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
The Matrix 600-page, shot-by-shot storyboard for the entire film. The storyboard eventually earned the studio's approval, and it was decided to film in Australia to make the most of the budget. Soon, "The Matrix" became a co-production of Warner Bros. and the Australian company Village Roadshow Pictures. The actors of the film were required to be able to understand and explain "The Matrix". "Simulacra and Simulation" was required reading for most of the principal cast and crew. Reeves stated that the Wachowskis had him read "Simulacra and Simulation", "", and Dylan Evans’s "Introducing Evolutionary Psychology" even before they opened up the script,