While I wasn't particularly excited to see Shawn Levy's futuristic robot fighting Real Steal, I went in with an open mind, hoping to be surprised. Sadly, while slightly amused at a few particular moments, the film failed to ignite my interest as it was unable to come across as either unique or entertaining.
Hugh Jackman stars as Charlie Kenton, a retired boxer who has turned to a career of promoting. When a course of actions require his son to come and live with him for a summer, the two venture on an adrenaline filled adventure that shows no matter the stats or expectations on paper, the underdog is the reason you still play the game.
While I am always game for a sports film, especially one that focuses on the underdog achieving great heights and finally being able to challenge the 'unbeatable' heavy hitter, a film has to show it differently in order to be effective. For Shawn Levy and Real Steel, I felt like I had seen the film countless times before, just with other sports at the center of it all.
From A League of Their Own and Rocky to Tin Cup and the recently released Moneyball, sports films are a dime a dozen. So throwing in the previously unheard of sport of robot fighting isn't enough to separate yourself from the pack. Sadly, Real Steel missed that memo.
I'll credit both Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lilly for adequate performances given the film's purpose; however, I wasn't too impressed with Dakota Goyo. While I can't fully blame him for the terrible dialogue and snooty attitude, I can hold him accountable for his delivery and demeanor. Both handicapped him from fully connecting with the audience, making his robot's run at the championship a bit bittersweet to say the least.
When it was all said and done the film was both stale and formulaic. Warrior came out less than a month ago, featured much better acting and writing, and had an underlying purpose for its story. Here we get a mini blockbuster that fails to catch your attention: physically or emotionally. Maybe I was expecting too much, but for me Real Steel oozed with mediocrity from start to finish.
