Sandra Bullock has had a long and varied film career, with plenty of hits (like 1995’s “While You Were Sleeping”) and plenty of flops (like 1997’s “Speed 2: Cruise Control”). According to Rotten Tomatoes, her two best films are also some of her most action-centric; at 95% fresh is 1994’s “Speed,” where she and Keanu Reeves are stuck on a bus that will explode if it ever goes below 50 miles per hour. At 96% fresh is 2013’s “Gravity,” where she and George Clooney are stuck in space and trying not to get hit by high-speed space debris. For whatever reason, Bullock is always getting stuck in places, and critics really seem to like it when that happens.
It’s worth noting that the Rotten Tomatoes’ tomatometer is often misunderstood. Getting a 95% rating on RT is not like getting an A on a school assignment; all it means is that 95% of critics gave it a positive review, with “positive” ranging anywhere from “Eh, I guess it was fine” to “This is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen.” A movie rated 9 out of 10 on IMDb can often get the same tomatometer rating as a movie given a 7 out of 10 on IMDb. Rotten Tomatoes is based on the question, “Is this movie worth watching?” and it divides all the reviews into simple yes or no responses.
In other words, when it comes to figuring out which movie is the best of Bullock’s career, that one percent difference on the tomatometer means pretty much nothing. So, between “Speed” and “Gravity,” which of Bullock’s top movies deserves the most praise?
Why Speed might be Sandra Bullock’s best movie
The case for “Speed” being Bullock’s best movie is that it’s the one that made her an A-lister. When she introduces herself to Reeves’ character in the film, she’s basically introducing herself to the world, and she makes an amazing first impression. Her character is instantly sympathetic as a random bus-rider suddenly forced to drive the rigged vehicle through a dozen different obstacles, and her chemistry with Reeves is off the charts. She was arguably more of the main star of this film than Reeves was, to the point where “Speed 2” prioritized bringing her back most of all, not Reeves. (Granted, the creatives behind the movie did try to get Reeves back, but he correctly saw the script for the “Speed” sequel wasn’t up to par.)
The best part of “Speed” is the way it fittingly never slows down; the tension is always ramping up, throwing the characters through one deadly obstacle after another. There is one brief period of calm near the end, where Annie and Jack finally escape the bus and get a moment to catch their breath, but the movie quickly switches over to a whole new action set-piece — one where Jack has to save Annie from a subway train that also can’t slow down. At just under two hours, “Speed” is a massive adrenaline rush of a film that never overstays its welcome. Plus, it’s a much-needed argument in favor of giving a raise to bus drivers everywhere.
Why Gravity might be Sandra Bullock’s best movie
In 2013’s “Gravity,” Bullock’s character Ryan finds herself stuck in the cold vacuum of space with no way to contact the people at home. (And even if she could, they’d hardly be able to reach her in time.) The first act briefly seems like it’s giving her and Clooney’s character a similar dynamic to Annie and Jack in “Speed,” but Clooney exits the film surprisingly fast, leaving Bullock to carry the rest of it.
“Gravity” doesn’t quite have the same non-stop excitement of “Speed,” going for a slightly more melancholy tone overall, but it’s still a fun, fast-paced movie that lets Bullock show off her acting chops yet again. The most impressive part here are the visuals, as acclaimed director Alfonso Cuarón brings his signature long takes into space. A big sequence in the first act where Ryan is left drifting off to nowhere, further and further away from Earth with no apparent way to turn around, is easily one of the best action scenes in the entire sci-fi genre.
Sure, “Gravity” caught flak for its scientific inaccuracies, but “Speed” was never perfect either. (Remember when the bus had to jump that gap? The internet would’ve complained for weeks over that scene.) As long as you’re not too much of a stickler for space accuracy, “Gravity” is a remarkable, atmospheric gem. I still prefer “Speed” overall, but ranking “Gravity” at the top is perfectly reasonable.
