When I saw the first trailer for this movie awhile back, I remember thinking that it looked very cool. However as more trailers and footage was released, shifting from the once epic action sequences of the original teaser to the more story-driven sappiness I, like a lot of other people kind of had my doubts on whether or not the movie would be worth seeing. But I stood by my decision and shelled out the money to see it, and I have to say I was happy I did.

The movie Real Steel is set in the not too distant future where the sport of boxing has evolved into gigantic robots dueling to the death for fame and fortune. Everyone's favorite X-Men Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a former professional boxer, now turned struggling, down and out robot boxing promoter. After destroying yet another one of his mechanical brawlers and dodging the locals for skipping out on his bet, he learns that his ex dies in a car crash, leaving his 11 year old son, Max played by Dakota Goyo, in his care. During a nighttime raid on an old scrapyard, they come across an old, intact sparring bot named Atom, with whom Max gains an attachment for, digs him up and restores him. The story then follows the success of the underdog Atom, and the growing bond between father and son as they rise through the ranks finally making it to the big leagues against seemingly unstoppable killing machines.

The acting in this movie was pretty decent. Hugh Jackman held his own in the movie, but Dakota Goyo definitely stole the show, with his believable child-like charm and the awesome dancing he does with Atom. The special effects were awesome, the robots look amazing and the fights are epic in scope. While the story is nothing special and is a plot that has been told time and time again, there wasn't anything wrong with it either. While there is a lot of sappy moments in the movie that would normally turn most people off, the growing relationship between Charlie and his son doesn't seem forced and progresses naturally throughout the film. My only real criticisms of the movie is the less than passable antagonists and a scene toward the later part of the movie that comes off as just plain weird.

Another amazing thing I realized while watching the film, was I was getting sucked into the story. When I saw the robots fight and whenever they got hit really hard, I noticed I flinched and looked away. Also in the same sense, I believed that Atom was just as real as any of the other actors and actresses in the movie, and nearing the end of the movie, I was cheering out loud for Atom like it was a real boxing match. It was one of the few times a movie has ever had that effect on me. All in all, the movie is pretty good and if you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend it. It's by no means a blockbuster movie, but it is a definitely in my top must buys when it comes out on DVD.