Netflix has a new No. 1 sci-fi movie, and it’s M3GAN 2.0, a sequel that failed to find an audience in theaters.
Clearly, that’s not a problem for the film in its new streaming home. However, Watch With Us has a better suggestion for your next movie night.
M3gAN 2 may be one of Netflix’s most popular movies right now, but you should watch Johnny Mnemonic instead.
This sci-fi action film shares a touch of campiness with M3GAN 2, but it’s also an underrated film that’s never gotten its due.
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It Features Keanu Reeves Before He Was a Full-Fledged Action Star
In 1994, Keanu Reeves shed his Bill & Ted persona and made a splash in the blockbuster action film Speed. Johnny Mnemonic was Reeves’ first big action movie after Speed, and truthfully, it’s not his best work. That would come a half-decade later when he played Neo to perfection in The Matrix.
Despite not yet mastering his craft, Reeves does give Johnny a sense of humanity, as well as the inescapable feeling that something isn’t quite right with him. In this film’s vision of a dystopian 2021, Johnny is a courier who transports corporate secrets in his mind for the highest bidder. Johnny had to let go of some important memories to make that happen. The story throws Johnny into the deep end as someone tries to assassinate him before the information overload kills him. This film may not feature Reeves at his peak, but he still plays a good underdog hero.
‘Johnny Mnemonic’ Is a Snapshot of ’90s Cyberpunk
The cyberpunk genre has changed considerably in the three decades since Johnny Mnemonic came out. Our modern handheld devices can now rival some of the fictional tech in this film. Regardless, Johnny Mnemonic has more authenticity than most movies because the creator of the cyberpunk genre, William Gibson, wrote the script based on his own 1981 short story.
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Gibson and director Robert Longo were reportedly unhappy with the film’s final edit and the changes that were forced upon them by Sony Pictures. Regardless, Johnny Mnemonic does take some time to examine what its title character gave up by allowing a cybernetic drive to be placed in his head. Is he still the same person who made that sacrifice? And does he even count as “human” anymore? The film renders its verdict on the matter, but that shouldn’t stop viewers from coming to their own conclusions.
Dolph Lundgren Is Hilariously Over-the-Top as the Villain
One of the film’s biggest surprises is how entertaining Dolph Lundgren is as the Street Preacher. This role was created specifically for Lundgren, and he’s one of the primary villains of this flick. The Street Preacher is unique among the bad guys because he truly sees himself as doing the world a service by trying to murder Johnny with his crucifix knife. Lundgren embraces the inherent comedy of his part, and he livens up the movie every time he’s on the screen.
A pre-Starship Troopers Dina Meyer has a good supporting turn as Jane, one of the few people in this world that Johnny can trust. Meyer and Reeves make a good team together, and Johnny Mnemonic wouldn’t have worked without their shared charm.
Johnny Mnemonic is streaming on Netflix.
