Real Steel

Pretty much, "Real Steel" is what happens when you put "Over the Top", "Rocky", "A Boy and His Robot" and "Rock'em Sock'em Robots" in a cinematic blender. The writers almost try to provide some emotional hooks into a story based on a washed up boxer Charlie (Hugh Jackman), who now manages robot fighters in seedy fight rings, and is down on his luck. Enter a young boy, Max, who lost his mother recently, and of course is Charlie's son, whom he has had little contact with in the boy's 11 years on this planet. Charlie needs money for a new robot and mounting debts, and conveniently, the boy's aunt wants custody of Max, and Charlie literally sells his parental claims to Max to the aunt and rich uncle with the stipulation that Max spends the summer with Charlie as the couple goes on a summer-long vacation.

Max is mouthy, a bit street-wise, but still just a kid who makes decisions on the best of outcomes without considering negative outcomes. Pretty soon Charlie and Max go on a robot fighting spree after finding an old robot, Atom, who was mainly a sparring robot fighter, but with Charlie's boxing skills, Atom has enough resilience and skill to find success in the ring. The pacing is surprisingly brisk for a 2-hour movie, but it's very predictable, and apes so many of the Rocky movie cliches, it's almost comical, unnecessarily so.

It's a decent kid's movie, but offers little in surprises or narrative originality.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.