You’re sure to see adventure and get that warm feeling from the new movie “Real Steel,” but is it worth your money? Not really.
“Real Steel” is an adventure/science-fiction/fantasy movie set in the future about a robot boxing manager who takes in his estranged son for a few months.
Together, they manage to get their robot to the boxing championship to see where all their hard work has gotten them and if their robot has what it takes to win.
The title alone had me worried about whether this was going to be a movie I’d enjoy, and I’m more than skeptical about any movie where a character utters the words “Bring it” in the movie trailer. But in the end I realized it wasn’t a total waste of my time after all.
Charlie Kenton, played by Hugh Jackman, lost his chance at being a boxing champion years ago when steel robots took over the ring. He stayed in the popular business by continually spending all his money on cheap robots and traveling from one boxing match to the next, always leaving disappointed and broke.
His plans must change, though, when his 11-year-old son, Max, (Dakota Goyo) whom he hasn’t seen in years, needs a place to stay for a few months after his mother’s death. Max and his father get off to a rocky start but Max is immediately bitten by the robot bug.
When Max finds an old robot buried in the dirt, he knows he’s found something worthwhile. His father doesn’t believe in the robot but Max’s persistence eventually leads him to a change of heart, and takes all three of them to the robot boxing championship.
In a classic-tale of rooting for the underdog, “Real Steel” delivers a surprising ending, and a heart-felt story about family and friendship. While this isn’t a movie for a girls’ night out and probably not something a group of guys want to see, it’s definitely something to take your little brother to.
Grade: B-
