Understanding “Speed”

From Grant Morrison’s “The Invisibles”, one of my favourite quasi-mystical re-readings of an action film (and I am very fond of mystical re-readings of actions films).

What is it with Keanu and Gnostic myth? So the bus is the world. Keanu is sent into the WorldBus by beneficent forces in order to oppose the Dennis who rules over it with the constant threat of destruction. By the logic of his incarnation, he is subject to the same flaws of the flesh as everyone else on the bus – if the DennisUrge destroys the bus, he dies too.

Of course, the driver gets shot and Sandra Bullock takes over the wheel. Sandra’s job is to be steady, to be stable, to hold the bus to course, to keep within the right speed window – her stability and constancy prevent the destruction of the bus. Meanwhile Keanu is running up and down the bus, onto the roof of the bus, underneath the bus, even off the bus to chat to the other Beneficent Entities. Do I need to point out that Keanu is Masculine and Sandra is Feminine? I didn’t think so.

Wait, he means the bit where the Dennis steals Sandra and takes her into the Underworld inside a giant metal serpent and Keanu needs to do final battle with the Hopper of Darkness before riding the serpent back into the Light so they can snog each other senseless in front of the poster for “2001: A Space Odyssey“?

Wind back a little… to that bit where the bus has to jump the Apocalyptic Gap in the Freeway continuum. What do they have to do before the Apocalypse? What they’ve been doing all along – Only Faster. And what’s the World like after the Millennial Jump Stunt? Just the same, still in peril, still arguing – but they survive.

Sweet Sophia though, he’s dead right. Try sitting down with the video of “Speed” and this reading in your head and watch the whole thing. I swear every single line is Scripture.

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