Speed 2: Cruise Control (First viewing on US BD) – 6.5/10
I saw it at the cinema with high expectations but was sorely let down. Having watched this again for the second time after 17 years, I feel some things are wrong with it – at least to me
:
- Jason Patric does not have screen presence and charisma, unlike Keanu Reeves, which makes his role as the leading star a bore. Besides, Patric and Bullock don’t show natural chemistry as a couple.
-The film leaves the audience viewing “in the dark”, literally speaking, during the plodding evacuation scene and the “hero-suspects-something-is-wrong-and-investigates” scenes. We can hardly follow what’s happening on screen for at least 30 minutes, I guess.
- As with most sequels to a box office film, the film fared poorly in crucial aspects. The title itself should have been a totally different one. Not a sequel but another high-octane action film with other promising actors as the lead casts.
- Since the lead actor doesn't have screen presence, the action sequences - however excitingly staged - become predictably routine, and viewers feel uninvolved.
As a side note, the PQ of the US BD is somewhat unsatisfying: the flesh tone looks reddish as if the characters had just had a sunbath. Then during the prolonged lights-go-out scenes, we can hardly see what’s going on - it's too dark.
I got the dual pack for Speed, Speed 2 is just a bonus to me