Keanu Reeves had the answer to Marvel and DC’s woes 25 years ago

It wasn’t the stylish action sequences in The Matrix that attracted Keanu Reeves. He revealed in 1999 that he was struck by the Wachowski siblings’ storytelling in the film. Reeves added that Hollywood films began lacking intellectually challenging stories back then, which many of them compensated with big-name actors and heavy VFX sequences. Reeves’ 25-year-old statement makes more sense today as people are tired of seeing the same stories from franchises like Marvel and DC.

Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix films

Keanu Reeves clarified that he loved working in Hollywood, despite his inconsistent performances at the time. Reeves once again became a sensational actor with his John Wick role in 2014, and his fourth film in the franchise was a huge success in 2023.

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Keanu Reeves starred as Neo Anderson in the sci-fi flick The Matrix. The film gave Hollywood audiences a new movie-viewing experience and is a prime example of the cyberpunk sci-fi genre. The Wachowskis were inspired by anime and Hong Kong action cinema, and they largely influenced the film’s action sequences. The film, made on a budget of $63 million, was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 72nd Academy Awards.

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When Reeves was interviewed by Empire Magazine on the film, he was all high praises about the screenplay of the film. While the action sequences played a huge role in the film’s success, the high-concept storyline of the film also intrigued the audience’s interest. However, this was not the case with the other movies that Reeves had acted in. He revealed that the films began to feel all the same, with the movies focusing on big actors and huge budgets. Reeves told Empire:

“There’s starting to be a sameness about them, I feel. But I’m sure that that’s always the case. The more I read about old Hollywood, the more I’m like, ‘That’s happening now!’ You know, I’ve had friends who work in independents who say, ‘Well, we’ve got this great script but they want us to get an actor first.’ HELLO … You know that’s happening all the time now.”

The recent state of superhero flicks, especially from Marvel and DC, proves that Keanu Reeves was right 25 years ago. The overblown budget couldn’t be justified for some of the products these billion-dollar franchises put out there. The MCU’s latest film, The Marvels, was made on a huge budget of over $270 million. The heavy CGI-packed film received criticism for the script which lacked substance and tonal inconsistencies. The same was the case for the MCU’s Ant-Man 3.

The matters are even worse for DC, who had to abandon their earlier film universe to pursue a new cinematic universe because their films largely failed to impress audiences. One of the last movies from the earlier franchise, The Flash, boasted a large budget crossing the $200 million mark but could not deliver a satisfying product that matched its hype. Fans hope that James Gunn‘s new DCU focuses on the story as well, something the DC CEO also agrees.

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Keanu Reeves had one lesson from The Matrix that can work wonders for the current Marvel and DC films

Keanu Reeves also had a solution for Marvel and DC’s current issues 25 years ago — character- and story-oriented films. Reeves believed that The Matrix was such a film and the Wachowskis did a brilliant job with the screenplay, that “found a way in a kind of linear journey to tell a non-linear story”. The result of this story-driven approach was that the actors wanted to put in their best to make the story convincing.

Reeves and his co-stars in the film wanted to do the fight sequences since they believed in the story. The Knock Knock actor added that he never considered The Matrix as an action movie because of this approach. Reeves shared with Empire:

“The film is, I think, character- and story-oriented. That’s why they wanted the actors to do the fight sequences. So they could pull the camera back and you could always have a sense of place. And in terms of the story, something is being acted out. So I never really looked at it as an action movie apart from some of the gun stuff in the government lobby.”

The Matrix raked in $467.2 million at the time of its release. The film along with its three sequels are now available for streaming on Max.