Real Steel

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Real Steel

PG-13

2011

2h 7m

Action

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

231 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Charlie Kenton used to be a prizefighter but lost his chance to win a title when heavy, towering robots took over the boxing ring. Now working as a small-time promoter, Charlie pieces together scrap metal into low-end fighters, barely earning enough to make it from one underground venue to the next. After hitting rock bottom, Charlie reluctantly teams with his estranged son, Max, to build and train a championship robot for a last shot at redemption.

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Critics Consensus

Silly premise notwithstanding, this is a well-made Hollywood movie: Thrilling and exciting action with just enough characterization.

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Logan Hill

New York Magazine/Vulture

11/14/2018

It's more of a throwback to Horatio Alger's Ragged Dick, a rags-to-middle-class-respectability tale about the humble joy of old-fashioned decency.

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Tom Charity

CNN.com

11/14/2018

It's as corny as Kansas, but the mix of old fashioned heart and new fangled animatronic cyber tech will make this picture a winner for fathers and sons.

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Shawn Levy

New York Times

11/06/2018

All things considered, it is a well-wrought piece of entertainment, confidently paced, although its necessary subplots are little more than dutiful filler sandwiched between fight sequences.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 28

3/5

As hokey as that sounds, "Real Steel" will catch you with a body blow of father-son emotion.

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Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

09/27/2023

6/10

The truth is that it is a fun film and its few inconsistencies are insignificant compared to the outstanding special effects and the compelling thematic thread. [Full review in Spanish]

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/07/2023

2.5/4

A tired old cast re-pressed and coated with a shiny new layer of wax.

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Mickey B

@Mickerdoo Dec 26

Not sure how this movie made it to production but glad it did. Really on the nose and boxing templated. CGI extravaganza. Lilly looks great.

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Gijs A

@THEREALSTEELLOVER Dec 19

Absolute banger! Already watched the movie like 10 times and still can't get enough of it. The action, great. The robots, spot on. The bonding of father and son, perfection. Its a rather simple movie for the regular viewer, its easy to follow and there is a lot of untold informationto be found online. Although i would like to see more robot fighting action. but overal great movie definetly my favourite movie!

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Gokul B

@Gokul90 Dec 19

Real Steel is a wonderful watch. The bonding and the final message truly stood out. It reminds us that we don’t always need a win—effort, resilience, and humanity matter more. Thank you for this film. I sincerely appreciate the effort and contribution of each and every person who worked on it. Thank you for the motivation.

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Steven A

Nov 5

When is a boxing movie not a boxing movie? When it's Real Steel. Beyond the surface of a underdog boxing story is one about a man losing his dreams and a boy needing connection and how they find it in each other. It's about redemption, family and finding new purpose. Frankly this movie makes me feel more than a movie like this has any right to and it's earned every last star.

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Tyler G

@tylergross121 Oct 27

When it opened with an Alexia Murdoch song, I was ready to love this movie, but I just cannot. It is bad. I cannot stress how much of this movie is delivered with a character yelling into a camera less than a foot from their face. Hugh Jackman yells 80%+ of his lines, and the kid isn't far behind. It begins to grind on the ears and eyes. Pass.

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Idris S

Oct 24

Amazing concept to bring rock em sock ems to the big screen, with good story, cgi, practical effects and actors. Wish there was a sequel to this. Could've been bigger

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Shawn Levy

Director

Hugh Jackman

Charlie Kenton

Evangeline Lilly

Bailey Tallet

Dakota Goyo

Max

Anthony Mackie

Finn

Kevin Durand

Ricky

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Synopsis

Charlie Kenton used to be a prizefighter but lost his chance to win a title when heavy, towering robots took over the boxing ring. Now working as a small-time promoter, Charlie pieces together scrap metal into low-end fighters, barely earning enough to make it from one underground venue to the next. After hitting rock bottom, Charlie reluctantly teams with his estranged son, Max, to build and train a championship robot for a last shot at redemption.

Director: Shawn Levy
Producer: Don Murphy, Susan Montford, Shawn Levy
Screenwriter: John Gatins
Distributor: Walt Disney
Production Co: 21 Laps Entertainment, Montford Murphy
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Action|Brief Language|Some Violence)
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $85.5M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital

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