Speed 2 - Cruise Control

Anybody seen Keanu? The action star of Speed opted out of this overbearing sequel, which finds costar Sandra Bullock in love with another guy (Jason Patric) and in trouble aboard a cruise ship under the control of a mad extortionist (Willem Dafoe). Speed director Jan de Bont is back at the helm for part 2, but even he seems to have forgotten that what made the first film work was the simplicity of its hook (the bomb, the bus that can't drive below 50 mph, the handful of sympathetic passengers, etc.). Speed 2 is all about hugeness: big ship, lots of places to get into trouble, and so on. Even with an eye-popping, endless finale of the vessel crashing into port (and causing mondo destruction), there is nothing about this movie that is remotely as involving as its predecessor. --Tom Keogh