Real Steel

I first saw a trailer for this movie a couple of months ago (I'm pretty sure they played it before Deathly Hallows part 2). I thought, this is either going to be really good or really bad. Turns out... it's really good! :)

Of course, the main reason I went to see this was for Hugh Jackman. What can I say, I have a thing for Australian men ;) Ladies I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is Hugh is shirtless in this movie. The bad news- it's only for about 10 seconds :(

Anyway, Real Steel takes place in the not so distant future where actual human boxing no longer exists. Instead they've been replaced by a high tech version of the Rock Em Sock Em Robots we use to play with when we were kids. Sound ridiculous? Yeah, it is but so what.

Hugh Jackman plays Charlie, a former boxer who now is reduced to a couple of underground robot fights here and there (in this world humans control the robots when they fight) and he owes several people a lot of money. In the midst of it all, he finds out his former girlfriend with whom he had a son (the boy's name is Max. Charlie ran off not long after he was born.) has died. Max's aunt wants to adopt him, but due to certain circumstances, he has to spend the summer with his Dad first.

Charlie basically treats the kid like crap at first. But eventually they start bonding when
Max finds a "sparring bot" named Atom. Atom is a bit smaller when compared to a lot of other robots, but Max thinks it can fight and he and Charlie start "training him". This leads to a couple of small fights that gain a lot of attention and eventually a shot at the world championship.

The movie was not without its flaws. The plot is filled with cliches and the dialog is at times cringeworthy. But unlike a certain other robot movie, Real Steel has an actual story with a lot of heart. Hugh Jackman was great in this. And the little boy who played Max was adorable. The chemistry between them was really believable.

Evangiline Lily was good too. She plays the owner of a gym (taking over for her father who died) and a longtime friend of Charlie's. Her father use to train him as well. And of course, she's eventually Charlie's love intrest.

The action & visuals were amazing. It kept me on the edge of my seat.

I think people of all ages will enjoy this. There's something for everyone :) Go see it if you get the chance.

My Rating: 8/10