Real Steel

Real Steel is better than it should have been. The previews didn’t suggest much, I thought the premise was silly and Shawn levy was directing.   I was a bit skeptical because of his past filmography. Levy’s films have been commercial successes but critcally bashed (Pink Panther, Date Night, Cheaper by the Dozen, Night at the Museum).

I’m happy that my first impressions were wrong. Megan and I had a really fun time watching the film. We were surprised to find solid boxing, great CGI and likable characters. Levy made a savvy move when he hired boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard to choreograph the fight scenes. Leonard also trained Hugh Jackman in the art of movie boxing.

Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemekis executive produced this film and along with them came a lot of money and experience. The CGI is fantastic and Mauro Fiore’s cinematography is outstanding. I must have said “wow, that is a good looking shot” ten times.

The movie focuses on an odd accented Hugh Jackman making increasingly poor decisions. He finds out he has a kid. To make some money he agrees to watch the little punk for the summer. The two bond over robot fighting and one night in a junkyard they find a generation two sparring bot that can take tons of punishment.

Joining Jackman and the kid is an incredibly likable Evangeline Lilly. She is probably the most supportive female in robot fighting movie history.

Real Steel becomes a movie about a kid and his robot. You like the kid. You like the robot. You like that the kid can act opposite nothing. Levy was able to get a confident performance out of a little bugger.

This movie offers no surprises but it doesn’t matter. Real Steel is a glossy well-made action film that allows you to like the characters and appreciate the robot fighting.