What do you get when you cross one of the world’s biggest tech companies with Keanu Reeves? A film that the reviewers really, really don’t like
A dark comedy-drama about a washed up actor named Reef (Reeves) whose life is turned upside down when he is blackmailed due to a questionable video leak, Result is a new Apple TV movie that critics have roasted. Despite its obvious star power, it actually holds a 26% approval rating from 31 critics’ reviews and a paltry 32% from over 50 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Not exactly the outcome that Reeves or the tech giant had in mind, I imagine.
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Fortunately, Reeves’ back catalog is full of other movies that you can’t really miss. Below I have selected four of his works that are available on one or more of the top streaming services and are highly rated by fans and critics.
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Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
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Where to stream: MGM+, Fubo, Roku Channel and YouTube (US), StudioCanal (UK) and Stan (Australia)
Widely considered to be Reeves’ breakout role in Hollywood, this 1989 sci-fi stoner comedy sees the Canadian fan-favorite actor team up with longtime collaborator Alex Winter for an all-out adventure.
In it, the titular metalhead slackers travel through time to persuade notable historical figures to appear in their high school presentation. Long story short: teenage hijinks follow across the length and breadth of human history.
With an 83% critic and 75% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (RT), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a harrowing, yes, excellent ride from start to finish, and its eponymous characters are played to perfection by its leads.
Speed
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Where to stream: Hulu (US) and Disney+ (UK and Australia)
Eleven films separate the above proposal and this one in Reeves’ film library, including the sequel to the aforementioned film, Point Breakand Much ado about nothing. However, it is his role as the heroic Los Angeles police officer Jack Traven that earns this highly rewatchable action thriller a place on this list.
For those who somehow haven’t seen this masterpiece (no, I don’t use that word liberally, shut up): Speed tells the story of a passenger bus rigged with explosives that will go off – killing everyone on board – if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour.
Of course, it sounds incredibly simplistic and for some probably quite boring. But with its over-the-top 90s set pieces, stellar performances from Reeves and co-star Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper’s villainous Howard Payne chewing the scenery in every scene he’s in, I dare you not to walk away from Speed with a huge smile on his face. Not convinced? Maybe its 95% critic and 77% audience RT ratings will change your mind.
The matrix
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Where to stream: HBO Max (US and UK) and HBO Max and Stan (Australia)
A dystopian sci-fi epic that needs no introduction. If you didn’t see any of Reeves’ previous 26 film outings, you definitely saw this genre-bending, ground-breaking film.
The Wachowskis’ seminal work sees Reeves play Thomas Anderson, a disenfranchised computer programmer whose worldview (and ours) is completely changed when he learns that humanity is trapped in the Matrix, a simulated reality created by intelligent machines. Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss and Hugo Weaving are among its incredibly talented cast.
A film known for popularizing the visual effect known as ‘bullet-time’, The matrix continues to exert its influence on the sci-fi genre, pop culture, and the wider entertainment business to this day. The fact that it has been parodied by everyone from The Simpsons to Shrek shows how widely known and worshiped it is also.
John Wick
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Where to stream: HBO Max (US and UK) and HBO Max and Stan (Australia)
The R-rated action film franchise that coined the term ‘gun-fu’ and introduced a whole new audience to Reeves, John Wick was an unexpected hit upon its release in 2014.
Like Speedits premise doesn’t initially lend itself to excitement among cinephiles. In fact, the story of an ex-hitman seeking revenge on the men who stole his precious car and killed the dog his late wife gave him didn’t sound that appealing or original.
With its beloved protagonist firing on all cylinders, spectacular and violent action sequences and heart-wrenching narrative, John Wick is an underdog story for the ages. The fact that it has gone on to spawn a franchise dripping in mythology and spin-offs Ballerina and Continental aside, has gotten better with each entry – and been more profitable than the last – is a testament to how incredibly good it is. For more on the film series’ various publishing ventures, read my John Wick movies in order guide.
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