Speed 2: Cruise Control
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: June 13, 1997 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
24
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
7
Negative:
14
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Movies like this embrace goofiness with an almost sensual pleasure. Read full review
60
EmpireStaff(not credited)
Speed 2 is a well-above-average armrest-gripper with little in it to upset the children excepting, perhaps, Dafoe's lengthy white teeth, and the fact that UB40 provide onboard cabaret. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Despite huge resources at Mr. De Bont's disposal and the fact that both he and Ms. Bullock have achieved stellar status since ''Speed'' screeched onto movie screens, the sequel is still a B-movie at heart. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
It's all idiotic but energetic, directed by Jan De Bont in his usual techno-action style. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The last half-hour is a decent enough ride, with Dafoe controlling the ship by Powerbook and product placement, while Bullock and Patric demonstrate the triumph of American gumption over high tech, the better to save all hands on deck. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Nathanson's script has a disheartening let's get on with it air, and the film feels like marathon training... Read full review
50
VarietyEmanuel Levy
Lacking the manipulative structure of "Speed," which shrewdly interspersed rousing set pieces throughout the story, Speed 2 is vastly uneven, trying in its second hour to recoup energy and compensate the audience for all the exposition of the initial reels. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Not nearly as clever at taxing the audience's knuckles as its forerunner, Speed 2 still manages to stay above board long enough to merit a look-see, if only to relish the once-in-a-lifetime pleasure of Mr. Dafoe and his pet leeches. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Speed 2 can be numbered among the worst second chapters ever made. Read full review
38
USA TodayMike Clark
The filmmakers, who include the hitherto ace action director Jan De Bont ("Speed", "Twister"), have neither hearts nor minds in gear. [13Jun1997 Pg.04.D]
33
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Yet Speed 2 is as slow-moving as a garbage scow. Those blinking lights might as well be emanating from a vital-signs monitor. The story is dead in the water. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Though it displays enough perils to put a dent in future cruise ship sales, the film has a makeshift, slapdash quality that is the opposite of its predecessor. Read full review
30
TimeRichard Schickel
The screenwriters, Randall McCormick and Jeff Nathanson, and the director, Jan de Bont, have no interest in providing their actors with stuff to act. Read full review
25
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
This is my idea of a nightmare. Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
And De Bont's effects are wildly over the top, devoid of the stylish cuts and intriguing angles that enriched the original. In fact, there's so little panache in his destructive action that it begins to seem like a weird act of self-destruction. Read full review
10
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The 1994 "Speed," which starred Bullock and Keanu Reeves, was hardly "King Lear" on a bus, but it was an entertaining ride. But this movie is nothing but pain to sit through. Read full review
10
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
"Speed" made millions on mindless, empty thrills; this laborious sequel is just as mindless and empty but lacks the thrills. Read full review
10
Dallas ObserverAndy Klein
First, the good news: Unlike most action film sequels, Speed 2: Cruise Control is not a mere retread of the original. Now the bad news: Better it had been. Read full review
0
SalonCharles Taylor
Speed 2 is such an inept piece of direction that it's anybody's guess whether De Bont understands how to convey where two characters are in spatial relation to each other or in relation to the action. Read full review
0
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
This may be hard to believe, but there's not a single moment of drama or tension in any of the action sequences. And the film is made up almost entirely of action. Read full review
0
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The kinetics aren't that good, the twaddle is off the charts and the characters seem written by monkeys on amphetamines with crayons. Read full review
0
The A.V. ClubStephen Thompson
But like De Bont's awful "Twister", Speed 2: Cruise Control somehow manages to fail in every way. Read full review
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