We’re not given the year, the location or the reality o Real Steel. It really doesn’t matter, we’re thrust right into the action, a re-framing of our reality perhaps, where humans no longer box, trucks have pop-up touch-screen controls and advanced robots are the masters of the ring. For many, Real Steel pays homage to a bevy of sci-fi movies and imaginations that have come, gone or is coming.
Yet, Real Steel, isn’t about the sci-fi or robots. The story is about a “has been” father and a persistent son and their way of coping and reuniting vicariously through robot boxing. This is the key connection that the movie makes with the audience. How do I know? I scoured the web and most of user reviews I’ve read certainly pointed this aspect of the story out.
Even if you didn’t care much about that, there was a story of every boy in the world and their robots. This is what tapped my inner-child, I remember my time with Mazinga and other cool ass robots growing up. Damn, wouldn’t it be awesome to have a robot 5 times your size that goes to bat for you? Literally!
The boxing sequences were amazing, I wanted to step in the ring and give Zeus, the antagonist robot in Real Steel, a few uppercuts! Where’s Paquou?
This is not a critic’s movie by any stretch of the means, it’s pure family entertainment. There’s nothing wrong with that.
BTW: The new kid, Dakota Goyo totally rocked the movie, remember he nailed the part of young Thor. You could tell he was having so much fun, pain-in the-ass kid to soulful yearning all in one. You felt his energy and passion. The director, Shawn Levy really worked the cast nicely and of course, Hugh Jackman was terrific and actually liked the “wouldn’t bet on you” character he played, it’s a different role for him.
I highly recommend getting the Blu-Ray, the movie coupled with the special features make the DVD a terrific buy and I don’t normally recommend buying just any DVD.