be a suspense film. Well, in this case, where's the suspense? The filmmaker doesn't succeed in creating the suspense and he even can't create a disturbing atmosphere. The end of the movie falls into the ridiculous when the ship is entering the dock and destroys everything in its path.

At the end: one of the worst sequels ever made.

What a fun movie...To watch really late at night with a bunch of friends

[thebodyguard_1 · 1/10 · 12 June 2007]

I wanted this movie late one night with a friend. It was on some movie channel and we had nothing better to do. At the very beginning we knew we were in for a treat. Every time an action piece occurred it was like we were watching the entire plot for a new movie. It was like the most epic piece of crap I had ever seen. I was amazed at how hard they had tried to make every scene so epic and important. We were rolling on the floor. Plus the entire plot can be summed up "Boat can't stop." Much similar to the Speed before it "Bus can't stop" but without the good action and enjoyable popcorn feeling. This movie is pretty bad. Watch it with some friends one night when you need a good laugh.

Speed 2: Snooze Control

[mjw2305 · 3/10 · 30 January 2005]

Where Speed grabs you and doesn't let you go, Speed 2 fails at the first hurdle, it simply doesn't have to let you go, because it never grabs you.

Taking the principle used in the first film, simply doesn't translate to the water. The tension just isn't there anymore, its that simple.

Speed 2, is not worthy of carrying the title that connects it to such a good film as speed.

If you've ever been tempted by this, resist, i implore you, watch the first film again instead. This isn't worthy of your time, even if it costs you nothing.

3/10

A Mutilation of a Franchise

[eric262003 · 1/10 · 15 March 2021]

How can this happen? You take an exhilarating film like "Speed" which was a big success at the box office, approved by fans and critics alike and then you follow it up with a sequel that fails to measure up. What went wrong? I've seen a lot of bad sequels or good ones that were inferior to its predecessor, but this is the worst one of them all. The thing that angered me the most was that it possessed a lacking effort to even try to even stay in sync with the original "Speed" even though it took an enormous budget to make this. The whole idea of the story is completely illogical and convoluted. "Speed 2: Cruise Control" sees Sandra Bullock again caught in the centerfold of another hijacking only this time instead of on bus, we are now on a cruise ship complete with dumb passengers and an equally stupid crew. The main baddie is Willem Dafoe who's mission is to mess up the computer systems on the ship that he designed to that it will go on a collision course with a tanker while also taking in possession valuable jewelry.

Nobody in the audience wanted this movie to be made and though I never really care much about popular opinions, I have to say that I agree with the majority of the fans. There were signs that this film could have been great. Bullock always has a great deal of charm. Director Jan De Bont was successful in thriller films at the time with "Speed" and "Twister". Willem Dafoe has been in many great films over the years. It's just a shame that this film was so bad it was beyond repair.

"Speed 2: Cruise Control" demonstrates that just because it was a big budget film, doesn't mean that it'll guarantee high approval from the masses. The original "Speed" had shoestring budget coming in and it became box office gold. Sure it was surreal and illogical, but it gave high tension, a scary but effective atmosphere and character that you truly care about. The sequel, you don't find any of that. Even the action sequences lack any drama or intensity you can be invested in. It's just there for action and nothing more.

De Bont's strategy is simple, keep the action running and let the action do all the talking. And if he thinks for one minute that the constant shaking of the camera has any kind of lasting impact on the action scenes, he is seriously wrong. The only thing it does is make your stomach churn.

So now we find Bullock back as Annie Porter, who is now in new relationship with a cop named Alex (Jason Patric) who surprises her with two tickets on a luxury cruise, even though she still laments that her ex-boyfriend, Jack (Keanu Reeves from the original "Speed" who cleverly backed out) gave her an anniversary gift of pepper spray which resulted her spending some time in an emergency room. While they're enjoying a relaxing vacation, a madman named John Geiger (Dafoe) has nothing but evil intentions as he wants to crash the ship into a tanker and steal some loot.

As a rule, most villains are not evil for the sake of being evil, there's always a method to their madness. In Geiger's case he was the one responsible for installing the computer panel on the ship. But one day he reported sick, the next day he was fired where he uses leeches as medicinal remedies for his declining health. It also explains the reasons for his anger.

Part of the reason why I saw this movie was because I naturally enjoy Sandra Bullock and her character is easy to become sympathetic with. She's easy to like, makes a few wisecracks here and there and tries to make this movie a bit interesting. Once Geiger takes over the ship, we hope that the number of deaths are few and far between.

Sadly the rescue mission getting people off the ship and into the lifeboat was tedious and boring. Though I did wish them that they'd return to shore safely, the scene was badly affected by the soundtrack from composer Mark Mancina.

The biggest blunder in "Speed 2: Cruise Control" is when the ship loses control and glides into a coastal town located in the island of St. Martin. While civilians can spot surfers, sailboats and ski boats a mile away. But they all can't see a giant luxury liner coming their way. The most labouring part is that the sequence lasts over minutes long and no one sees it coming until it's too late.

Although Bullock has an adorable smile, but her smile can be featured in many scenes where there's very little to smile about. When the oil tanker explodes and dozens of people are killed in the process she's still holds her head up with glee like it doesn't phase her in the least. When Alex slips the engagement ring on her finger, her shiny teeth gills the air without knowing that she's to embark on another dangerous misadventure.

Is it just me but in movies doesn't it seem ironic that couples seem to form when something terrible seems to happen? It might also happens in the real world too. Maybe this movie would have been better if everything was just normal the way it is. In this movie too many things happen with very little to keep you intrigued.

Episodic sequel lacking the original's thematic strength

[shakercoola · 4/10 · 28 March 2019]

An American action adventure thriller. This is a sequel to the 1994 hit "Speed" set on a slow moving cruise ship. Sadly it lacked the impetus of the original's theme-as-action. It has some very impressive stunts and it never fails to look busy, but the story is crammed with too many action events. The dialogue is clichéd and the characterization is thin, and the plot devices are overfamiliar. Jason Patric fails to impose himself as the lead which left Sandra Bullock who was sidelined into producing a frenetic character which she ends up overworking. Willem Dafoe looks the part but he acts tough without seeming tough. All in all, it's action packed but froths over. The finale does justify sticking with it because back in 1997 it was the most expensive stunt ever filmed.

This cruise is not a bus

[recordingunit · 1/10 · 3 June 2002]

Jan de Bont wanted a continuation of the magistral action movie "Speed". That was a bus!! But he also wanted an outstanding box-office without burning his craneo. Of course, he made one of the worst pim-pam-pum movies. What an insane nightmare!!

Everyone does certainly a bad role. The story is terrifying, the carachters are simply, dull and insipid. The actors falls like leaves from a tree. Action without sense, I think.

Speed was a great film. You felt like you were fixed to the chair. You swat with them. You cried with them. You felt in love with Sandra Bullock in that tube final scene. You kissed her. But, now, in that strange movie, you only want to sink and being in another place instead watching that... thing. So, remember, don´t forget to take the bus!!!

Not As Bad As Some Reviews

[slightlymad22 · 6/10 · 2 March 2015]

I'll admit from the off, that I am bias. I love Sandra Bullock. With her gorgeous girl next door looks, I adore her, and will usually give anything she is in a chance. Hence I recently watched the universally panned "Speed 2"

Plot In A Paragraph: Annie (Sandra Bullock) and her new beau Alex (Jason Patrick, who I last saw in "Lost Boys") are taking a vacation in the Caribbean aboard a luxury cruise ship, which is hijacked by a villain (Willem Defoe) who hacked into the ship's computer system. As they are trapped aboard the ship, Annie and Alex work with the ship's first officer (The guy who plays Jango Fett in Star Wars) to try to stop the ship, which they discover is programmed to crash into an oil tanker.

OK is it as bad as people say?? No it's far from it. It just doesn't live up to the first movie. A lot of sequels suffer from that problem. Had this movie just being called "Cruise Control" and references to the first movie dropped, it may have done better. To put it simply, this is just another routine action movie.

The film's final scene, where the ship crashes into the island of Saint Martin, cost $25 million of the film's $160 million budget (which is more than the entire production budget of the first film)

As for Sandra Bullock (who agreed to star in this film in order to get financing for her pet project Hope Floats) she remains one of the most talented and beautiful women in movies, and her ladylike sexiness is in rare supply. Any movie becomes promising just by having her name in it's cast.

Speed 2: Cruise Control

[Coxer99 · 1/10 · 27 June 1999]

Sad sequel to the early 90's hit with Bullock and Patrick playing a vacationing couple who save the day when a madman (overbearing and overacting Willem Dafoe) commandeers their cruise ship. Director Jan DeBont still pours energy into the effects, but the story and performances lack that polish and care.

Why all the hate!? This a great fun action movie!!!

[fatelovesthefearless · 8/10 · 11 January 2017]

So i just had to do a review for this when i saw there were only bad reviews. This movie is great! It's one of my favourite action movies from the 90's. And as for sequels i think it did a good job. It is a bit different but it is after all set on a cruise ship and has a different male lead.

I find it thoroughly entertaining each time i watch it which is every couple of years. It's the kind of movie you can switch off for a couple of hours and just be entertained. And the villain is great! He is absolutely crazy and i love it when they are so irrational.

So if you like fun movies that don't take themselves too seriously give this a go, i promise it's not as bad as all the other reviewers make it out to be! I give it an 8/10.

Not bad....

[patbrooks-57092 · 7/10 · 13 April 2019]

Well, I thought it was entertaining....plenty of action if you like that sort of thing.

I actually wanted to die while watching this...

[secondnapoleon · 1/10 · 10 February 2007]

The worst thing about a movie on a bus is that you can't escape from it. All the worst movies I've ever seen have been viewed on a bus, but this one outranks even Pearl Harbor.

While I haven't seen the first Speed, I have heard that is a superb film. The idea of a bus that cannot slow down without exploding is indeed terrifying. Somehow, the idea of a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean is not nearly as chilling. In fact, it is very poor.

Nothing seems to work in this movie. The leading man is uncharismatic and wooden, the villain is pitiful, the "heroine" is extremely unfunny and vapid and the little deaf girl is just a ploy for sympathy, which fails miserably.

The script is so awful it defies logic. A series of "jokes" falls flat (why is the destruction of an entire community at the end supposed to be portrayed as funny? All the stupid jokes they try and make during its destruction seem to indicate they were trying to be comedic.) and the romantic element is below average. The guy telling the girl his police badge number to show his love will not exactly surpass Romeo and Juliet.

The villain's motive is never explained, unless I missed that while trying to gnaw through my wrists, and is appalling at best.

Overall, unless you want to torture yourself, give this steaming pile of tripe a miss.

0/10 if I could.