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Real Steel
- Review Date: October 7, 2011
- PG-13
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2011
Common Sense Media says
Predictable but fun fight movie has lots of robot action.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this futuristic action drama with a heart is equal parts Rocky and RoboCop. There are tons of brutal (if gripping) scenes of robot combat, some of which gets pretty intense. And it's not just the robots who get into brawls; a beating leaves a key character bloodied. One of the main characters (played by Hugh Jackman) is pretty abhorrent when the movie begins; he's introduced as an irresponsible mess who can't be bothered to care for his own son. He drinks and swears in front of the boy (words include "s--t" and "damn") and even goes so far as to "sell" him (or at least his parental rights) -- though he does change over the course of the movie, which ultimately has a message about redemption and forgiveness.
What's the story?
It's 2024, and one-time boxer Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) has no shame. He owes everyone money, and he abandoned his son, Max (Dakota Goyo), long ago. All he cares about is the next pay-off at the next match he arranges for the two-ton boxing robots that he pieces together from scrap parts. It's a life, if not a fulfilling one. But then his ex-girlfriend dies, leaving his son alone. His ex's sister (Hope Davis) desperately wants to adopt Max, so Charlie sees an opening: Why not make a deal with her husband for $100,000 for signing his parental rights over? But first Max must stay with Charlie until his aunt and uncle return from a European tour. Charlie hopes to leave his son with the daughter of his old coach (Evangeline Lilly), but Max isn't having any of it: He wants to join Charlie on the road. Before they know it, they're training what appears to be a genuine, previous-generation model championship fighter called Atom. But there's more than a bout at stake.
Is it any good?
Does REAL STEEL break new cinematic ground? Hardly. Is it an amalgam -- like the robots featured in it -- of many other movies? Absolutely -- imagine Rocky meeting RoboCop. Can the audience predict what comes next, considering that it borrows so much from every other fight film (with a little father-son drama thrown in for good measure)? Duh.
Yet REAL STEEL is surprisingly enjoyable -- as long as you dial down your expectations. Yes, it's shlocky, but Goyo and Jackman share a believable chemistry, and the young actor is just plain terrific. (Lilly doesn't have much to work with, though what she does reminds us how great she is.) It's hard to believe how carried away you can get cheering on a pair of robots in a ring. Expect it to happen, so our advice is to just go with it.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Charlie and Max's relationship. How do they compare to other fathers and sons you've seen in the media? Are they relatable characters? Role models?
How do you feel about boxing, especially when it's all-out like the fights choreographed here? Does the violence have less impact since the robots are the ones primarily involved?
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AGE
What is up will all the swearing Disney??????
Loved the movie but VERY DISAPPOINTED with the swearing, even the 11 year old was using b*tch and a**hole. Walt would role in his grave! Totally unnecessary for what could have been a great family movie!
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AGE
Riveting, hard hitting robot fighting pic is fine for tween's and up
Real Steel is a entertaining, well made movie that actually cares about it's main characters, has time to develop them properly, and also even manages to heap on the heart so that it is separated apart from all of the other big dumb sci-fi action movies, so that this movie actually has a soul. Also, it is fairly mild for a PG-13 Rating and is fine for tweens and up, but the rating is still deserved because of a few things: constant, often very brutal robot fighting sequences are also fairly cartoonish, and again, they're robots, one scene where Hugh Jackman's character is beaten brutally in front of his 11 year old son while he looks on in terror, and some occasional profanity, although most of it is still fairly mild for a PG-13 Rated movie. So, yes, it is a very good movie, and older kids and up will no undoubtedly enjoy it.
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AGE
Good for a first PG-13 movie.
I took my 8-year old son to this (his first PG-13). The language was a little salty, but not too bad. My son loved it. Lots of "awesomes."
Certainly no difficult adult situations that are tough to explain, and maybe some teachable moments regarding booze and gambling.
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AGE
good, fun movie!
This movie was really clever how it played things out. Although predictable, it was quite sweet and rly fun to watch! There is some swearing including "s--t" used a couple times, but the movie itself is completely fine. Really worth watching!
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AGE
Fun Movie!
A very good and entertaining movie. My husband liked it (he's a very critical person) and my 9-year old daughter loved it. Yes its unrealistic to us in 2011 but who knows what will happen in 2027. It's not a movie to take seriously but its what i call a "fun" movie. Watch out parents there's cursing throughout the whole movie including the little boy. That's something hollywood really needs to get rid of when it comes to cursing kids. My child would be disciplined if she curses like that. Besides that the movie is two thumbs up.
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AGE
cousin fun weekend!
predictable but a lot of fun. i found myself dodging and weaving during the fight scenes. hugh jackman is rather nice to look at too!
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AGE
Tense, and catty. Creative but failed combination.
Robots, and how they do a lot for us. But in this movie, someone uses a robot to fight for him. But all the robot is fighting is the man's dignity. There is a combative kid in this movie, who fights his dad.
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AGE
one of the best ive seen in a while!! (:
I absolutely loved this movie and would definitely go see it again! It related to the movie rocky in a lot of ways too and was very entertaining. but there were some words used like s***, a**, and b***h even by the 11 year old and a couple scenes with alcohol(hence the pg-13 rating), but other than that it wasn't bad. the violence wasnt too intense for a boxing movie, but there was a part where Charlie(Hugh Jackman) is beat up by 3 other characters. the rest of the violence is just boxing robots, as expected. the sexual behavior wasnt too much of a concern, but there were scenes with girls in skimpy outfits and also a kissing scene. the consumerism throughout the movie was mostly ads in the arenas and other places you would expect ads to be. and though there are a few bad role models, there are also plenty of good role models and important lessons with positive messages. overall, i think this is a great movie for families with kids ages 10 and up.
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AGE
Rocky for this generation! Kids approved!
Great father/son story and great for kids that love action. Some language in it, but based on PG-13 rating, not too bad.
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| Studio: | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Director: | Shawn Levy |
| Cast: | Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Hugh Jackman |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 126 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 7, 2011 |
| DVD release date: | January 24, 2012 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some violence, intense action, and brief language |
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