Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

Speed 2: Cruise Control is the kind of glossy, unapologetic 90s action spectacle that dares you not to have fun once it gets that massive ship pointed in the wrong direction. Jan de Bont stages the Seabourn Legend like a floating playground for suspense, letting hallways, engine rooms, and open decks become arenas for scrappy heroics and escalating mayhem, all anchored by Sandra Bullock’s likable, game-for-anything presence. And then there’s Willem Dafoe, chewing scenery with such gleeful menace that you can practically feel the movie perk up every time he’s on screen. It’s not for everyone—especially if you want the lean, street-level snap of the first film—but if you’re in the mood for big stunts, big chaos, and a B-movie spirit with blockbuster resources, this cruise is worth boarding.

Speed 2: Cruise Control is clearly trying to bottle the first film’s high-concept panic and scale it up into a floating disaster movie, with Sandra Bullock doing her best to keep the energy alive. The problem is the core idea fights the title: a cruise ship just doesn’t generate the same relentless momentum, so the pacing drifts, the set pieces feel stretched, and the characters and dialogue aren’t strong enough to fill the gaps. Willem Dafoe brings committed, enjoyably unhinged villain work, and the finale has some impressively destructive spectacle, but you’ll have to be patient to get there. If you want tight, escalating tension like Speed, this will likely frustrate you; if you’re in the mood for a glossy ’90s action-thriller with dumb fun and big crashes, you might tolerate the cruise.