The Real Steel is set in the future where the likes of Manny Pacquiao no longer rule the center of the ring. They were replaced by huge robots and robot boxing has become a sport. Charlie Kenton as played by Hugh Jackman, was a former boxer but is now making a living piecing robots together out of junk and promoting his mean machine in hope to make small-time money. Charlie is on a downward spiral, and to make matters worse, he found himself having to take care of his 11-year old son Max (Dakota Goyo), the boy he abandoned from birth and is very much aware of his father’s doings and undoings.
The two unlikely partners eventually teamed up to build and train a low-end robot into becoming a boxing challenger. With flare and fanfare, the duo found themselves in the boxing arena, battling it out until they face the reigning champion. The outcome? That’s for you to find out.
The actors’ performances were on the average. I didn’t see any scene that required them to showcase their acting prowess. In the scene I call “one last time” as Charlie starts acknowledging his fault to his son, I caught a glimpse of George Clooney on Hugh Jackman’s acting. The most enjoyable performance came from Dakota Goyo who was recently seen in the movie Thor. Aside from acting like a mature child, he showed his dance moves and made me like to dance around with him. Of course the fight scenes are good, especially when Jackman showed his boxing moves.
I just wish that the movie explained how robot boxing came to being. For humans to be totally eliminated in a sport that becomes more thrilling as the punches roll, sweat mixing with blood at times, it’s unimaginable for this to happen. I don’t know how the original story was told. Real Steel was based in part on a short story titled “Steel” by the legendary sci-fi master Richard Matheson which was adapted for a 1963 “Twilight Zone” episode.
Overall, I highly recommend the Real Steel. Aside from the obvious moral of the story, there is an undertone that declares “no matter how hi-tech the world may become, it’s nothing without the human touch”. It is an enjoyable movie to watch with the family. I’m sure kids will love it especially when watched at the IMAX Theater.
At the premiere, there were quite a handful of kids who tagged along with their parents. They were even treated to a game prior to the screening where winners received special Real Steel souvenirs like a metal-covered notebook, stickers and the like. Outside the movie house while waiting to enter the main theater, guests were treated to a buffet catered by sacocina. Additional visual treats were enjoyed by adults as sponsors Hewlett-Packard displayed their latest computers and Elorde Boxing Gym showed a boxing demo to serve as an introduction to the movie.
Also starring Evangeline Lilly (Lost, White Chicks), Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau), Kevin Durand (I Am Number Four), Hope Davis (The Weather Man) and James Rebhorn (The Talented Mr. Ripley). More about the movie here.
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Movie review contributed by Blogger Alwin Aguirre of The City Roamer.