By Kate Rodger
Not really knowing what Real Steel was going to be meant conflicting emotions for me. Could I really sit and watch robots boxing for two hours?
It seems I can, as Real Steel is less about the robots, and even the boxing, and more about a father and son who have lost their way a bit.
So think Rocky, think The Champ even, and throw a bit of Transformers.
Real Steel is set a little in our future, where the boxing ring is dominated by big robots kicking the nuts and bolts out of each other.
The bots are operated by humans, and one of those humans is Charlie, played by Hugh Jackman.
Charlie's a washed up former champion boxer himself who is faring badly on the robot circuit.
Along comes his estranged son Max to change things up a bit. Max proves both a handful and an inspiration, as they both grow to realise they are more alike than they thought.
Lost star Evangeline Lilly also stars here, her relationship with Charlie nicely woven into the story.
If you're looking for a hard-arsed bots-bashing-each-other-up-in-the-ring kind of film, this isn’t it.
Real Steel is a family movie and was a surprisingly feel-good watch. It’s a story we've seen before many times, but the robot premise works so much better than I'd imagine it would, and the performances are great.
Four stars
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Real Steel
:: Director: Shawn Levy
:: Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis, Anthony Mackie, Dakota Goyo
:: Running Time: 127 mins
:: Rating: M - contains violence
:: Release Date: 6 October 2011
:: Trailer: Click here
