Lessons in Filmmaking: Why We Love the Bus Jump in 'Speed'

Ah, the 90s, when if you wanted to jump a bus across a freeway in your movie, you didn't use CGI; you jumped an actual bus. Go behind the scenes of one the most famous stunts in action movie history and learn why we it keeps us on the edge of our seats despite its absurdity.

Ok, in fairness, part of the bus jump scene in "Speed" was CGI, i.e. they didn't actually jump a bus across a giant gap in a freeway, but they did jump a bus. But why is "Speed" so beloved, and why do we allow ourselves to be taken by a scene seemingly audaciously preposterous in its premise? The answer is more intricate and nuanced than you might think, and involves more than just clever editing of those 11 seconds. The success of such a scene hinges on the movie that is built around it and how the manufactured world allows for the suspension of disbelief, the audience's willful acceptance of a reality not strict based in that which we inhabit, but convincing and/or plausible enough to be accepted for the duration of the film. Watch the great analysis from Cinefix above to learn more.