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Real Steel

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Real Steel

PG-13

Released Oct 7, 2011

2h 7m

Action

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

233 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

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

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

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Distill 'Rocky' and 'The Champ,' add a dash of The Rumble in the Jungle, shake well and serve in larger-than-life rock ’em sock ’em robots. That’s basically what you get with 'Real Steel'...

Jul 9, 2022

Full Review

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Max K

Simple but compelling script. Exciting film and Hugh Jackman played the role very well.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/28/25

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Will W

The first movie i ever actually fell in love with, it truly is a master piece. Great action and calm parts, a great balance. Loved it!! 1000% recommend

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

Full Review

Blu B

A Hidden Gem Classic. This is not what you expect it to be. Some sort of Pacific Rim/Transformers knockoff. It's actually a sport movie (Rocky) mixed with some Sci-Fi (Transformers) and a family movie. any movie you've ever seen with a father/son on the road bonding from Chef to Over the Top, you'd get this. I can't say I've ever seen something like it. The editing is really well done and everything else is suprisngly solid about it. Lilly is really good, the special effects are really well done on the bots, and it weaves between the robot fighting and father/son drama perfectly. If anything the father/son drama is the most interesting parts. the characters are all likeable, it's super heart warming also. If there is one big flaw here is if you've ever seen any sports movie or any father/son movie you know exactly how this is going to go. The world outside of the robot fighting also is kind of forgettable as well. Also some of the "villians" like Zeus's owners, the loan shark, and the other oppenents are all kind of forgettable. The plot line of the robot having self awareness feels super underdevloped and kind of pointless. And the robot fights can get a little loud and screaming chaotic. They can be a little simliar and mindless at times too but they work just well enough. And yet despite all that...I really liked it. It's a heartwarming type of film you would never expect it to be. This is something to defintely put on for the family, a sports movie, Sci-Fi, or fans of the direcotr or actors in it. Great suprise and defintely would watch again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/29/25

Full Review

Sinan E

Rising of the Robo-Rocky

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

Full Review

Liam C

I really liked this movie. It's such a unique concept to create a movie about. I love the character development that Charlie Kenton went through with his son. The way that Max and changed him is incredible. The movie overall had a great story line and kept interested the whole time. The ending was so perfectly thought out. The way that a newly built "junkyard" robot almost bet the top robot fighter is incredible. It wouldn't have been realistic if Atom won, which is exactly why it's a good thing that he was declared the "People's Champion". Great family movie for everyone to enjoy!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/06/25

Full Review

Angad K

I believe it was a very good movie and would recommend it and the ending wasn't predictable so I really enjoyed it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/25

Full Review

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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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