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Review: Real Steel

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Charlie (Hugh Jackman) and Max (Dakota Goyo) repair their boxing robot, Atom
Charlie (Hugh Jackman) and Max (Dakota Goyo) repair their boxing robot, Atom.

There are a lot of ridiculous action movies with increasingly contrived and convoluted plots nominally structured around a set of explosions and other really cool stuff. But Real Steel, a new movie directed by Shawn Levy and starring Hugh Jackman beats them all, because it’s about boxing robots.


BOXING ROBOTS.

The movie is set in the not-so-distant future where robot boxing has replaced its human counterpart as the awesome, manly sport of choice. Among the resulting discarded human boxers is main character Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), who barely makes a living building and promoting robots for low-class fairs and wrestling clubs.

The story takes a turn for the emotionally contrived when Kenton is forced to temporarily take custody of his estranged 11-year-old bastard son, Max Kenton (Dakota Goyo). Despite their initial mutual resentment and hatred, the two eventually forge a family bond. And when they find an old robot named Atom in a junk heap, the three go on to climb the ladder of professional robot boxing, eventually taking on the champion robot boxer in an extended communism metaphor.

Real Steel  is technically and visually solid. Classic Americana settings like county fairs are juxtaposed with industrial arenas, highlighting the contrast between nostalgia and modernity, old boxing and new boxing. The CGI work on the robots is flashy and well done, but nothing extraordinary.

The acting isn’t bad, either. Jackson is resplendent in wifebeaters, portraying a character that is equally cynical and douchey with just the right amount of asshole-ish charm. The love interest, played by Evangeline Lilly, manages to be both brusque and caring despite her marginal role. Goya sometimes comes off as a bit bratty, but his determination and eventual optimism is the driving force for the film.

The film suffers from some awkward dialogue in the beginning, not to mention some outright laughable characters. One antagonist, for example, seems to have no character beyond looking sexy and raising her eyebrows suspiciously. But by the end, the interactions between Charlie and Max were charming, funny and even endearing at times. The film may just be Rocky with robots, but it does have its moments.

Real Steel may not be brilliant cinematographic gem. In fact, it will probably be forgotten by the time next year’s ridiculous fighting movie rolls around. But it’s a fun movie too: the plot and premise are amusing, the acting is solid, and and well worth its ticket price as a momentary distraction. If nothing else, it should be watched just for the sake of boxing robots.

Photo via Yahoo! Movies. 

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Review: Real Steel