To accompany our previous release, Renovatio Records proudly presents a new album for Mark Mancina’s score for the 1997 action film Speed 2: Cruise Control. Directed by Jan De Bont, the movie sees Sandra Bullock reprising her role from the original Speed, with Jason Patric, Willem Dafoe, Temuera Morrison, and Brian McCardie joining the main cast. This sequel follows Annie, who goes on a Caribbean vacation with her boyfriend Alex Shaw aboard a luxury cruise ship. Their trip takes a dangerous turn when the ship is hijacked by computer hacker John Geiger, who seeks revenge against the cruise line after being dismissed due to copper poisoning.
In the history of sequels, Speed 2: Cruise Control is often regarded as one of the most ridiculous. The film was not only a financial flop, failing to recoup even half of its $110 million budget domestically, but it was also panned by critics and audiences alike for its laughable dialogue, thin characterization, and familiar plot devices. The absence of Keanu Reeves, who refused to return as Jack Traven from the first film, was also keenly felt. However, despite these flaws, the sequel manages to deliver exciting action sequences in its final act, featuring the cruise in a collision course with an oil tanker and a dramatic impact into the marina of Saint Martin town.
One standout element of the film is Mark Mancina’s score. Initially, Mancina planned to reuse themes from Speed in a new way, but director Jan De Bont instructed him to create a completely different score to give the sequel its own musical identity. The result is a score that combines many of Speed’s ideas with new motifs and themes, creating a more elaborate and expansive musical experience. Compared to the 68 players from the first score, the sequel features nearly 100 musicians, including eight steel drum players and other specialty percussionists, giving the music a tropical feel that aligns with the film’s maritime setting.
Percussion plays a significant role throughout the score, perfectly accompanying the film's fast-paced and adrenaline-fueled scenes. Mancina introduces an effective new action motif that appears right from the opening bike chase scene, interplaying with the original action motif from Speed. This new motif underscores many of the film's action sequences later in the film and is often accompanied by a noble theme which, similarly to the one from the first movie, is used throughout to dramatically highlight the dangers at stake. The noble theme makes standout appearances during the opening part of the thrilling cue “Evacuation,” a standout of the score. This cue also introduces a hero theme at the 2:44 minute mark, which is characterized by a progression ascending three-note sequences, and underscores Alex’s steady heroism, while tragic renditions of the noble theme accentuate the passengers' fear during perilous moments as they are being lowered into a dangling lifeboat in the middle of a tropical night storm.
For Annie and Alex, Mancina provides a love theme, introduced in acoustic guitar during the first half of the cue “Alex and Annie / Welcome to the Seabourn Legend.” A tropical variation of this theme, featuring drum percussion and guitar solos, captures the Caribbean vacation atmosphere. An alternate version of this tropical statement, “Caribbean Cruise,” closes the album, this time with sultry saxophone solos. In contrast to the high-energy action cues, these statements are particularly refreshing with their light jazz, rock, and reggae influences brightening the score.
For the villainous Geiger, Mancina devised a slimy theme inspired by a scene where Geiger uses leeches to cleanse his poisoned blood. This theme, distinctively different from the rest of the score, employs deep strings, light percussion, and eerie synthetic sounds to create an ominous momentum and techno-savvy rhythm, effectively highlighting the character's sinister nature and computer skills. The theme is introduced in “Geiger Below Decks” and recurs in several action sequences, emphasizing the gravity of Geiger’s actions.
Another highlight of the score comes at the beginning, with a fun reworking of the 20th Century Fox fanfare, composed by Alfred Newman. Mancina sustains the final chord and transitions seamlessly into the opening action cue “Motorcycle Chase,” a creative and engaging approach that should definitely be explored more often by composers and filmmakers.
Initially, Mancina's score was not released on CD to avoid competition with the songs soundtrack album. Due to the film's poor performance, the score became only available as a low-quality bootleg. However, in June 2010, La-La Land Records presented a 3000-unit limited edition album featuring around 70 minutes of music, much of which was not used in the film due to constant re-edits. While some film music enthusiasts argue that Mancina’s score for Speed 2 is better than the original, others feel that some action and suspense material becomes repetitive, a criticism partly attributed to the length of the La-La Land Records album. Renovatio Records addresses this issue by presenting the highlights of the score, meticulously edited to enhance the listening experience.
Jump aboard Mark Mancina's score for Speed 2: Cruise Control and enjoy its effective blend of high-energy action themes, melodic richness, and innovative percussion. Although the film itself may not have been as successful as the original, Mancina's work on Speed 2 deserves recognition as a standout example of 1990s blockbuster scoring.
Track listing:
Cover Artwork:
Credits:
Cue Assembly:
|
Track Title |
Cue Title |
|
1. Twentieth Century Fox Fanfare/Motorcycle
Chase |
Twentieth Century Fox Fanfare Motorcycle Chase Part 1 Motorcycle Chase Part 2 (Edited) Motorcycle Chase Part 3 (Edited) |
|
2. Alex and Annie/Welcome to the Seabourn
Legend |
Alex and Annie Cruising Alternate 1 |
|
3. Geiger Below Decks |
Engine Room (Edited) Auto Pilot (Edited) |
|
4. Overboard |
Overboard Geiger Calls Giuliano (Edited) |
|
5. Evacuation |
Evacuation (Edited) |
|
6. Ballast Doors |
Close the Hatch |
|
7. Reunion |
Reunion |
|
8. We Have to Stop the Ship |
We Have to Stop the Ship |
|
9. The Propeller |
The Propeller (Edited) |
|
10. Tanker Turn |
Tanker Turn (Edited) |
|
11. We Made It |
The Harbor |
|
12. Crashing Into the Island |
Crashing Into the Island (Edited) The Docking Part 1 |
|
13. Final Chase |
Final Chase |
|
14. Underwater Rescue |
Underwater Rescue |
|
15. The Docking |
The Docking Part 2 |
|
16. Caribbean Cruise |
Cruising Alternate 2 |