I want to start off by saying that I was completely wrong about this movie based on the impression I got from watching the first trailer. The trailer made the movie seem like a Rock'em Sock'em Robots movie but I am glad that this is not what it was. This is a futuristic sports movie based around a developing father and son relationship. I have seen reviews that state this movie has no idea what it wants to be and other that call it a wonderful surprise. This movie is a father and son story with a sci-fi sports twist. Hugh Jackman is much better in this movie than he has been in his last several movies. This ranks up there with his performance in The Prestige and as Wolverine in the first two X-Men movies. The kid in the movie, Dakota Goyo, is the real star of the film. He commands your attention every time he is on screen. At points the duo of Jackman and Goyo is hilarious and heartwarming. The action in the movie is great and the boxing element adds another level to the robot on robot violence. I am also happy to mention that we finally have a big budget robot movie where you can actually tell which robots are actually fighting on screen. Transformers was unable to accomplish this in three movie where Real Steel did it in its first battle on screen.
The cast of this movie is also solid, and it is also a smaller cast which helps out a lot. As I mentioned before Jackman and Goyo are fantastic in the film. Evangeline Lily is also in this movie, and for people who do not recognize the name she played Kate in the show Lost. She plays Jackman's love interest in the movie and his trainer's daughter, and she happens to be really goo in this movie. This made up for the seasons of Lost I had to suffer through watching her terrible story arch. Anthony Mackie from the Hurt Locker makes an appearance, as does Kevin Durand. Durand has been cast as a douche bag in every single movie I have ever seen him in. He is never the nice guy he always plays the "dick" and always turns the dial up to eleven. Altogether the "small" cast does a fantastic job of making the movie believable and really entertaining.
The effects in the movie are also something to make note of. The robots in the movie look incredible and it really seems like this could actually become a sport in the not so distant future. Nothing about the robots looks fake, they are controlled by remotes and are made out of steel. They do not do things on their own and have no artificial intelligence. There will be no robot apocalypse in this movie universe. The sci-fi elements in the movie are very limited other than the robots. The cell phones in the movie are a little more advanced and the design of the vehicles in the movie are a little different than what we see on a day to day basis. Overall the society and environments in this movie are almost identical to our own.
If you liked any of the Rocky movies, Karate Kid movies, or just like good movies then you owe it to yourself to give this movie a try. I promise that this movie will not disappoint you and it is one of the more enjoyable movie I have seen in the last few months. The combo of drama, action, and humor in a futuristic "sports" movie was very welcome change from the more somber movie that have been making their way into theaters lately.
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