Real Steel

I know, I was surprised I saw this movie too.  Real Steel is a movie about boxing robots.  Does that really sound interesting?  No.  But when you look a little bit deeper it's really more about the personal relationships of the people and then some cool boxing action with the robots.  I was quite surprised.

Real Steel is about a former boxer who is going around the country, sometime in the future, trying to win bets on whether his boxing robot will win fights.  He's deep in debt with no where to go when his ex-girlfriend dies and leaves their son to him.  The relationship between him and his son is really what this movie is about.  It's a good storyline and honestly it's pretty intense at points of the movie.  While the storyline is predictable, that's not always a bad thing.

The one major problem with this movie was the acting.  Hugh Jackman plays the star of the movie and he is very good, no problem there.  The issue lies in the supporting cast.  The son is played by Dakota Goyo and while yes, he's a kid, he's not very good.  Also, Jackman's girlfriend is played by Evangeline Lilly and she is terrible.  I wasn't impressed by Lilly in Lost and I most certainly am not in this movie.  Fortunately the real stars are Jackman and his robot.

Real Steel is a fun and dramatic movie that you will just enjoy.  It won't win any awards but you will enjoy checking it out.  I would particularly recommend this one if you enjoy boxing.  They use real boxing strategies in the film and it's quite fun to see that.