Fellow Cinema Blend writer Eric Eisenberg isn’t nearly as optimistic as I am about Real Steel. In fact, I’m willing to go as far as to predict this film turns out to be a great comeback story with some excellent robot fighting for visual appeal. If not, then it’s just a movie where robots punch each other to pieces. Either way, it doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend a Friday night.
Based on the previously posted video and the one we have to show you below, Hugh Jackman’s Reel Steal character is a former pro-boxer living in a futuristic world where human boxing is done and robot boxing is what the people want to see. One would surmise that this would, at the very least, severely limit the value of the character's skill in the industry, until he comes across a robot that’s built to shadow movements. With Jackman’s character’s skill and experience in the sport, and the robot’s strength and ability to mirror movements, they could be a good match against their high-tech opposition. Is it man vs. machine, or man with machine? Maybe a little bit of both.
Jackman can be heard saying, "This is my last shot," which to me, suggests that this film is as much about robots fighting as it is a story of a man getting one more chance to get back into the ring, figuratively speaking. If Real Steel turns out to be what it’s selling in these promos, we could be looking at a film about human spirit and inner strength as demonstrated through the body of a big, punching robot. In that respect, Eminem’s “Til I Collapse,” which touches on the subject of inner strength, is most definitely a fitting song to work into the trailer.
Real Steel hits theaters October 7th. More on the film here.
