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The
year is 2020, and the sport of boxing has evolved to a whole other level - humans have been replaced by giant rock’m
sock’m robots. Charlie Kenton (played by Hugh Jackman) is a former boxer who is low on cash
and even lower on luck. In order to proceed in the sport of boxing, Charlie desperately needs a top of
the line robot to withstand the competition. In order to gain some quick cash, he takes in his son –
a son whom he barely knows. Charlie did not know that would be the best thing he’s ever done.
The story is almost a dead ringer for Rocky, that is blatantly obvious even by the trailers. And
even after watching the movie, the similarities grow larger. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, I would say that Real Steel is Rocky for a whole new generation. And just like Rocky, Real
Steel is more about the connection between the two leads (Charlie and his son Max) – boxing takes a backseat
throughout most of the film. And actually, I would say that it’s a good mixture between two Sylvester
Stallone films: Rocky and Over the Top.
The
plot was very believable, even though it took place eight years in the future and featured giant fighting robots.
I enjoyed the fact that they didn’t try to make it too far into the future and make it any more sci-fi than it
already was. The connection between the actors was very strong – Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo (Max,
Charlie’s son) and Evangeline Lilly (Bailey Tallet, the love interest) were all spectacular and brought
something unique to the film. Even the robot itself was a character in its own right. Atom,
even though he was a robot, will tug on your heart even though he’s a heavy pile of tin.
On a negative point, I was not fond of the music choices at all. I’m not much of a hip hop
or rap person, so hearing each beat throughout the entire film left me grinding my teeth. Then there were
the dance sequences in which the robot would dance with Max, I could have done without that as well.
To my surprise, the film wasn’t over the top or childish at all. I was expecting more of a
children’s movie than a decent drama/sports flick.
If
you like Rocky and Transformers, then what’s not to like? I just can’t wait for number two
when Atom gets a re-match with Apollo Creed and finally wins… oh wait, that’s Rocky II. No
seriously, the film wasn’t bad at all. I would be interested in seeing what they would do with a
sequel.
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