8. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Speed is often thought to be one of the best and most definitive action movies of the '90s, which is mostly due to its tight narrative framework and some awesome set-pieces. The acting from both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock did the job, but these are hardly sold enough characters to plunge into a franchise with - there's nothing really special about them, to be honest. For
Speed 2: Cruise Control, though, we didn't even get Keanu Reeves. Bullock agreed to reprise her role, of course, for a movie which featured not a bus, but - wait for it - a boat! Fact is,
Speed didn't need to be a franchise because it makes no sense as one, but to continue without Keanu Reeves (who at least had a big fanbase back then) as well - that seems insane. The results were horrific, with the film awkwardly having to try and explain why Bullock's character was involved in yet another speed-related terrorist plot.