OK for kids 12+
Predictable but fun fight movie has lots of robot action.
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.
- 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?
The good stuff
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Messages: The movie has a lot to say about redemption and forgiveness between a father and his son. It also makes you think about how we cast aside older models (computers, cell phones, people) for flashier, newer varieties, often forgetting that there's value in what came before. It also suggests that people should be confident in their gifts and use them judiciously.
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Role models: Charlie won't win Father of the Year anytime soon (at least not for most of the movie), but he does redeem himself. And Max is kind, forgiving, resilient, determined, and self-motivated; he's quite a kid.
What to watch for
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Violence: Tons of scenes, some fairly intense, show robots beating other robots up. While the robots are the primary pugilists here, the machines' bouts take place in front of audiences drunk with bloodlust, and there's one nasty human beatdown that happens in front of a child and leaves a main character bloodied and immobilized.
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Sex: One kiss and a few scantily clad women at a boxing match.
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Language: Language use (some of which is by the kid) includes "s--t," "ass," "damn," "crap," "bitch," "hell," "oh my God," and "suck."
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Consumerism: Plenty of noticeable product placement from brands including Coca-Cola, ESPN, HP computers, Nokia, Capitol One, Cadillac, bing, Xbox, and Sprint.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: An adult swigs beer in front of children; at one point, he's drinking soon after waking up.
Fan Reviews provided by
4
Real Steel by BrioGirl
This movie rocked. It was a good balance of heart and action, largely because the two male leads were excellent and had fantastic chemistry together. I would recommend this to anyone who likes action, drama, staged combat, or Hugh Jackman.
5
The best movie ever!!!!!! by Ernie752113
I went to see this movie with my wife amd friend and for the first time i had some tears coming out in front of my wife and friends , i was screming all the movie and one of my friends ALWAYS fall sleep watching a movie , BUT NOT THIS ONE!!!, we all were inside the movie and the entire theater as well , i dont know much about movies , if they had good or bad performances by the actors but what i can tell is , THIS WAS THE BEST MOVIE I EVER SEEN BEFORE!!!!! this one blow me away!!!!!!!
5
Great movie! by Guttie
A very good heartwarming, action movie. The kid and robot, Atom, steal the show. Hugh Jackman is good, no question, but the son, Max, is the star of the movie.
4
Real Steel by gbermudez333
I have to be honest I would not have gone to see this movie if it wasn't for my kids, but after seeing it I recommend it, the characters in the story pull you in into the story and is a heartfelt movie, with adventure, recommend to see it!!!
5
Real Steel by pbanuelos2
This movie was totally worth seeing. I did not get bored once, and it's great for kids too. It didn't have any awkward-what's-the-point sex scenes and the kid Dakota Goyo was a really good actor. The end was fair but totally worth seeing!
4
Better than people........... by Brid
The people characters did a nice job, although the chief villain was a tad over the top and actually corny. The three main characters behaved pretty realistically, with the necessary glossing-over of storyline -- but the lack of detail on background didn't hurt the flow of the movie. Even better than the people, however, were the "real steel" stars, which performed their roles with unfettered enthusiasm yet saved us the discomfort of seeing people parts and fluids oozing across the screen. Overall -- a nice job, with good emotional highs without being smarmy.
5
Fantastic! by jayflea
Maybe it was because of the father/son relationship, but I really bought the story in this film. Had a good balance between robot action and character development that kept it from getting cheesy. Definitely check it out in the movies if you can!
5
Real Steel by keppers
Good Entertainment with a heartwarming story line believe it or not. We thought it was going to be a total special effects action movie and it did have plenty of that. But the human story line is what made it worth writing a review. We can recommend it to those who are discussed by unnecessary bad language that is thrown into even the best of movies these days.
5
Loved it! by netzi85
Great fun film, definitely a family film - the only unsavory part in the film was when one guy came to collect on a bet with the lead character (hugh) so that may be a difficult scene for young viewers, but it was really a great, fun film!
4
Message... by Lohe01
Real steal shows the perfect situation of what is going on with all these mobile device companies providers... Llike how sprint is taken the lead over AT&T, Verizon, T mobile etc etc... "Very good message!"