Some of that critical reassessment has been provided, quite eloquently, by Vulture’s own Angelica Jade Bastién, who has argued for Reeves’s greatness as an action star and his importance to The Matrix (and 21st-century blockbusters in general). No matter if he’s in Speed or Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Something’s Gotta Give, he still possesses the fresh-faced openness that was forever personified by Ted’s favorite expression: “Whoa!” That wide-eyed exclamation has been Reeves’s official trademark ever since, and its eternal adolescent naïveté has kept him from being properly judged on the merits of his work.
In part, this disconnect is the lingering cultural memory of Reeves as Theodore Logan. And that’s because we as a society have never been able to understand fully what Reeves does that makes his films so special. He’s had hits throughout his career, ranging from teen comedies ( Bill & Ted’s) to action franchises ( The Matrix, John Wick), yet a large part of the press has always treated these successes as bizarre anomalies. Keanu Reeves has been a movie star for more than 30 years, but it seems like only recently that journalists and critics have come to acknowledge the significance of his onscreen achievements. This article was originally published in 2019 and has been updated to reflect the actor’s most recent work. Photo: Emily Denniston/Vulture and photos courtesy of the studios
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