If you saunter into Real Steel with the negative expectation of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots: The Movie, your experience with the flick is going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, if you walk into the local multiplex with an open mind, you are going to find a surprisingly good movie that will warm even the coldest heart. Yeah, I said it … I liked Real Steel, and could care less if the (theoretical) guy sitting next to me in the theatre was looking down his nose at it.
The story is pretty straightforward. In near future boxing has evolved from the brutality of the sweet science to the technical prowess of robot warriors. Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a down on his luck trainer, peddling past-their-prime bots to state fair audiences looking for a little animal vs. machine action. Enter his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo), in whom Charlie sees a way to turn a profit. What starts as a burdensome summer (in dad’s eyes) skews into a feel good story when Max finds and starts to train Atom, a generations old bot not exactly designed for big league fighting.
Jackman owns this movie. Charlie Kenton isn’t exactly the most challenging character to play, but instead of cheesing it up (the easy way out), Jackman plays the role just about perfect. You think the story is about a son and a father bonding, but it really about this son inspiring pops to be the man he used to be. There’s a moment in the final sequence where Charlie finds the pure joy that has been missing in his life, while his part-time girlfriend Bailey (Evangeline Lily) and Max both look on with pride. The cynics in the room will likely roll their eyes, but for me, it was a very genuine moment.
It seems a bit obvious, but you’re going to find a lot of Rocky in Real Steel. I also saw a lot of what I thought was Over the Top, but it has been a long time since I’ve seen Sly Stallone turn that ballcap backwards, so I could be wrong. These comparisons are not meant to be negative … in fact quite the opposite; I thought Steel was respectful in these homages. The real source material, though, is a 1956 short story by Richard Matheson. I’ve not had a chance to track it down yet, but it also seems both The Twilight Zone and The Simpsons have done episodes based on the story.
One of the biggest surprises was the look of the film. Director Shawn Levy has an eye for composition that I’ve not seen in his previous work (though, to be honest, you don’t get to stretch those particular muscles in Just Married and Cheaper by the Dozen, and I skipped the Night at the Museum flicks). The movie, for lack of a better word, is just pretty.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention both Hope Davis and James Rebhorn. Their parts are relatively small, playing Max’s Aunt and Uncle, but they both do outstanding work with the little screen time they have.
Considering that Steven Spielberg was a credited executive producer, I really shouldn’t be surprised at how much I liked Real Steel. Despite the (near) futuristic setting, there was a sense of nostalgia throughout the story. That tone supplemented the family-drama aspects of the narrative quite nicely. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to like Steel as much as I did, but it is a shame … if you let yourself enjoy the movie, it is a heck of a ride.
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Oct 07, 2011 @ 00:01 EST5EDT
