The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 film) writing that the generally poor reception for the film was "a sad fate for a surprisingly sincere tribute to Robert Wise's 1951 classic." Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" 'congratulated' Keanu Reeves's performance and wrote in his review that "This contemporary remake of the science-fiction classic knew what it was doing when it cast Keanu Reeves, the movies' greatest stone face since Buster Keaton." A. O. Scott of "The New York Times" was not impressed with Reeves' performance, commenting that "even Klaatu looks bored and distracted, much as he did back when we knew him as Neo." William Arnold
Keanu Reeves garnered good reviews. The 1999 science fiction-action hit "The Matrix", a film in which Reeves had a starring role, was a box office success and attracted positive reviews. In between the first "Matrix" film and its sequels, Reeves received positive reviews for his portrayal of an abusive husband in "The Gift". Aside from "The Gift", Reeves appeared in several films that received mostly negative reviews and unimpressive box office grosses, including "The Watcher", "Sweet November", and "The Replacements". However, the two "Matrix" sequels, "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions", along with "Something's Gotta Give" and the 2005 horror-action film,