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Chain Reaction

Chain Reaction (1996)

tomatometer

30

Average Rating: 5.2/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 7

No consensus yet.

audience

32

liked it
Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 50,793

My Rating

Movie Info

Just as the university research team is about to prove that their new technique will permit water to be used as a fuel, their laboratory is sabotaged and the lab manager is killed. Eddie Kasalivich (Keanu Reeves) stumbles onto the scene and manages not only to witness the sabotage, but to escape from it. When he tries to talk about it to authorities, he discovers that they think he and the other project survivors committed the crime. In reality, a group of energy companies have conspired with

PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure

J.F. Lawton, Michael Bortman

May 22, 2001

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Chain Reaction Trailer & Photos

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Critic Reviews for Chain Reaction

All Critics (40) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (29) | DVD (14)

It's not a bad film in individual moments and in the energy of itsperformances, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comment
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie is so uninvolving that it inspires renewed respect for Broken Arrow, which was equally stupid but excitingly filmed.

January 1, 2000 Comment
Mike Clark
USA Today
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Chain Reaction isn't dull -- the film is paced to keep audiences attentive -- but the lack of originality dampens its enjoyability.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: ReelViews | Comment
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...the movie often feels like an attempt by filmmaker Andrew Davis to replicate the massive (and entirely justified) success of 1993's The Fugitive.

July 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

A pretty typical take on the "wrongly-accused" genre.

September 12, 2008 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | Comment
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

I have to admit that ever since I saw Reeves in Parenthood playing a stoner/surfer-dude boyfriend, I see glimpses of that performance in almost everything he does.

July 25, 2007 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
James Plath
Movie Metropolis

As dull and run-of-the-mill as they come.

December 8, 2004 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | Comment
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Watchable but forgettable Fugitive-clone. Keanu as rocket scientist - more power to him.

August 11, 2003 Comment
Fred Topel
About.com

A generic and illogical transparent thriller that never generates any chemistry between this mundane movies leads Reeves and Freeman. The only chain reaction one will receive is blatant boredom

June 7, 2003 Comment
Frank Ochieng
TheWorldJournal.com
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Chain Reaction

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Reaction Time 8-4-96 Saw it again! Good movie! Anyone want to venture a guess that Keanu Reeves was sorry he passed up Speed 2 to make this turkey? Despite the fact that it is instantly forgettable, CHAIN REACTION is a fairly decent sci-fi actioneer. The writers deserve to be commended for their original storyline, in

September 30, 2008
xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
Manu Gino

Super Reviewer

Pretty poor but saved from being awful by the great Morgan Freeman and the brilliant Rachel Weisz. Pretty much your average popcorn film.

February 24, 2008
SarahG1988
Sarah Gaish

Super Reviewer

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