Real Steel: A Review

October 27th 2011 11:44

Just got back from the movies tonight and thought I'd hammer out a review while I've still got "Real Steel" fresh in my mind.

I went in not knowing what to expect with some friends saying it's a great movie and still others saying there was too much fighting.

It's a very multi-layered movie and it should appeal to everyone. It has the fast-paced action and heavy sound effects of a good action movie and a touching father-boy story to go along with it. The movie's humour is dry but not forced with just enough wit to keep Gen-Y types entertained.

I will not divulge much here in the hopes that you will get to see it yourself but overall, the soundtrack (Danny Elfman nonetheless) coupled with great visual effects and amazing play on light in the cinematography of the movie ties in the story pretty well.

The main characters, Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), Max Kenton (Dakota Goyo) and Balley Tallet (Evangeline Lilly) made the movie extremely fluid to watch and there was no fault in their on-screen chemistry.

The film shoots in and out of bright and dark scenes pretty quickly and the mood of the scene is reflected very well in the lighting of the movie. There was a scene of Jackman and Goyo in a park where it was lit unnaturally but other than that, there was no fault in the technical aspects of the movie that I could point out.

The story ducks and weaves appropriately and assumedly the movie is set in 2020/2030 as references to "back then" (e.g. 2016) were rife. However, much of the world still looks like 2011 in the movie. It is an excerpt of both of the Kentons (Jackman and Goyo) lives and most of it is focused on fighting robots. The movie ends well and the cinematography, props and CGI is very well thought out. If you love an underdog, David vs Goliath movie - this one's definitely for you.

Great movie all in all. Definitely one for everyone - kids, geeks, romcom addicts, mothers and husbands. There's something in the movie everyone so go and see it for yourself - you won't regret it!

4.5 out of 5

DM

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