Technology in the Movie Speed (1994)

Описание: The movie Speed turned 25 recently, so here's a look back at some of the vintage consumer technology and discovery of a major tech-related plot hole! Although cell phones play a major role in this film they were not as prevalent in 1994, and we see even the main character has to borrow one. It's also interesting to note that in 1994 the filmmakers thought the audience was capable of understanding mobile phones to the point of showing "real" technology but not so with GPS or the idea of "mobile data" applications. This is very evident in two of the tech related prop/production decisions:

(1) The "tracking device" prop. It doesn't make any sense to us today, because the buttons have weird labels and there is no map or reference on the display screen. I suppose a 90s audience related it to radar, and it does convey the point...

(2) There's a computer in the villain's lair basically running a 90s version of Google maps that is tracking the bus live. The audience can clearly see this, and the bad guy can too, which totally invalidates the clever way Keanu Reeves' character loops the video tape to trick him at the end of the movie.

00:00 - Homer Simpson Plot Summary
00:35 - Where are the mobile phones?
02:00 - Phones with no apps or camera
02:28 - Strange Tracking Device
03:04 - Plot hole discussion
03:46 - The GPS tracking PC

Per Wikipedia, Speed was the number 5 highest grossing movie of the year. It received 3 Academy Award nominations and 2 wins.