Real Steel

A watchable popcorn flick with a clear target audience, built on boxing movie clichés and relying solely on the core robot gimmick. It's pulled forward by the likeable Jackman and the fights in the ring, but it's knocked down by predictability and a runtime that is too ambitious for such a simple film. For one viewing only, but definitely a nice sci-fi nod to the Rocky of the genre. (15/08/2018)

A punch aimed at the masses. Uncle Spielberg didn’t use the robot idea just in Transformers, but added this job on the side inspired by Matheson’s short story. Hugh Jackman is really cool, Dakota Goyo excellent (mustn’t laugh at the name) and I was pleasantly surprised by Evangeline Lilly who is awesome in this picture and has no problem in tossing that whiney Kate from Lost over her head. The story is a classic story of self-searching, strengthening family bonds and fighting enormous robots in the ring. The tricks are really effective during the fighting, with the right stuff of boxing at heart (especially in the finale). Levy’s can direct when he has a decent screenplay in his hand. A movie that charges you with positive energy. (03/01/2012)

One of the most enjoyable mainstream Hollywood movies of the year. Though it’s packed with clichés about family values, it’s not annoying. The film skilfully blends elements of the ’80s with modern trends and it’s obvious that the filmmakers love their story and characters and care about the result. And that’s something rare in the Hollywood mainstream (Rise of the Planet of the Apes was also surprising in the same way this year, and to an even greater extent). Shawn Levy has finally shown himself to be a very good, enthusiastic director who only needs a high-quality screenplay (Real Steel touches the heart more than Spielberg’s Tintin). The precisely written characters devotedly played by Hugh Jackman and young Dakota Goyo make the film personal and sincere. The emotions between them are enhanced by the brisk energy of the great robot boxing matches, which know exactly where to add and where to take away. Real Steel made me happy and filled me with positive energy. (06/11/2011)

An ordinary film, I can't think of a better descriptor. The visuals are nice, like Transformers – it can't get much better. Hugh Jackman is a likeable dad and the chemistry between him and Evangeline Lilly is very good. The child in the main role is excellent, too. Otherwise, it's a pile of clichés about how a father dad becomes a good dad, how a loser and troublemaker becomes a proper man, and how the last chance usually works out. If you're expecting real emotions in the ring, better watch Warrior or a ton of other films with less family and more social focus dealing with racial issues or criticizing “humanity”. If you want a farce like Cinderella Man, that's more or less what Real Steel is, just this one is rated PG13 – money is also made from children. I don't want to say it’s a complete piece of crap, but there's definitely no deeper thought or anything that would make me want to see it again or remember it. (03/02/2012)

I will probably be seen as a fool, but I simply liked this film. I wasn't expecting to have a highly enlightening philosophical experience from it, nor to be artistically fulfilled in any way. While Hugh Jackman did star in "The Fountain," which I consider significantly better than the film "The Tree of Life" reviewed in this article, "Real Steel" definitely didn't seem like an artistically ambitious movie from the beginning. We won't get anything like that either. It is a blockbuster that wants to impress us visually, which it succeeds in quite well because the robot fights are fantastic, and at the same time, it wants to present us with an undemanding, simple, and overly Hollywood-like story. Charlie is a loser, a former boxer who had to adjust a bit. In the near future, people don't want to see humans fighting anymore, with blood splattering all over, but fighting robots. Strange, but so be it. Robot boxing is the music of the future, and Charlie had to become a fighter, that is, the one who controls the robot in the ring. The robots here are not humanized in any way, but essentially, they are like shrunken "Transformers." Charlie may be a loser, but a loser who discovers that he has a son who surprisingly could help him and make him a true champion. Don't worry, there won't be any blood, so you can watch the film with children without any problems, and they will be happy to see that the ugly old robot could possibly become the champion of champions. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/08/warrior-x-ms-1-sibir-5x-rychle-zbesile.html (25/02/2013)