 "STEP ON THE BUS AND LEAVE YOUR BRAIN AT THE DOOR!" | 2008-09-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1ER6IYOMM8VCT |
| If ever there was a film that doesn't apologize for being "Hollywood" .....'Speed' has got to be it. This movie delivers action, action and more action to the point of absurdity, but it's a lot of fun. Hopper gives his usual wacko performance once again and Bullock is her usual cute self. Reeves fills in the "hero" shoes fine, but it's the "just one more over the top situation" that makes this film too much! Get the largest bowl in your house and fill it till it spills over with popcorn and enjoy.......don't forget to leave your brain at the door! The DVD transfer looks good, but it's a pretty basic release. |
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 "An adrenaline pumped ride" | 2008-09-21 |
| - Reviewed By dominion_ruler |
Speed is kind of like Die Hard on wheels. In both films there is a hostage situation, while a madman demands money or else people are going to die. The cast, acting, dialouge and story are not as sharp in Speed as Die Hard IMHO, but what makes Speed uniqely different is that the entire movie isn't focused into a single structure. Instead, we are on a Los Angeles public bus that cannot travel under 50 mph or else the bomb underneath will detonate. The stage is therefore set for non-stop speeding thrills and suspense.
The movie has 3 main stages. The majority of the film is the bus, but before that begins the film starts off immediately with an introduction to our villain Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper), an ex-cop who places a bomb in a tower elevator and the L.A. officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) sent to neautralize the bomb and rescue the hostages caught in the elevator. While it does provide the film with an instant scene of suspense, it's nearly 30 minutes in length and after a few viewings of Speed, I am more than ready for our bus scene.
The next hour of the film is the bus. Payne has planted a bomb underneath, and racing down the L.A. freeway comes the bus, and anything in its path better be ready to duck, jump, or get run over. An unfortunate accident on board places an every day young woman named Annie (Sandra Bullock) in the driver's seat, while officer Jack jumps on board to do his best to control the situation. But Payne is one smart bombmaker, and almost every scenario is pre-thought out leaving Jack with little time to come up with a plan. Meanwhile the bus has until 11am, or Payne receives his money, before it blows.
The final scene is a little unnecessary but set up to take control of our villain once and for all. This scene takes place on the subway, in an abondoned subway car that is speeding out of control. After a wild ride for an hour or so on the bus, the subway scene is little exciting, and like I said, feels like it was thrown in the mix just to wrap things up.
Overall, Speed succeeds by providing great action and thrills that almost never let up. There are moments when I felt I was one of those every day passengers on that bus. But then when I listen to dialouge and some rough acting by the majority of the supporting cast, I remember its just a movie. Nevertheless, Speed is original and effective for what it is. It is a classic in its own right.
Acting - 3.5
Action - 4.5
Characters - 3.5
Story - 3.5
Overall - 4
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| "A Great Thrill Ride Of An Action Movie" | 2008-07-30 |
| - Reviewed By devotedfan |
One of the most legendary of action movies (and deservedly so) "Speed" is a full-octane thrill ride bolstered by great performances and an unusually potent level of character interaction. In revenge for the foiling of his plot to hold an elevatorful of hostages for ransom, a maniacal villain (Dennis Hopper) targets one of the cops who stopped him (Keanu Reeves) by launching a plot that makes him responsible for saving a busload of civillians. With the bus wired with a bomb that will detonate if its speed drops below fifty miles an hour - intentionally making Reeves's attempt to board and save it a suicide bid - Hopper demands another ransom, thus going after revenge and profit in the same gambit.
As in most of the best action movies, the deck is really stacked against the movie's protagonist. The bus can't slow down, it can't stop at red lights, it can't be refueled, and it's forbidden for anyone to try to leave the bus: with helicopter news crews capturing the whole thing live, Hopper can monitor events at leisure from his hideout. Sandra Bullock plays Annie, a girl who ends up driving the bus after its original driver is incapacitated early on, and the great chemistry between her and Reeves is a big plus in the movie (that chemistry worked again a few years later in The Lake House (Widescreen Edition)). Actually, the interactions among everyone on the bus play off very well and believable. "Speed" features some of the more innovative action sequences for this kind of movie and succeeds in creating a good rush with them. A film that compares well with the best "Die Hard"s and the first Lethal Weapon (Director's Cut), this is, needless to say, an essential for action fans, as well as one that even those who rarely go for the action movie should check out. |
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 "So Which One Is Wylie Coyote" | 2008-05-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2ZHZ8ZTHJKOS0 |
| After the first 30 minutes of non-stop action and hair-raising close calls with little or no dialog-- about the time the super-charged bus made a death-defyimg leap across a freeway chasm-- I figured there had to be a pause coming up. You know the old-fashioned type movie-making when the audience gets a chance to catch its breath and anticipate the action to come. Maybe even a few minutes of human interest. But that pause never came. Then after the second 30 minutes of non-stop action and hair-raising close calls-- about the time the bus blows up the airplane real good-- I figured the pause had to come. But no, it never did. Instead, there was another 30 minutes of non-stop action and hair-raising close calls, and about the time the subway began to get a mind of its own, something really strange happened. I realized I had gotten bored. Now you wouldn't think that with all that non-stop action and hair-raising close calls, a viewer could actually get bored. But I was. Something, I think, about too much of one thing becoming first familiar, then old, and finally tedious. Then when the non-stop action and hair-raising close calls finally did come to a stop, as all things must, I had my final revelation. What I had just sat through only looked like a real life movie. But it wasn't. Not really. Instead it was only a cartoon version of non-stop action and hair-raising close-calls with human versions of those familiar characters the Roadrunner and Wylie Coyote. Unfortunately, the money I spent was not cartoon money. |
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 "Picture quality may disapoint you" | 2008-02-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1HNU1511IC0OS |
If you have seen Planet Earth in HD, this movie will disapoint you in terms of picture quality. Don't get me wrong, it's better than a upscale 1080p DVD.
I guess technology is not there yet to convert old movies compared to the ones that were shot in HD format originaly.
Sound is good, DTS HD at 1.5Mb but not PCM 5.1 which is at 6Mb.
If you always push for the best quality and sound this movie is not for you.
If you are a fan buy it. |
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| "Disappointing Blu-ray transfer" | 2007-12-29 |
| - Reviewed By rxeddy2 |
| Movie is great. Acting is pretty good. Video quality for Blu-ray DVD is poor. There is no extra material (as seen on the Special Edition DVD). But it looks better than the regular DVD version. A buy if you love the movie. |
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| "Still a thrill ride" | 2007-12-26 |
| - Reviewed By acedoh |
I haven't watched Speed in many years. Now the timeless classic is on Blu-ray in all it's cinematic glory. These movies make it clear why Blu-ray is what the director intended his movie to look like after all these years. After all the movies that have come out recently that use computer graphics it's great to watch a movie that uses traditional special effects and stunts.
Speed could be considered an epic in what it has done for action movies. The sit on the edge non-stop unpredictable action that makes movies like this great. The name of the movie implies what the movie is about. Dennis Hopper plays a deranged man who is out to get what he believes is his. He will do anything to get it including killing dozens of people. The only thing that stands in his way is an action cop played by Keanu Reeves.
Although some of the acting could be considered cheesy at parts it is still good. Sandra Bullock does an excellent job in one her first big movies. This movie did enough to put these stars on the blockbuster map. Of course after watching the movie some of the scenes are very unrealistic but that is why you need to watch the movie without being a critic which is sometimes hard for me. From the first minute on the action was intense and the movie stayed fun making this a movie I could watch over and over again as I already have.
The Blu-ray version is excellent with a very refined picture and greatly improved sound. This is how the movie was intended to be seen. Especially when watching it on a big screen with full surround sound. For anyone looking for a great action movie in high definition this is it. |
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| "still exciting after all these years" | 2007-12-10 |
| - Reviewed By stevemiyamoto |
| Watched this movie with friends who had never seen it. The plot twists, the action sequences, the bad guy, no wonder very few movies are this good. As with "Die Hard," you need a really great "bad guy" to make the movie a hit, and Dennis Hopper can be your psycho like nobody else. |
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| "Great Movie" | 2007-09-28 |
| - Reviewed By arojas4570 |
Great Action... Looks awesome on Blu-ray.. This is a must have for all you action lovers. Explosions are amazing in 1080p
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| "Hold on tight!" | 2007-07-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2PV6GK1HV54Y9 |
| Speed starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock is still the best action movie of all-time. This film was released in 1994 and still to this day, Speed never grows tepid or outdated. How can you not love Sandra Bullock? This film put her on the map, she's spunky, fearless, and funny as Annie. So glad Reeves got to play a serious guy who turns into a hero, anyone remember Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? (so not the movie for him). If you enjoy a good action film then Speed will be your new best friend. A must-have! |
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