Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), left, and his son Max (Dakota Goyo) do some father-son bonding while trying to rekindle Charlie’s robot boxing career.
In practically every way, “Real Steel” seems destined to fall flat, especially in terms of the natural dramatic downgrade of seeing not fragile humans, but non-living, non-feeling robots clocking each other in the ring. But apart from offering a bogus explanation (in this not-too-distant future, the public “wants true, no-holds-barred violence”), this hugely satisfying family flick makes certain that there’s ample humanity behind the clanging metal, from the handlers who control the bots via voice commands and shadowboxing to a father-son bond that’s unexpectedly ironclad.
Credit director Shawn Levy for approaching the material with an objective of character over soulless stimuli, but surely don’t count out Hugh Jackman, who turns in a very meaty performance, both gruff and ultra-sensitive. Jackman is Charlie, an ex-boxer now working in the dregs of the robot-fighting industry, who opts to look after his estranged son, Max (Dakota Goyo), as part of a shady deal to make extra cash. There’s instant recognition of how Charlie’s arc will pan out (from deadbeat to devotee), but Jackman makes it work, with major support from Goyo, an unabashedly nervy child actor who digs into Charlie and Max’s unique rapport (they verbally spar from minute one).
The duo finds common ground in love of the futuristic sport, and piggybacking on Charlie’s tale of redemption and former-glory-revival is the scenario of Max’s ramshackle, junkyard robot going all the way in a major tournament. It’s a joy to see how well “Real Steel” is able to transcend its worn-thin formula, offering tear-inducing familial milestones along with irresistibly entertaining touches (wait’ll you see Max dance The Robot with his robot).
With sun-drenched industrial spaces that evoke Michael Bay, but an ardent refusal to simply sell the mass destruction of hunks of junk, “Real Steel” is the anti-”Transformers,” not to mention one of 2011’s leading expectation-exceeders. This thing has so much genuine spirit coursing through it that when Max’s robot suffers his inevitable climactic beatdowns, you’re almost willing to believe the ringside passion keeps him from tapping out.
PG-13
Three reels out of four
Now playing in area theaters
R
Available Tuesday
It may be a bit too insistent upon exalting its chief subject, but Andrew Rossi’s documentary “Page One: Inside the New York Times” is the most comprehensive film yet about the ever-changing state of journalistic media, reading a bit like a newspaper as it moves through each of the top stories of our headlines-as-hashtags era. Most importantly, it steps back and takes a contemplative breath while everyone else dives headlong into an all-digital world. SPR
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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