Real Steel

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Rating: I Liked It

When this movie was first released, I had the same opinion a lot of people did: it's a Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots movie!  I pretty much figured there was no way that Wolverine & The Robot - which would be a great title for a rom-com alternate take on this film - would be any good at all.

Then, I started to see some positive reviews by movie goers over at Rotten Tomatoes.  I usually don't take advice from professional movie critics.  I don't have anything against them, but they look at different things than the average movie watcher.   I decided I would eventually get around to this one on DVD, and I finally did just the other night.

The Good:

• I'm a big sucker for a movie that gives inspiration or hope or one where the underdog wins.  Well, this one had all three of those things.  The inspiration part less than the other two, but still. 
• Jackman was good as usual, and I think he's way more talented than people give credit.  If you ever get the opportunity, I believe you can see his first and second audition for the part of Wolverine on the X-Men 1.5 DVD.  The first one is before he really does any research on the part.  The second one is an entirely different ball game.  
• The CG was awesome.  The bots actually look real in almost every shot in the film.  
• If it wasn't for his slightly annoying pieces here and there in the film, I'd say Goyo was good, and even with them, for his first major role he was good.  
• Lilly was hot as always.  That always helps.  

The Bad: 

• SPOILER ALERT Highlight this line to read it. - I think that it's hinted a few times, twice very strongly, that Jackman's character isn't Goyo's character's father.  They never really come out and say that he is or isn't one way or the other.  It's the same story with the bot Goyo's finds.  They hint that he has some artificial intellgence, but they never really say.  
• I feel like there were too many smaller story lines and side stories crammed in.  The movie wasn't that long, but it was definitely rushed.  The movie jumps pretty quickly from Atom's first pro fight to his big battle at the end of the film.  

The Ugly: 

• I don't think there's anything in this one I would label ugly, but I will say that you have to really push through the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the film.  If you can get that far, you'll be good to go.