Movie Review: Real Steel

Synopsis: Real Steel stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

OK, I realize how completely silly this whole premise is and all but damned if the execution was actually pretty fun. There's a whole lot of action, a solid amount of thrills and actually a decent building of some good characters. It's takes equal parts from Rocky (one of my favorite all-time films), Over The Top (another silly Stallone film) and Transformers. It's by no means very original but it's a lot of fun still.

Hugh Jackman leads a pretty solid cast overall with the ultra-sexy former Lostie Evangeline Lily. They have a nice chemistry really and the son, played by Dakota Goyo, is very likable as well. The movie has a bit of heart so yes there is actually some acting involved. It's not all action. The underling story is really about an estranged son and his father. The father has been beaten down by repeated failures and a son who needs him.

Bottom line? C'mon, there are fighting robots! If you ever owned Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots as a kid then you must see this.

7.5/10