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Speed 2: Cruise control

Threat advisory: Guarded - General risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Sandra Bullock and filmmaker Jan De Bont reunite in this follow-up to the box-office and critical smash of 1994, Speed. Jason Patric joins the team.

Expect more non-stop thrills as Annie (Sandra Bullock) and new Beau Alex (Jason Patric), vacationing in the Caribbean, are caught in the middle of a brilliantly conceived and executed take-over of an exclusive superliner cruise ship, sending them and the hundreds of passengers hurtling toward an unstoppable disaster.

Cinematic intelligence sources

Speed 2: Cruise control official movie site

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

I saw an agent caught in the middle of a badly conceived and executed sequel to an exciting super movie, sending him and the dozens of audience members hurtling toward an unstoppable disaster that gets stopped 2 hours and 6 minutes too late. But what can you expect from a sequel to a movie that was only an accidental hit in the first place?

How about a shoddy storyline, two-dimensional characters, shallow performances, unsurprising surprises, super villains who just somehow manage to know everything, superheroes who just somehow manage to know even more and an actor reprising the role that made her famous for what had to have been more money than it was worth?

There are some good effects, and there are some great effects, but you've seen most of them in the trailer. If it weren't for the effects I would trash this film, but the action was pretty darned entertaining (even if it did make Steven Segal look like an Oscar contender). Brian McCardie speaks with a beautiful Scottish accent (I have a thing for Scottish accents - imagine how I was during Trainspotting !) and some very funny lines. Willem Dafoe plays a psycho. Imagine.

You'd have to be pretty hard up to pay to see this film. Oh, all right, see it if you want to, but don't say that I didn't warn you: it's a McMovie™ if ever there was one. Enter at your own risk.

Security censorship classification

M (Violence)

Not for public release in Australia before date

Film: 25 September 1997