REAL STEEL – The Review

“In this corner, REAL STEEL…”

The Review that is…

I didn’t know quite what to expect with this film, but these robots knocked it out of the park! (Or should I say ring?)

Set in the future, the day of the human boxer is dead, and Charlie Kenton’s (Hugh Jackman) career is over. In an attempt to make money, he puts whatever robot he can find in the ring. When the opportunity arises for him to make some money for a new robot, he doesn’t pass it up. The only catch is that he take care of his abandoned son Max (Dakota Goyo) for a while. Reunited, the two take the boxing world by storm with ATOM, an old robot they found at the scrapyard. It doesn’t hurt that they get to know each other along the way, either.

This film was fantastic! Shawn Levy really knew what he was doing with this one. There is an emotional tone that this film sets, that pulls on the audiences heart-strings ever so gently. The emotion and action are perfectly balanced, carrying the audience through the story with ease. They also did not over-do the romance between Bailey (Evangeline Lilly) and Charlie, which movies tend to do more often than not. Instead, they concentrated on the relationship between Charile and Max, and Max’s love for his bot ATOM. This is a true underdog tail. ATOM was a discarded bot, left buried in a scrapyard. But, he got a second chance, just like the relationship between Charlie and Max. There was an OVER THE TOP meets TRANSFORMERS feel to the film, which I did not mind at all. Now, I compare it to those films, but it really was it’s own film. Oh, and don’t think that this is just a film for boys. This film is just as relatable to girls and women. Plus, I’m pretty sure that everyone wants to see a robot doing “the robot”!

Jackman is incredible as Charlie. Playing an asshole, he didn’t isolate the audience, which can sometimes unintentionally happen. Instead, he (Charlie) was cold, yet engaging, leaving me interested in finding out more about him. Goyo is delightfully snarky in his role of Max. He is at just the right age to be mouthy… where it’s funny when he acts out, rather than bratty. The relationship between he and his bot is heartwarming!  But wait… the humans aren’t the only stars in this film. These robots have larger than life (literally) personas. Atom, especially. Between the animatronics and the CGI, Atom feels real. I couldn’t help but grow to love him over the course of the film. That’s when you know you did something right in a film!

I am extremely glad that they didn’t make this film in 3D. They didn’t need to. Sure, the action would have looked cool in 3D, but this isn’t an action movie. This is a story about self discovery, a father and son relationship, and the underdog proving that anything is possible. It just so happens to also have some amazing robot fights! Might I add that they were incredibly stunning, breathtaking even. The new technology that they used to create the ring scenes is mind-blowing! It was so convincing that audience members were clapping after fights!

REAL STEEL is a well-rounded, family friendly movie with a lot of heart. It’s uplifting, touching, action packed… and they even throw in a few good laughs. Trust me, you are going to love it!

OVERALL RATING: 4.75 out of 5 stars