Real Steel

Play trailer

Real Steel

PG-13

Released Oct 7, 2011

2h 7m

Action

Drama

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Logan Hill

New York Magazine/Vulture

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.

Nov 14, 2018

Full Review

Tom Charity

CNN.com

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.

Nov 14, 2018

Full Review

Shawn Levy

New York Times

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.

Nov 6, 2018

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

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

Rated: 3/5

Jul 28, 2025

Full Review

Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

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]

Rated: 6/10

Sep 27, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

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

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 7, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Warren T

This is one of top 3 movies on my list, very entertaining and fun to watch! Highly recommend

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/25

Full Review

ERNIE A

I think it was great because it was made before 2015, the fall of all movies. Great movie for a father and son.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/04/25

Full Review

Lukus B

Best boxing movie I’ve seen, extremely realistic and amazing to watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/02/25

Full Review

jorge gil c

Una joyita de película sin lugar a dudas

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/25/25

Full Review

Dominic A.

GOAT Movie of all time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/20/25

Full Review

Drake H.

I love it can’t wait till they come out with the second one

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/16/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Shawn Levy

Director

Hugh Jackman

Charlie Kenton

Evangeline Lilly

Bailey Tallet

Dakota Goyo

Max

Anthony Mackie

Finn

Kevin Durand

Ricky

The Giver

34%

55%

The Giver

Watchlist

Warrior

84%

92%

Warrior

Watchlist

Fighting

40%

36%

Fighting

Watchlist

The Darkest Minds

15%

70%

The Darkest Minds

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Darkest Minds

In Time

36%

51%

In Time

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Ranking 26 Giant Robots From Film and TV

Hugh Jackman’s 10 Best Movies

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Real Steel Holds Off Footloose

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now