This weekend, Shawn Levy’s (Night at the Museum) rock ‘em sock ‘em robot boxing film Real Steal hits theaters nationwide. This ultimate crowd pleaser stars Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, Anthony Mackie and Kevin Durand in a boxing drama about the importance of family and believing in oneself.
With the sport of boxing disappearing in the wake of robot fighting, former boxer Charlie Kenton (Jackman) lives day by day as a promoter making risky bets on his robots in underground boxing venues. When his ex-girlfriend dies, he must take care of his son, Max, who becomes more of a partner as the two reluctantly team up to work the underground league with an undersized sparring robot named Atom. As the two begin to build confidence, they begin to learn more about each other and what it means to be a team in a sport dominated by ruthless, selfish individuals.
I’ll start off by saying that Real Steel is jam packed with every cliché you can think of. When the action is interrupted you get these super long melodramatic moments where Charlie keeps pushing away and talking down to Max, saying that Atom can’t do win and he shouldn’t be competing in this world. Charlie refuses to accept that he may actually like his son and the way their lives are being shaped. There are points where the cliche’s and dramatic moments get too gushy but I managed to fight off the urge to hate those scenes. In between all of this melodrama are some very cute and inspiring fighting montages that will instantly remind you of Rocky and any other film from the 80s. Hell, Max does a hip-hop dance with Atom as part of his showmanship to distinguish himself from all the other fighters, creating his own Mohammad Ali-type persona. In the end, I found it hard not to be sucked into the film and just enjoyed it for what it was.
Like most people, I went into the film so I could watch some robots kick each other’s asses, and the ass kicking does not disappoint. It is has some intense, palm sweating moments that will continually impress you as the movie goes on, especially when you get a chance to see the behemoth and undefeated champion robot Zeus fight. What makes the fight scenes work so well is the flawless integration of animation and real animatronics. I had the chance to see two of the robots in person and when you get to see them in action on the screen you can’t even tell where the animatronics start and when CG effects end. It is beautiful and the main reason why you should see this film.
As for the acting, it was actually very good all around. Hugh Jackman hasn’t been that good in a while and his performance in this was like watching him as Wolverine for the first time. He was ferocious when need be, a jerk as a father, a protector and selfish, unconfident wash-up with the charisma that he displays on broadway. He was able to capture the heart of this role and effortlessly made 
us all believe in everything we were watching. Even as he delivered some of the corniest lines in the movie, it was easy to look past it because of how captivating he was and how perfectly inline the dialogue was with the rest of the film. The corniness was consistent with the action so it never tried to be more or less than a family action drama.
Dakoto Goyo did a pretty good job as well, bringing both maturity and sweetness to a kid trying to prove himself to his father while also trying to help him discover who he is. You can keep him on your list of child actors to keep an eye on. In addition to Goyo, Evangeline Lilly made her mark on a role that could have been easily forgotten. She played Charlie’s confidant, the daughter of Charlie’s boxing trainer, and current lover in the film. She was his support and the reason he was able to keep on doing what he was doing. Along with Max, she kept Charlie grounded and was on screen enough to have a noticeable impact on the film.
If you let all your inhibitions go, I guarantee that you’ll have a blast watching Real Steel. This movie proves that no matter what form the fight is in, people love a good boxing match and, even moreso, love an underdog. You will tense up during the metal crushing matches and might end up cheering out loud as the film progresses to its heated championship finale, a match you won’t want to miss. If you want a light film that will quench your family friendly thirst then I suggest checking out Real Steel.
Rating: Jam packed with clichés and metal pounding action, it’s hard not to smile at its cute and inspiring intensity (6.2/10)
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