By Movie #3 – Real Steel
Year – 2011
Well, if there was ever a ridiculous idea for a film, here it is. Set in a not-too-distant future when the top sport is robot boxing (yeah, you read that right), Hugh Jackman plays a retired fighter who tours the county fair boxing circuit with the robotic equivalent of a jalopy. He’s narcissistic and bitter until he’s forced to take care of the 11-year old son he’s never met.
From there the story is exactly what you’d expect it to be with one small exception – it’s, ummm…kinda awesome. Now, keep in mind that this is very much a kids’ movie. It’s predictable and sappy. At times it’s even maudlin. But it’s surprisingly well-written. The characters are fleshed-out and the story, though at times cliché, works. You’ll find yourself cheering for these people in spite of yourself and, you know, that theater I saw it in might have been a little bitty dusty towards the end.
All that, and robots punch each other in the face. Now that’s quality family entertainment.