Originally I thought Real Steel was going to be a complete pile of junk, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s actually quite a good film.
Set in the near(ish) future, the world of boxing as we know it has changed. Instead of humans fighting each other, we now have every nerd’s dream of watching giant robots pummel each other in part ripping action!
The film stars Hugh Jackman, who originally comes off as a real asshole only to become father of the year. His son, Dakota Goyo (who he originally abandoned), ends up having to stay with him after his mom died. Together they find an old rusty robot and build him up to become a powerful fighting machine who challenges the champion of the world (rocky anyone…). The acting is generally quite good and the story line is solid.
There are some really emotional moments as with any sports film, however there are a few things that didn’t make sense. If these robots are so advanced, then why aren’t there any hover-cars during this period, or any other particularly futuristic looking objects… The portrayal of the robot as a personality (I’ll leave it to you to find out whether the robot is actually alive or not) is quite good and you do end up creating quite a bond with it.
The plot itself seems very similar to most sport films, so there’s nothing new here, however the actors really sell it. Sadly, Hugh Jackman’s character goes from asshole to pretty cool guy too fast for my liking and in my opinion needed a sort-of inbetween.
I highly recommend giving this a watch, especially if you like sporty, feel-good films.
Acting – 4/5
Plot – 4/5 (yes I know this plot is similar to many others but I still like it.)
Enjoyability – 5/5
Overall – 4/5
Critiquette 