DonFishies

24 May 2012

Predictable yet entertaining, despite the family friendly push

In the near future, boxing involves bouts between two massive robots inan equally massive ring. Charlie (Hugh Jackman), a former human boxerhimself, is having a bit of trouble with cash flow despite having noproblem getting all of his robots destroyed in the ring. But hisstruggles continue out of the ring, where he is forced to take care ofMax (Dakota Goyo), the son he never wanted. By chance, Max discovers afully built robot, Atom, discarded in a junkyard. He retrieves it, andconvinces Charlie to help train him to fight in the big leagues.What works for and against Real Steel is that there is not much else tothe plot after this. Much like the recent travesty Warrior, the set-upand execution is in the synopsis. Knowing what we do about film historyand genre tropes, I imagine you can figure out exactly what comes nextpiece by piece. And as much as I enjoyed watching the film, thepredictability hangs over it like a plague. It really is Rocky withrobots, and it makes very little attempt to try anything new. It findsa niche very early on, and just keeps hoping it will not break. Sowhile everyone loves an underdog story, it may be a little hard toswallow the film doing everything we have seen way too many timesbefore.What Real Steel does do differently, and what I enjoyed immensely, washow it connected and reimagined human boxing with robot boxing. Thesweat and smell of the unsanctioned underground leagues, the spectacleof the pay per view spectacular in a live arena; it seemed sillywatching the trailers and thinking of robots taking the place of humansin the ring. But it is so naturally executed here that you wonder whyyou doubted the film in the first place. Every precaution is taken toreinvent and enhance the sport, to the point where it makes a case forthis idea being viable in the future. Much the same goes for thetechnology in the film, which seems like a natural progression to wherewe are heading in reality. For such a silly and ridiculous concept, itseems to have its finger on the pulse of a hotbed of real life ideas. Another great element to the film is the special effects that bring therobots to life. Using a nearly seamless mix of animatronics and CGI, wewatch as these robots bridge the gap between fantasy and reality. Theylook, feel and act real, managing to beat the life out of one anotherin one scene, and then silently emote without the use of any realexpressions. While an early scene involving a bull looks awful, everyscene afterwards just looks better and better. I had a hard timedistinguishing the puppets from the CGI, it is that well conveyed on-screen. And really, when was the last time a big budget film like thiswent with animatronics over full blown CGI? Thankfully, Jackman is also one of the best things about Real Steel.The trailers suggested he was playing the character very loose andover-the- top, but he is surprisingly rather reserved for the mostpart. He plays a washed up has-been very well, and manages to reallymake the audience feel for him – even when he is being a reprehensiblejerk. He brings the charisma and edge to the role that he has perfectedas Wolverine, and helps rise above the material he is given. He isgiven a lot of silly stuff to do no doubt, but he smiles and glidesthrough it with ease. As Max, Goyo brings gentleness and naivety to the role that reallysells the idea of robots boxing. Seeing the wonder in his eyes is likewatching our own wonder playing out on-screen. He is a more thancapable child actor, and I look forward to seeing him light up screensin the future. Evangeline Lilly, as Charlie's love interest Bailey, isgood in small doses, but is not afforded the time or development toreally be anything other than a plot device. Anthony Mackie is great asthe bookie Finn, and even if the role is completely one note and silly,Kevin Durand does pretty good as Charlie's nemesis Ricky.What I found really took away from the film, was the focus on thebroken family unit between Charlie and Max. When they are apart andinteracting with others or alongside Atom, the film works increasinglywell. But when the family struggles start being the focal point ofscenes, it just feels pushed and rushed, as if it was an afterthoughtto add a bit more drama to the film. Jackman does what he can tosalvage these scenes, but they just became progressively moreirritating and more predictable as the film goes on. I wanted to ignorethem and enjoy watching the boxing robots, but even thinking back tothese scenes now, they just seem overdone and out of place. Less wouldhave been better, and perhaps would have assisted in a lot less ofDanny Elfman's surprisingly atrocious and annoyingly upbeat score.I wanted to enjoy Real Steel a lot more than I actually did. Jackman isgreat, and the ideas at the core of the film about robot boxing andtechnology are more astounding than I would like to give the filmcredit for. But its inherent predictability, not to mention a forcedfamily friendly redemptive storyline, drag the film into a mediocrityit does not deserve. This should have been a really fun movie about aridiculous idea that turned out surprisingly well. Instead, it is afilm that struggles between the idea of what it is and what it wants tobe, and is never able to truly balance itself out.7/10.(An extended review also appeared on http://www.geekspeakmagazine.com).

kosmasp

24 May 2012

Metal to the ... Metal

It's the old underdog story. Mixed in with some family fun and roadtrip action. Hugh Jackman obviously had fun doing that, though you dowonder sometimes where his motivations lie (especially when he looksburned out). Even more out of place -> Evangeline Lilly. I love thatwoman, but could the role be played by anyone else? Actually it couldhave been played by literally anyone.But this shouldn't really break the movie for you. What does count arethe action scenes. And they really put their back into them. The movieis highly entertaining (while not original and highly predictable) andmore than just decent. The nice story touch (the robot) is that youmight see more there than there actually is ...

xebec_roy

22 May 2012

Steel Hearts On Fire

Awesome.That's the word coming to my mind after watching thisspectacle.Pros: 1.Usage of 3D models(Robotronics) and less of CGI makes theviewer more involved. 2.Young Dakota Goyo is a real discovery. 3.Atom,the bot warms the heart with his looks. Full credit to Atom's designer.Bringing humility yet determination to a bot's looks ? That's realtough.Cons: 1.Borrows heavily from Rocky's fighting style down to the lefthanded hooks. Sly Stallone pops up time and again in the mind's eye.2.Could have been a tad tighter in the editing department with morefocus on an extended final fight rather than extended drama at somepoints.

De NYngrat

21 May 2012

Real Stell

IMHO, this movie was really awesome. Although there are some movieabout robot (eg. Transformers, Iron Man, etc), this movie give newstory about it.For me, it's kind of my dreams come true. When someday we can havegadgets with touch screen and transparent board, when we can movesomething just with voice recognition. I'm one of gadget freaks :DIn the story side, the funny side was entertaining. And it's reallynice when drama take apart too in this action movie. The idea of robotboxing was great either.That's my review. Hopefully you guys watch it this movie. *PS: reallysorry about my bad Englis :D

gremlins-haunt-my-house

19 May 2012

Great movie, good story. Who doesnt like fighting robots??

We saw an advanced screening on Sept 22. I thought it was going to beanother one of those cheesy, campy, not really believable, warm fuzzy,type of underdog/rags to riches movies. I was actually surprised. Ithad some great plot twists, it had a real story line. And while yes,there is some language sprinkled throughout, it did make a good familymovie for older kids, 10+ (my opinion). The ending wasn't quite what Iwas expecting, but looking back I think I liked it better for that. Whowants an ending they can see coming the entire movie?It had some great comedy moments. The relationships between the actorsfelt genuine and not overdone or forced. The robot animatronics was good. The robots themselves were fun andimaginative and definitely made me wish we really had this sport. Iwould so be there!

digital-apparition

19 May 2012

Recycled ideas, but still worth a watch

I'll start by saying that, yes this movie uses many ideas and themesthat have been used in previous movies. Yes, this movie is a littlecheesy in the fact that it uses the cliché man down on his luck successstory. However, with that said I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I'venever been a Hugh Jackman fan nor have a been a Spielberg fan, but Istand by the fact that the film was really well written and produced.That being said I'm a firm believer in not buying into reviews andusually like to come to conclusions on my own. I encourage others to dothe same, but I will say that most who see this movie will probably notbe disappointed.

intelearts

18 May 2012

474th Review Great kids movie!

If you've got kids in tween, teen bracket then really this is greatviewing. The more films I review the more I try to avoid films that arejust noise, that take the money and run, or just don't deliver - and weall see a bunch of those.Real Steel just doesn't hit and run - it's got heart, and it's a funwatch. The idea of fighting robots is well-developed and the CGI isflawless - simply the best effects of its kind, and it's currently oneof the twelve films nominated for an Oscar for special effects withgood reason - the robots really look and feel as real as its possibleto imagine. But more than that the human story is good enough to makethis work. Sure, it's a little clichéd and schmaltzy, but, and it's abig but, Dakota Goyo, who plays Max - the boy who finds his father anda robot, is a legitimate star - and one this reviewer believes willmake it huge as he keeps going forward. His emotional range isexceptional, and he clearly upstages Hugh Jackman in several scenes.This is Rocky for robots, it is thrilling, and though there is a strongelement of violence running through this, honestly GI Joe was worse andmore gratuitous.Above all it's a blue collar film - it's about having fun at the moviesand the sequel is sure to be a hit too. I was surprised at how much Isimply wanted to cheer along while watching this - it's a knockout!

sachinsethi-mib2011

18 May 2012

Robo-Rocky Revisited!!

There was a lot of buzz around with the response the movie got withrave reviews, but none the less this Robo-boxing movie was one of thepick off movie of the year with another power-packed performance byHugh Jackman. The movie was filled with apt amount of everything :Drama, Romance, Fights, Father-son Relationship, Comedy etc. The Concept of futuristic Robo-boxing was presented and executed tonear perfection with the advanced graphics. Another high point of themovie was its background score which provided the right kind ofadrenaline rush that gets amplified on many an occasions. The best partof the movie were the ones wherein the shadowboxing was executed by theRobo- be it in the final round or Robo Dancing on the steps of theWonder Kid played by Dakota Goyo, which certainly added the charm andinnocence to the movie. The best part of the movie was when HughJackman was fighting the last round having Robo shadow box in the ringagainst all powerful Machine Robo. This movie stands tall based on its strong storyline/plot, heartpounding Background score and Steel Plated power packed performances bythe two central characters played by Dakota Goyo and Hugh Jackman. I am giving this movie a 9/10 rating. A good enough watch for allgenerations and especially to those who wanna see a Robo incarnatedRocky like the great Sylvester Stallone in the ring beating the Hellout of the opponent.

valleyjohn

17 May 2012

Rocky with Robots

Remember Rocky IV ? well just imagine if Rocky Balboa and Drago werereplaced with by two 8 foot Robots . Then you have Real Steal and whata cracking kids film this turned out to be!It's the story of Max , an 11 year old boy who meets his stay awayfather , Charlie ( Hue Jackman) after his mother dies. Charlie is an exboxer who makes his money with his fighting Bots. The trouble is , heis down on his luck , that is until he teams up with his son Max and asecond generation robot called Adam.The best gauge of how good this film is is the reaction of my two boysand they absolutely loved this , and I'm not ashamed to say i reallyenjoyed it too.The special affects with the Robot's are fantastic and the fight scenesare second to none. The story is good with a little sub plot about afather who learns how to be dad and i totally recommend this film toadults and kids alike.My only criticism is that there are a couple of middling swear words inthe film so to put the rating up to a 12 so it would appeal to theolder kids but they are not to bad.

Sabrina

16 May 2012

Smashingly good

The year is 2020 when we meet Charlie Kenton (Jackman), once a rathersuccessful boxer, now a robot boxer in deep debts. These days hugerobots, controlled by humans, provide massive gladiator likeentertainment with fights to the "death". Using scrap robots Charlietravels from town to town, trying to earn some money and stay out ofhands of his debts collectors. When his ex-wife dies he, against hiswill, becomes responsible for his 11 year old son Max (Goyo). Charliehas absolutely no intention of taking care of Max, but their love forboxing unites them and together they fix and train a second-rate botcalled Atom, a worthless piece of junk that against all odds becomes achampion in the boxing ring. Here's the deal: I don't like boxing and I sure as hell don't likeTransformers, but man I absolutely dig Real Steel! The trailer focuseson the fights, so I was expecting some sort of Rocky with robots, butthere is a lot more to Real Steel. It has a genuine heartwarming story,something you wouldn't expect in a movie entitled Real Steel. The opening scene of the movie was a bit uncomfortable to watch (bullvs. robot) but in the end justice prevails (bye bye robot). It's asmall version of the David vs. Goliath fight we see at the end of themovie. I am not spoiling anything here by saying that our Atom will winthe finale fight. Anyone reading the synopsis knows that this is aclassic underdog story. And if you don't, the filmmakers were kindenough to remind you of that during the movie. The fabulous thing aboutReal Steel however is that even though you know where the story isleading to you're still on the edge of your seat biting your nails off.The fights simply are a thrill to watch. From the scruffy illegalunderworld battles to the huge price fights taking place in state ofthe art monster stadiums. They are spectacular. The music is a driving force, it's invigorating with heavy rock,pumping hip hop and soft guitar country music for the more emotionalmoments. Don't be surprised if you feel the urge to jump up, clap andscream GO ATOM! I have rarely been this excited while watching a movie.I have been watching Real Steel with a huge smile on my face from startto finish. When you think robots, you think cold grey metal, but not in thismovie. The bots have style and personality. Even Atom, who let's faceit, looks like a poorly made children's rag doll, has flair. When youfirst see the great Zeus you are simply in awe of this ginormousmenacing and indestructible bot. Flanked by his Japanese creator,investor and entourage he exudes tremendous power. I love the fact thatZeus' creator is Japanese. I'm not an expert, but I do know thatwhenever there is something newsworthy on robots, Japan is the sourceof that info. The creative team behind these robots have done amarvellous job. Several robots were actually built, but the majority isof course CGI and it looks amazing. Outside the boxing ring and gym themovie has a beautiful colour palet, with landscapes, sunsets, autumntrees and wheat fields. In the finale there is a beautiful human momentbetween some of the main characters, everything sort of pauses for amoment. I liked these contrasts: cold steel vs. colourful nature anddumb machine vs. human emotions. However, they do make us think withAtom, purposely leading us on to believe that there might me more tohim. They create the idea that he is not simply a machine, but thatthere is life and some intelligence in him. Jackman and Goyo are a wonderful pair to watch, there is realchemistry. Even though Jackman is the biggest name on the casting list,Goyo gives him a run for his money. He effortlessly steals the leadfrom Jackman. Young Goyo is a natural, his acting is quite flawless andhe easily stands his ground. His character Max is hardly a pitiful kid,he's very adult for his age and perfectly able to argue with his dad,fix a robot, keep a clear head during business deals and incite acrowd. You sort of get the idea that Goyo didn't had to act at all.Jackman starts off as an insensitive, egoistic jerk. Some of hischaracter's actions made my mouth drop to the floor and I was wonderingif Jackman found it uncomfortable talking and behaving like that infront of Goyo. Naturally we still symphatize with Charlie, charming andcocky as he is. The bonding moment between father and son occurs earlyin the movie, I hadn't expected it to be so soon and liked thesurprise. Talking of surprises, the writers have managed to come upwith some decent plot turns. Little twists that bring some edge to astory that sounds predictable on paper. In the end Real Steel is about being human: in getting a second chance,in believing in each other, in trusting each other, in fighting foreach other and love. The filmmakers aren't subtle in voicing thatmessage, but the script is so well written and the performances are sowarm and honest you can't really blame them. Real Steel has an agreableflow and pace, mixing bad ass robot clashes with more sensitive scenes.It's engaging, moving, sensational, energetic and sometimes even cute.There is character development and we truly care for these people (andAtom of course). Real Steel works on all levels.

hondacabok

16 May 2012

Awesome

I am a Hugh fan of Hugh Jackman (pun was intended). OK, so this reviewmight be a bit biased because of that. But Real Steel is a great moviebecause it has a balanced mixture of stories of scifi genre, romanticelements, life of a struggling man (a father and lover at that), andfights.I am getting goosebumps at many of the emotional scenes, and almostdrop a tear at the end when Hugh fights. The ability to do that to me,is an indication of how this movie can delve into your inner soul andtouch it lightly.I wish there will be a Real Steel 2 with same actors.

www.ramascreen.com

15 May 2012

Rock em Sock em Awesome!

REAL STEEL is rock 'em sock 'em awesome! It empowers, entertains, andexcites you. One of the best crowd-pleasing, feel-good movies of theyear. Watch out for Dakota Goyo, this kid is going' places! What a bagof talents for such a young age. Hugh Jackman delivers his mostpowerful performance yet. Director Shawn Levy got himself a winner inREAL STEEL because this movie's got energy to spare for the nextcentury with its relatable underdog story complimented with father-sonrelationship that goes straight for the heart. Not to mention therobots look absolutely fascinating, the fight sequences are pulsepounding and incredible. If you ever wondered what the classy movieRocky would be like if it were about a bunch of boxing robots, I highlyrecommend watching REAL STEEL..I wanna talk about the robots first. Man, even the word 'awesome'doesn't fairly describe how cool Noisy Boy, Atom, Midas, Zeus and thewhole gang look, my goodness! And I'm glad the production didn't goentirely CG with those bots, they hired the creative shop owned by thelegendary FX master John Rosengrant (who worked with the late greatStan Winston for years) to come up with a few great animatronics andit's a brilliant move because the interactions that Goyo's characterMax has with Atom are real, you can sense their connection in Goyo'seyes because he didn't have to imagine it or simply look at mark X oranything of the kind. So the combo of those bots and the mo-capture CGhandled by some of the best people in the business, result in sequencesthat will turn you into a believer. When I'm rich someday, I'm gonnasee if I could acquire Noisy Boy for my collection in my mansion,perhaps he could act as a greeter whenever a guest enters the frontdoor.The fights in this movie are intense and exciting, there's never a dullmoment. Whether it be the underground boxing where the rules don'tapply or at the WRB arena where the rules can be bent, the boxingsequences are well choreographed, they don't insult certain audienceswho may know boxing techniques by heart. I hope there'd be a sequel.I'm aware that storytelling quality tends to diminish in sequelsgenerally, but I'd rather have director Shawn Levy do this instead ofthe dreadful Night At The Museum franchise. Whatever keeps him fromgoing back to that damn museum. I think Levy's and screenwriter JohnGatin's approach and tone for REAL STEEL are spot on. The father-sonstory doesn't overpower the boxing scenes and vice versa, it's a nicemix of entertainment and a family drama that's not too dark and not toolight eitherJackman is one of those good guys actors, you can't help but like him,he's a likable dude, even when his character is a d*ck, which is whyhe's perfect for the role of Charlie Kenton. He's somewhat of a loserbut part of you wants to see him win. I find it interesting thatCharlie's kid Max (Goyo) seems more mature minded than his dad. Charlieis like a kid in an adult body, he's so focused on big toys as long asthey make money but when things start to go south, he freaks outinstead of continuing to fight. Max never really has his dad even whenhis dad stands right next to him because Charlie's often got his mindon something else so there's a pivotal moment nearing the final scenewhere Max sees his dad comes to life for the first time ever and thatis the pretty much the whole essential point of REAL STEEL.I'd like to think that exec producer Steven Spielberg may have somecontribution to the emphasis of Goyo and the robot Atom because thatrelationship kinda reminds me of Elliot and E.T. or the kids andBracchiosaurus in Jurassic Park, at least that's the impression I get.Which is why J.J. Abrams had that scene of the kid standing face toface with the alien in Super 8 because that was something that's soSpielberg-esque. There's a sense of awe that comes with curiosity. Maxbadly wants Atom, or anybody, to understand him, because his dadcertainly doesn't. So the audiences get to wonder if Atom is more thanjust a robot. It's a nice notion that adds to the story's emotion. Lastbut not least, I think this movie would not have worked if they'd castthe wrong kid and I'm glad Goyo played Max because Goyo is simplyelectrifying, his performance is effortless and beyond impressive. Thatkid needs to continue acting, he needs to make this his career becausehe's seriously good at it.

14 May 2012

What a weekly movie is supposed to be!

The action keeps your interest. The actors perform for YOU, not the academy. The direction has just that tiny bit of schlock to touch your humanity. The story line is amazingly imaginative. It beats this year's offeringshands down! It's too bad that the editors at IMDb can't take a lessonfrom this economical script writer and realize that the best narrativeis short and pregnant, not necessarily "10 sentences" long.This is what I go to the movie theater for instead of downloading orbuying a DVD TO WATCH AT HOME.It's a winner. Run to your local theater!

user-304-282350

14 May 2012

Real Steel The Real Deal

The reason I want to review this film is because it something that Ilike doing and have done well not as a robot but in Eggars I was doingkick boxing as well as boxing so what the film is about robot gettingtrained by some people but some of the robots don't need to becontrolled by a controller but ATOM and Zeus are the ones that don'tneed to be controlled by anything and the reason I like the film isbecause towards the end it is Atom VS Zeus and Zeus is the unbeaten butwith Atom he was the one who was perfectly matched for Zeus because hewas a fast movement Robot Boxer. I would recommend this film to anyonewho enjoys Rocky and terminator because they based on the same thingsmainly because with rocky it boxing and with terminator it the robotbit.

Daddy Mojo

13 May 2012

Real Steel is built to last and solid entertainment

Real Steel is set in the near future, when robot boxing is verypopular. Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a promoter who has discoveredthat his long forgotten son is limbo due to the death of his mother.Charlie is not the father type and is more concerned with scoring thenext fight rather than being a good dad. The story is very common so far. Introduce the element of robot boxingand the story can be entertaining or verge off into absurdity. Is RealSteel like The Champ with robots or a robot movie with Hugh Jackman? Inan odd way, it's neither, but is one of more entertaining and enjoyablemovies I've seen in a long time. Kenton used to be a great professional fighter, but just never made itto the big leagues. When he's not trolling for fights he's buildingrobots at the boxing gym, owned by Bailey Tallet (Evangeline Lilly),who is also Kenton's sometimes girlfriend. When Kenton agrees to taketemporary custody of his 11 year old son Max (Dakota Gayo) the movietakes off. Quite often when a movie introduces the youth character, the childactor will drag down the action and speed of the plot. Real Steelaccelerates in action and enjoyment when Max is brought in. That's allthe more surprising because Max isn't used in the typical ways thataction movies use child characters.Child characters are usually weak and used in a situation where theysneak in or are the cause of problems. If that's not the case thenthey're bratty, unrealistic or annoying. Rare is the child characterthat adds to the action movie, without taking away from its enjoyment.Max and Kenton fight some robots, do some father/son bonding, travelthe country and end up with a contender that can take them to the robotboxing championship. There are also two minor sub plots about theKenton/Tallet relationship and who will ultimately take care of Max.Real Steel is an entertaining action/sci-fi movie because it nevertakes itself too seriously. Robot boxing takes place in the year 2020,so the future isn't too unrealistic with flying cars, just modernenough to be different and believable. There was some CGI in the movie but it was used sparingly. Nineteen 8-foot tall audio-animatronic robots were built so that the human actorshad something to act with instead of pure CGI. The fight scenes usedmotion capture with professional boxers so that the fights would lookas real as possible.At one point I was crying and wondering to myself, "Am I really cryingduring a robot boxing movie?" I attributed the crying to my wife beingpregnant and her erratic hormones rubbing off on me. For a movie aboutrobot boxing Real Steel is all heart and makes you care about thecharacters. It also helps that the characters in the movie don't alwayswin. The movie does end a little cold and abrupt, but has built up somuch good will until that point that you're willing to let it slide. Real Steal is a great movie for kids 10 and over, but some of thelanguage is a bit salty. The violence in Real Steel is mostly robot onrobot, but there are a couple scenes of human violence. You'll watchReal Steel for your children, but you'll end up enjoying it just asmuch.

lov_nks

13 May 2012

Totally Entertaining

I just went to watch this movie as any normal movie expecting nothinggreat for a time pass. And to my surprise, it was really a satisfyingventure at the cinema.A good dose of emotion mixed with good special effects and some reallygood robot action sequences which I found much more realistic than IronMan and Transformers.After a long time a movie came much higher than my expectations. TheFather, Son & Robot relationship were both a visual and an emotionaltreat.Please go watch it... at least a try.My personal rating is 9.5/10

frank stein

13 May 2012

I sometimes wish my brain was a toilet - so I simply could flush such a piece of ....

I actually believed, Hollywood stopped making such films at the timeWalt Disney died. Non animated Disney Movies where in a class of itsown, but this movie reaches beyond those borders of awfulness. Who in their right mind can find a single positive thing to say aboutthose 90 min plus something of clichés and stereotypes. I honestlybelieve the scriptwriter teamed up with the director and blackmailed abunch of people into that. if anything else made this movie happen Ireally have to doubt reason and accountability of a lot of peopleincluding me, as I unfortunately managed to watch the first 30 min ofthat masterpiece. This isn't even good enough to watch it witch one eyehalf open, while lying in bed trying to cope with your hangover. Are people getting dumber by the second, or is there another reason whyHollywood manages to put out one decent movie every two years. Ihonestly don't get it, but somehow feel insulted. How is a rating of7.4 possible, how is it possible that according to IMDb this movie mademore than 200mil?There are watchdogs who prevent people from watching explicit adultmaterial or gore and violence - why isn't there anybody who serves thepublic by placing a stupidity or intellectually-insulting rating.

ghotter

12 May 2012

Real Steel is a great feel good movie

I went to this movie with apprehension and at first wondered if I hadcome into the wrong show until I saw Hugh Jackman at the wheel of histruck. I was expecting it to be far into the future but soon found itwas in a time similar to ours, the not to distant future. It's a worldyou can relate to with characters not much different to us. Real Steelwas a pleasant surprise and had a Disney feel about it, it's reallyworth seeing. It has a great story line, interesting characters andgreat robot fighting scenes. They were well-done and the Robots look soreal and you would hardly tell that it was all done by computersimulation. This movie is a heart felt father son story between and exboxer Hugh Jackman and his son Dakota Goyo. I wouldn't be surprised isthere is a sequel and I'd definitely go alone and see it.

Iqbali_Noodlepaste

11 May 2012

Far Beyond Tomorrows Bold New Horizons!

Some stories are built on passion, some on courage and some on hope.Very rarely do you come across a family-oriented story that encompassesitself around a true journey. Real Steel introduces us to the world ofbattling 'bots, that mirror the most innocent of sentiments which lielocked up within the depths of our heart. Those metal boxing champ winus over in the first frame, because they are among us. It is not theirheroism which makes our eyes tear up, but yheir vulnerability whichmakes them endear-able. The audience falls in love with Max Kentonbecause he is scared of the unknown just like us. What makes him a herois his conviction and spirit, which makes her embark on a nationwidejourney for the search of love and faith. It is somewhere in thatjourney, that you no longer root for Max Kenton and her victory, butfor the triumph of our machine friends and their belief, which makesReal Steel a winner right from the opening credits.His name is Kenton, Max Kenton. Brought up in an unforgiving society,Max battles the alternate evils of racial profile and scornful peerswith equal focus, trying to make sense of the world that burns homes,bullies people at school and make a false show of sympathy. He goes bythe doctrine of the real robots, who teach him that there are twoclasses of people in the world, those who are good and would offer alollipop and those who are bad and would point a gun. There is nocaste, creed or religion but just people who shape the world. It isthis philosophy which Max carries forward in his quest for love andfaith, painting his journey in a collage of alternate light and darkemotions, shadow plays of human nature which guides him to the world orperhaps, guides the world towards him.Real Steel is appreciable because of its brilliance, acceptable for itsnobility and unquestionable in its integrity. Director Shawn Levy(Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Cheaper by the Dozen,Daddy Day Care) weaves in a tale of love, faith, parent-child bondingand humanity itself within a cinematic frame of 110 minutes pulling outa riveting and compelling human drama of innocence poised against thesystem, through the filtered sensibilities of young Max, one who cannotunderstand the world, but love it enough to change it. The keynotes ofeach frame, drenched with subtle social comments and complex emotionalundertones makes the movie an amalgamation of the colors of hope andpersistence, with layered textures of unspoken bonds. With Max, ShawnLevy succeeds in bringing the system on trial through the eyes of onewho cannot bias himself on any ideology, making his emotions pure andthough provoking, which touches the innermost chords of the heart,moistening the eyes and serenading the senses.The story is filled with emotional subtexts which move at breakneckspeed throughout the length of the film, constantly switching gearsbetween the palettes of emotions. The dialogs exude class andconfidence holding grip of the story yet laced with the finesse thatallows for emotional drama combined with spiritual uprising, casting asatire on the entire system and its treatment of identities. The scriptpenned by John Gatins, is one of par excellence, allowing the audienceto blend into our heroes through their smiles and tears, laugh in theirjoy and cringe with every blow dealt to them. The screenplay dropshypocritical moral ambitions to make scathingly relevant comments onmodern outlook of the world, making it rise several notches aboveanything attempted in Hollywood to date.In the end, Real Steel becomes the experience it is because of HughJackman, Sophie Levy, Hope Davis, Charlie Levy and Brain Levy, essayedflawlessly by Shawn Levy. Jackman exudes the spirit of success in everybreath and pulse of the film, putting in a performance that is beyondany benchmark of excellence. He controls every single emotional nerveof the audience with vacant stares and dimpled smiles, towering like anillusionist conjuring up a magical performance of a lifetime. He breaksevery stereotypical mould attached to him to rise like a phoenix fromthe ashes with cohorts, who reign over the audience in a sweeping waveof emotions, establishing a bond that scales beyond the arc-lights ofthe 70mm screen. He is complimented by his costars whose very presencelight up the entire room with just their flashing smiles. He balancesthe sensitivity of love and charm with the emotional conflict of aravaged heart with effortless poise. The interactions between Jackmanand company form the highlights of the film, filled with the cacklingchemistry of a uninhibited passion, captivating the audience in themesmerizing spell of the couple. James Rebhorn delivers a matured andrestrained performance while Marco Ruggeri as Cliff blends insimplicity with sensibility in a performance that comes straight fromthe heart. Hope Davis is exceptional as Aunt Debra in her mannerismswhile the supporting cast all deliver credible performances includingTess Levy in a dazzling cameo.There will always be movies that enchant us with their magic, but therewill hardly be a journey that goes beyond cinematic borders to deliverthe experience of a lifetime. Real Steel, to say nothing of Real Steel2and Real Steel 3, is undoubtedly the new face of global cinema thatenthralls with each passing frame, healing the hidden scars of theheart with its message of a better and humane world. There might besuper robots, but there will never be one Max, who takes pride in beingordinary and yet changes the face of futuristic robot boxing.Earlier time scales used B.C. and A.D. to mark important events. After2th Oct. 2011, the scales of Humanity would mark the world before andafter the release of Real Steel.My Rating- 10/10 (Exceptional!!)

t kim

11 May 2012

Awesome Movie

When I first read about this movie I thought it was going to be a guymovie filled w/ nothing but fighting etc. However I'm very impressed bythis movie.It's got a great plot, which was actually followed without too muchstraying. The actors/actresses were great for their parts. Great familyget together movie (especially if you have a lot of boys).The only thing that disappointed me was that the boy didn't get to staywith his father at the end. If I were to change anything it would bethat alone.I fount myself laughing as well as doing that "Aww how sweet" thing.Great movie! Must watch