“Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman, opened in theaters Oct. 7. The film takes place in the near future, in a world where the world of boxing no longer consists of man-on-man fights and it is now dominated by robots battling it out.
While the film may not be the “Rocky” of this generation, it is an overall solid film that reaches out to any fan of robot boxing, (which I think we all are) and is a great film for a family outing.
The movie brings nostalgia back to the iconic toy-line, Rock’Em Sock’Em Robots. This leads to some beautiful visual effects, a lot like those seen in the “Transformers” film franchise, although in Real Steel the robots look more detailed.
The story isn’t the most developed, but when a movie can be described with the two words, “robot boxing,” you shouldn’t expect a tale for the ages. The story revolves around a once promising boxer, Jackman, who never got a true chance to compete before the boxing world replaced man for machine. He fights robots to still make an impact in the ring.
On top of that, Jackman’s character also finds himself reluctantly in care of his estranged son. After the story is in place it follows a pretty predictable outline, but that doesn’t detract from its experience.
What was really surprising about the movie, despite Jackman’s character being the absolute worst example of a family man, is that the film is very family friendly.
The number of profane words said throughout the entire movie could be counted on one hand, which is extremely impressive for the film industry today. Also, something even rarer for films nowadays, the film has virtually zero sex-related content. To top it off, while the film has plenty of violence for any guy in the audience, it’s all digital and it shouldn’t affect kids too negatively.
While the film won’t become a timeless movie for the ages, it does deliver exactly what one would expect from it; a fun two hours. It’s great for a family outing, for a guy’s night out and even great for girls who have a crush on Jackman. This film offers something to everyone which is probably why it has been getting great reviews.
