Whenever someone talks about the “death” of the movie star, I always wonder where they are because from where I’m sitting, there are plenty of movie stars still bringing us into theaters. And one of them is Keanu Reeves who has proven time and time again how he can carry a franchise.
Keanu Reeves has been a star for decades. For some, we grew up watching his work and we’ve always been drawn to his work because of who Keanu Reeves is. One of the more recent examples of this is our love for the John Wick franchise. A series that started with John Wick (Reeves) coming out of retirement as a former assassin because the Russians killed his dog, a gift given to him by his wife who passed away.
Wick is known as Baba Yaga (or The Boogeyman) and his legacy is one that you want on your side, not against you. Now that we’re heading into the fourth movie in the franchise, the love that we have for these movies as well as the character of John Wick is something to marvel at. And a big part of it does come from the fact that we love seeing Keanu Reeves star in movies.
For John Wick, as a franchise, they’re creative. John killed a man with a book before and we watched as Halle Berry’s dog got shot and then murdered the man who did it because the dog didn’t like getting shot at. They, for lack of a better way of describing it, rule. They’re fun, fast, and violent, and the world-building gives us something to come back for each time a new movie comes out. But a big pull to us all is Reeves.
The Keanu appeal
We love him and his work and it is why we will watch John Wick being forced into his life of an assassin again and again. But there is something about Keanu Reeves that really just captivates audiences. From back during the Bill & Ted days, we’ve always come out in spades for a Reeves role. It’s why we flocked to The Matrix and fell in love with the world. It’s what happened with romantic comedies like The Lake House or even films like Hardball.
If Keanu Reeves is in it, we will go and see it. Because we love him. Maybe it is because we know that Reeves, as a person, doesn’t take it all for granted. We’ve seen him share his love for fans of his work, doing the films we love, and more. Keanu Reeves is happy to be doing what he’s doing, as far as we can tell—and that comes across in his work.
We will, I feel, always come back to movies for Keanu. At least I will. Because watching Keanu Reeves in his element and shining in a movie of any genre? There’s nothing quite like it. His work remains a favorite of mine still, even after all these years.
(featured image: Lionsgate)
