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Dom Robinson reviews
Encore Entertainment
- Cat.no: EE 1106
- Cert: PG
- Running time: 120 minutes
- Sides: 2 (CLV)
- Year: 1997
- Pressing: 1998
- Chapters: 25 (14/10+1)
- Sound: Dolby Surround
- Widescreen: 2.35:1
- Price: £24.99
- Extras : Original Theatrical Trailer
Director:
- Jan De Bont
(Speed, Twister)
Producer:
- Jan De Bont
Screenplay:
- Randall McCormick and Jeff Nathanson
Music:
- Mark Mancina
Cast:
Annie: Sandra Bullock (Demolition Man, Hope Floats, In Love And War, The Net, Practical Magic, Speed, Stolen Hearts, A Time To Kill, The Vanishing, While You Were Sleeping)
Alex: Jason Patric (Frankenstein Unbound, Geronimo, Incognito, The Lost Boys, Rush, Sleepers)
Geiger: Willem Dafoe (Body Of Evidence, Clear And Present Danger, The English Patient, The Last Temptation Of Christ, Platoon, Wild At Heart)
Juliano: Temuera Morrison (Barb Wire, Once Were Warriors)
Merced: Brian McCardie
Debbie: Colleen Camp (Die Hard With A Vengeance, Police Academy’s 2 and 4, Sliver, Wayne’s World)
Captain Pollard: Bo Svenson (Death Train, The Delta Force, Delta Force Commander, The Great Waldo Pepper, Heartbreak Ridge)
UB40 as themselves
Speed 2: Cruise Controldoesn’t need a great deal of introduction, butsince Annie (Sandra Bullock) split up from Jack (Keanu Reeves),she’s been dating Alex (Jason Patric), who, little does she know, isa member of the SWAT team, despite the fact that she wanted an easier lifeafter her last escapade. Alex takes her on a cruise for a romantic holiday,but before he can pop the question, fate makes its presence felt as mad bomberGeiger (Willem Dafoe) plans to destroy the ship after being given suchshabby treatment from its company for whom he used to work. Sounds like we’vebeen there before, but it proves to be just as entertaining as the first filmand I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel.
Originally, the name for the male lead in the first film was Alex, but thedifferences between Alex and Jack, apart from the actor playing them, arenegligible. So what happened to Keanu? He thought he’d be better off starringin turkeys such as Chain Reaction and Johnny Mnemonic, whiletaking time off inbetween to play with his band, Dogstar. Each to their ownit seems.
As one would imagine, the roles played by Sandra and Jason don’t require muchuse of their Equity Card, but the action scenes give them a chance to flextheir muscles and there are some great comic touches throughout the filmas have also been seen in Jan De Bont‘s other actioners Speedand Twister. Willem Dafoe has a good time as the maniacalmurderer, hamming up his performance nicely, but if some of the violence hedishes out seems a little too much for a PG-certificate, nothing will make youwince more than the scene in which he makes use of blood-sucking leeches!
Like Speed, this sequel is also divided into three parts: Alex’smotorbike chase coupled with Annie’s driving test; the main action involvingthe boat; and a speedboat chase.
The picture quality is framed at 2.35:1, is colourful, crisp and sharp,just what is required for the many action scenes and explosive moments whichinclude the cruise liner tearing up an apartment village and the destructionof an entire oil tanker ship. The film is available on video in widescreen,but it can’t hope to look as good as this.
The sound, as you’d imagine from the above paragraph, will give your speakersa run for their money. They’ll get a workout in the action-packed scenes, whilethe dialogue comes across clearly as does the music, including the uncreditedcameo from the band onboard providing entertainment for the passengers beforethe ship hits disaster, UB40.
24 chapters for two hours of film is fine, but could use a few more.Interestingly, the original theatrical trailer that follows begins by showingexactly what happens at the end of the film, which I won’t spoil, but sufficeto say – anyone who left as the end credits began in the cinema may have missedit.
Overall, this film deserves much better press than it received when it openedtheatrically and for anyone who was put off at the time, now is the time tomake amends. Both sides of the disc are pretty much full up with the filmand trailer, so there’s not much more that could be added here and with thequality of transfer on view, this disc comes well-recommended.
FILM : ****½PICTURE QUALITY: *****SOUND QUALITY: *****EXTRAS: *——————————-OVERALL: ****
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1999.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.