Real Steel
I think a big part of the film's success are the robots at the center of it all. These are not the giant, walking, fighting scrap heaps we have come accustomed to in the unfortunate live action Transformers films. These robots have personality, are agile and fun to watch, and blended so seamlessly with the live actors, they're a special effects marvel just to look at them. It's nice that they're fun to watch, but that's the easy part. The hard part that Real Steel pulls off is making us care about them. When Atom, the scrappy little underdog junkyard robot steps into the fighting ring up against the current champ, the towering Zeus, we get the same rush as we did during the climax of the Rocky films. We're not just watching CG characters pummeling each other, we're invested in the action, and we want to see Atom win. Atom's human owners and trainers, a father and son who have bonded during the robot's rise to the top of the fighting circuit, cheer on the sidelines, and we silently cheer right along with them. It's an odd feeling, but it also tells you that the movie is working.
The plot is set sometime in the near future, and centers on Charlie (Hugh Jackman), a down on his luck former boxer who could have gone all the way to the championships, but a life time of bad decisions, not to mention the fact that human boxing has been replaced with giant robots fighting one another in the ring, has left him broken down, drunk, and bitter. He's a drifter who drives across the US, training and promoting his own personal fighting robot in a series of third rate events at county fairs and illegal matches. Charlie is next to penniless, and when his current robot gets dismantled in battle, he needs to get money for a new fighting 'bot fast. His long-time friend and possible romantic interest, Bailey (Evangeline Lilly from TV's Lost), is also on his case for money he owes her that could help keep her father's training gym (which she inherited) in business. With his debts and troubles mounting, it's probably not the best time to add a son from a former relationship into the picture.
The son is Max (Dakota Goyo), whose mother is a former girlfriend of Charlie's that he walked out on shortly after Max was born. With the recent death of the boy's mom, Charlie has been given custody of Max, at least for the summer, while the kid's wealthy aunt and uncle (who stand to gain custody of him) are away traveling in Italy. Charlie wants nothing to do with the kid, but Max comes equipped with his father's smart mouth, and knows how to talk his way into and out of any situation. He's also skilled with knowledge of robot boxing. When Charlie and Max are searching a junkyard for salvageable robot parts, Max uncovers an antique fighting robot named Atom that doesn't look like much at first, but is light on his feet, and fast in the ring. Atom was originally designed as a "sparring robot", which means he's designed to take a lot of punches and punishment without falling down. This naturally gives him an advantage in the ring. And with his ability to shadow the movements of his human trainers, Charlie uses his former boxing expertise to train Atom to become an underdog champion, and make his way up the fighting robot ranks.
If this all sounds ridiculous, it is, but Real Steel treats the material with a kind of sincerity that works. Jackman and Goyo have chemistry together as the estranged father and son, and while we know we're being manipulated every step of the way in their relationship, we buy into it because the actors sell it so well. This may be a goofy movie, but it's also highly energetic, and kind of infectious with its good spirit. The father and son stuff may be predictable, but its heartwarming just enough to work. Most of all, the robot fight scenes (which are obviously the big attraction) are splendid, and hold some of the best effects work I've seen this year. The action is edited clearly and cleanly, so we can follow each and every moment and punch. So many times in big budget films, the CG characters start doing stuff that's completely impossible, so we know we're watching something computer generated. But the robots here are grounded in some sort of reality. It helps that their fighting styles are based on real boxers (Sugar Ray Leonard served as a consultant on this film.), and they've been animated in such a way that they seem to have real weight and mass. It's 100% convincing, and certainly thrilling.
The film was directed by Shawn Levy, a filmmaker who I have not been very fond of in the past. But, maybe that's because he's usually been paired with such horrid (the Cheaper by the Dozen and Pink Panther remakes with Steve Martin), or downright mediocre (Night at the Museum) projects. Here, he shows a real mastery for staging and editing big special effects sequences in such a way that they are exciting, and never become a confusing mess of close ups or using dark lighting to hide questionable effects. He also finds the right tone to carry the film. It's constantly uplifting, flying just under the radar of schmaltz. He knows when to pile on the good feelings, and when to hold back. It's a balancing act to be sure, and he pulls it off. He also gets good performances out of his human cast, and knows just how to divide the human element and the spectacle of the giant fighting robots.
See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!
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