Speed 2: Cruise Control

If you happen to bump into the Jan DeBont who made Speed, please let him know that someone using his name is turning out hyperactive nonsense like Speed 2: Cruise Control. The original Speed was the most dizzyingly effective action film of the decade; the sequel, set on a hijacked cruise ship and perpetrated by DeBont's Bizarro-world namesake, is comprised of chunks of film which are--to put it mildly--chaotic. Probably half of the blame lies with a screenplay which may represent the most misguided premise for a sequel since Jaws: The Revenge. Let's be realistic: a cruise ship tooling along against the horizon ain't exactly a commuter bus barreling through rush hour traffic. Sandra Bullock is back, along with Keanu Reeves replacement Jason Patric, but with its glacial pacing and ridiculous set pieces, Speed 2 generates all the kinetic intensity of a deckside game of shuffleboard. Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)