Have you ever underestimated a film?  You saw the trailer and thought; “GOD, That film is going to suck!”  Well that’s exactly what happened when I saw the trailer for REAL STEEL, starring Hugh Jackman.  But I figured, why not?  I’m bored, there’s nothing else to watch, and I don’t have to teach tomorrow. My priorities are in order.

REAL STEEL is a not too distant future when boxing, karate, and mixed martial arts are a thing of the past.  In this story, men can grow up to live their fantasy of being a video game professional that control fighting robots. Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a former boxer turned robot-controller who can’t keep a robot to save his pocket. He has gotten himself into a load of debt, and like any gambler keeps putting himself further in the red.  Enter Max Kenton, played by Dakota Goya, Charlie’s son, whom Charlie hasn’t been a father to and who throws a wrench into Charlie’s master plan of wanting to make money. How you’re asking? While breaking-in to a junk yard, there’s the father-son bonding every kid longs for: Max finds a first generation sparring robot that he wants his dad to “train” as fighter.

As I began to engage in this futuristic story of how the world of competitive fighting has went to scraps, no pun intended, something surprising happened…a decent storyline!  Wait for it…good acting! A father-son dichotomy was unique and well directed!

This underdog story has compelling characters, particularly Charlie, who realizes that in the ring of life there is no bell. It only takes a few years to become a great boxer, but it takes a lifetime to become a great man.  (And no better motivator to excel a man to achieve his manhood than the beautiful Evangeline Lilly, who brings the motherly grease-monkey love interest to the film.)  There’s also Max, who has to learn about forgiveness, patience, and the overwhelming desire to push his way into his father’s heart.  Max shows the audience that childlike faith conquers all. This film made me feel like I was watching the banter that Sly Stallone and Burgess Meredith gave us back in the 80’s. Jackman and Goya bring camaraderie to the screen that few actors have accomplished since the first Rocky.  REAL STEEL pulls at your emotional will to want the little guy to win, but opens your awareness to the real victory in and out of the ring.

Related posts:

1. In Review: 2011 Busan International Film Festival The 2011 Busan International Film Festival (now known as BIFF)...
2. Film Review: THE THREE MUSKETEERS Paul W.S. Anderson is continuing his action movie trend with...
3. In Review: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (Rupert Wyatt, 2011) (SPOILERS AHEAD) One of the big and unexpected hits of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.