Real Steel/Shawn Levy/October 2011
To be honest, the opening scenes to this film gave little to be hopeful about. The script, at first, felt about as clankingly awkward as the first robot. However, once the film actually got under way, the cute chemistry between father (Hugh Jackman) and son (Dakota Goyo) on their adventure from small-town robot boxing to challenging the ultimate fighting champion won over. Although marketed as a Transformers-esque film, the focus of the storyline was less about giant robots battling for the pleasure of bloodthirsty crowds and more about a boy whose father learns how to rectify his mistakes and make up for his long absence.
It’s hard to put Jackman in a film where he doesn’t act well, and in Real Steel he somehow pulls off what is a fairly ridiculous concept and makes it emotionally uplifting. The special effects and flashy robot fight scenes manage to pale in significance to the difficulties of finding a father-son bond between a man who has always had his own way and a kid whose tough exterior belies a boy who only wants someone to be friends with. Goyo is so winning it’s hard not to want to watch him; his character is as nuanced as the film allows him to be, and trying not to love his challenge-to- Zeus scene is like battling in a losing fight.
On the negative side, the film occasionally strays into Mad Max territory, with the street-level fighting being done with punk thugs and sleazy dealers in a way that seems a little too typical for a “gritty future” film. The way that the film pits the all-American father and son duo against the unpleasant Japanese and Russian opposition feels a tad xenophobic, and the endless product placement for various technology and beverage companies is far too obvious and annoyingly intrusive. . Evangeline Lilley’s character, Bailey Tallet, feels a little like a prop for some touching back-story and a passing love interest, but at least she plays it with gumption.
Overall, as a blockbuster, Real Steel is not quite what was marketed, and although it had its flaws, its lead actors (especially Goyo) made it a film that unexpectedly warmed the heart.
Review Length: 365 words
Serious Rating:5/10.
Superficial Rating: 4/10. Hugh Jackman was as usual very handsome (and nicely developed figurewise as a boxer), and Evangeline Lilly is annoying beautiful. However, I was paying more attention to how adorable the kid was than to Hugh Jackman’s biceps, which has got to be a first!
FilmFriki 