Dreamworks’ newest blockbuster involves the key essentials to every quality action movie while putting a spin on one of the world’s most well known sports, boxing. Instead of leaving the hand-to-hand competition up to humans, director Shawn Levy puts futuristic fighting robots in the ring to fight to the death. As with most sports involving violence, the public falls in love with it and it becomes the premiere form of entertainment. “Real Steel” follows the life of a former boxer and his estranged son as they seek to take the robot-boxing world by storm.
Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is introduced as a struggling robot-boxer who takes his talents to county fairs in hopes of earning money to pay off his outanding debts. After losing a wager he made with the head of the county fair, Charlie flees back to his home in Texas, now in even more debt and without a robot. As if things could not get worse, Charlie is informed that is ex-girlfriend passed away and his 11-year-old son Max (Dakota Goyo) is now in his custody. Charlie is not pleased by this and agrees to give up custody after two months to Max’s aunt Debra (Hope Davis) in exchange for $100,000. When father and son are reunited, Max is resentful of his father’s absence and Charlie is uninterested in watching over a child. Despite their anger toward each other, they find a common interest in robot boxing. Max follows Charlie through all aspects of underground boxing, from the actual fight to searching for spare parts after Charlie’s robot is destroyed. While searching for parts to rebuild, Max has a near-death experience, but is saved by an old abandoned robot that has been long forgotten. Max immediately connects with the robot, Atom, and convinces Charlie to let him keep it. Although Atom seems to be far less superior to most robots, it has the unique capability to see and mimic the movements of Max and Charlie. With this advantage, Max, Charlie, and Charlie’s life-long friend and former companion, Bailey (Evangeline Lilly), work tirelessly to make Atom an elite fighter in the WRB, Worldwide Robot Boxing.
Equally as important as the main story, is the subplot of the relationship between Charlie and Max. Throughout the movie, they begin to form the bond that Max had been hoping for all of his life. Charlie learns to care for Max and take on the responsibilities of fatherhood that he had been avoiding for so long. Charlie also develops a strong relationship with Bailey, as his ties with Max grow stronger.
The robot fight scenes are very entertaining to watch and manage to contain the same amount of action and violence without spilling a single drop of blood. Hugh Jackman does an exceptional job of showing the growth and maturation of Charlie Kenton, and Dakota Goyo works his magic on the hearts of the crowd. I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for quality acting and compelling special effects.
mfreter@mavs.coloradomesa.edu