Pan (4/10): All visuals, but no heart

“If you don't believe, Peter, then neither will they.”

It seems that every decade there is a new attempt at bringing Peter Pan back to life wether it be a reimagining of the classic tale or a prequel. This time it was Joe Wright’s turn to give us an origin story of Peter Pan and how he arrived at Neverland. The concept seemed pretty interesting considering Pan is such a fascinating character, and Joe Wright who delivered solid films like Pride and Prejudice and Atonement seemed to be the perfect man for the job. That is why Pan was among my most anticipated films of the year, although that anticipation began to wear down once the first reviews starting coming in. The visuals are quite mesmerizing, but the problem with Pan has more to do with the narrative structure of the film. Pan is such a lovable character, but here he seems to lack that charm that made kids fall in love with his childish and wacky behavior. This Pan seems more mature and not very mischievous. He is in search of his mother and is trying to find meaning to his existence. But that approach sort of takes the fun out of his character. However, the choice of including Hook as an ally was pretty engaging. I liked that element of the story, but that was about it. Hook and Pan have a solid relationship in the film, but it never takes center stage and the action scenes kind of eclipse any attempt of establishing these characters. Hugh Jackman rarely works for me as a villain since he seems to go over the top with these characters at times. Blackbeard was not the exception for Jackman. Rooney Mara seemed like the perfect choice for Tiger Lily, but her character is never given much opportunity in the film and I thought it was a waste of talent. Pan seemed to have all the right ingredients to become a success but from the moment Peter arrives at Neverland to the sound of miners chanting Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, all the magic disappeared. 

I wouldn’t blame the film’s lack of heart on its cast because I thought there were some strong performances. Levi Miller did a good job playing the title character, but the problem is that this Peter simply wasn’t childish and lively as the ones we are used to seeing him in. Adeel Akhtar was given the task of playing Sam Smiegel and in my opinion his character was the closest to the cartoon. Of course here Hook is playing Peter’s friend so he is nothing like we are used to seeing. Garret Hedlund gives the best performance of the film and I think that his character would’ve been a more fascinating character study. We could have used more of his origin story and then explore reasons as to why he ultimately became the Hook we all know. The cast and the visuals were all very satisfactory, but the narrative elements are what ultimately hurt this film and didn’t allow it to take off the way I would’ve wanted it to. Pan was definitely a disappointment for me, and it just goes to prove how difficult it is to bring Neverland to life. I’m in the minority here, but I think that Spielberg’s Hook is the best adaptation of the story. Watch that instead. 

Chappie (6/10): Closer to Elysium than District 9 but still manages to entertain despite its flaws.

“Don't let people take away your potential Chappie.”

Chappie is Neil Blomkamp’s highly anticipated follow up to Elysium and District 9. His first film has become a favorite for science fiction fans, but Elysium failed to connect with many audiences. Neil himself said that he felt he messed up with Elysium, but I still found it engaging despite its flaws. Chappie has a similar style and feeling to his other movies where he introduces us to a dystopian society and presents a rather gritty glimpse of the world. His films are always fun to look at, but his screenplays seem to have some flaws. The greatest problem with Chappie is that it doesn’t seem to establish its tone or target audience. At times it seems very cartoonish appealing to a younger audience and very reminiscent to the heart and cheesiness of Short Circuit and then during other moments it becomes dark and violent reminding us of scenes from Robocop. This tonal shift doesn’t work well, but the title character is so appealing that I was invested in the film despite not caring too much for the rest of the characters. 

Blomkamp creates these dystopian worlds and uses science fiction elements to make some sort of critique towards our society. His films tend to play out as metaphors and at times they are a bit too obvious like in Elysium where he criticizes the enormous gap between classes where the rich get the best medical aid and the poor are left out to dry. In District 9 his criticism was geared towards the division of classes as well as racism. Here, I felt like Chappie played out as a sort of metaphor on religion where you have this conscious robot created by mis maker, but when raised by the wrong people he drifts and wastes his potential. There are several themes scattered throughout the movie where Chappie questions the decisions of his creator that I found similar to the questions that religion raises at times about our humanity and purpose in life. There is also an underlying message of the dangers of militarization as you have Hugh Jackman’s character wanting to implement human controlled robots with heavy machinery in the police force. I may be looking too far into this movie, but those were my initial perceptions. 

Dev Patel plays Deon, one of the engineers responsible for creating these police droids who are replacing humans in the force. He develops a program that will give the robots a consciousness of their own, but when his boss (played by Sigourney Weaver) doesn’t give him permission to test the robots, he decides to program one on his own. Just when he does this, he is kidnapped by a group of gangsters (Ninja, Yo-Landi Visser, and Jose Pablo Cantillo) who want him to shut off the robots so they can execute a heist. Seeing that he doesn’t have the power to do so, they end up taking the robot, which Yolandi names Chappie  and raising it themselves so they can use it to their advantage. In the meantime, there is a former military named Vincent (Hugh Jackman) working for the same company as Deon who is trying to get his project approved which consists of a human controlled robot with far advanced weaponry.   

Chappie is voiced extremely well by Sharlto Copley who also does some of the robot’s movements and gestures. He is the highlight of the film, but as much as I enjoyed the character of Chappie and watching him learn and experience things like a child I found several flaws with the screenplay and the rest of the characters. The gangsters are portrayed as these sort of unlikable characters who we are later supposed to care about. They are actually in this film more than Patel, Jackman, and Weaver, and it does become a problem because the film begins to shift in tone. Poor decisions are made such as the idea of letting Deon go after being kidnapped knowing that he knows who these people are and where they live. Hugh Jackman’s character is very poorly developed and does some things in the company that no one else seems to mind, but I know wouldn’t be tolerated in a normal work setting. There are many decisions like this that don’t make much sense, but that only serve the purpose of moving the story from one point to the next which the film does rather quickly. Even the security measures in the company are very dubious and the more you think about the holes in the plot the less you will enjoy it, but as long as you are engaged with Chappie’s character and his development you might be entertained and forget the problems the film has. I still had a good time, but I can see why audiences might not care much for this. 

My Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past (9/10)

"Are we destined to destroy each other, or can we change each other and unite? Is the future truly set?"

I don't know if I have the right words to explain how much fun this seventh film in the X-Men franchise truly is. Matthew Vaughn revived this franchise in First Class by taking us to the past and giving the film a much more emotionally dramatic tone, focusing on the relationship between Charles and Erik. The greatest thing about that film was the cast he was able to assemble with James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult leading the pack. At first I didn't know quite what to expect when I heard Vaughn was stepping down and leaving Days of Future Past in Bryan Singer's hands. On the one hand he was responsible for the success of the first two X-Men films, but on the other hand I was let down with Superman Returns. I guess I kind of forgot this man was responsible for the superhero genre revival (contrary to popular belief, it was him with the first X-Men film not Sam Raimi with SpiderMan which came out two years later) that has dominated movie screens for the past decade and a half. Singer hasn't lost his touch and he delivers an exhilarating and entertaining film worthy of being a blockbuster summer hit. It has everything you want from a blockbuster movie: fantastic visuals, great action sequences, a perfect ensemble cast, and a story that is both fun and emotionally engaging. I don't just want cool visuals and nice actions sequences, I want to be engaged with the characters and care for them, and that is what Singer pulls off beautifully with Days of Future Past. Add the wonderful performances from Fassbender, McAvoy, Lawrence, Stewart, Jackman, and a wonderful scene with Evan Peters as Quicksilver and you have a perfect movie. This might just be my favorite superhero film after The Dark Knight due to the fact that the cast is amazing and that Singer managed to perfectly blend the best aspects of the earlier films in the franchise with the new elements Vaughn brought to the reboot. It is hard to imagine how after 7 films, Days of Future Past manages to remain so fresh and keep the audience so emotionally invested in these characters. As we reach the halfway point of the year, I must say this is the best film of 2014 so far.

Based on the Days of Future Past comic book story arc written by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the screenplay was adapted by Simon Kinberg. Set in an apocalyptic future, the few surviving mutants are struggling to fight together against sentinels created by humans to hunt them down. The few surviving mutants we see fighting in the first scene are Colossus, Sunspot, Bishop, Iceman, Warpath, Blink, and Kitty Pryde. There isn't much they can do against these sentinels that adapt and absorb their powers. Several mutants are killed during the attack, but then all of a sudden they disappear as we discover Kitty Pryde's (Ellen Page) mutation has evolved in such a way that she can send someone's consciousness back through time. By doing so they were able to send Bishop a few minutes back in time and warn them about the sentinel attack, thus altering the recent timeline and staying alive. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) know that the mutants are facing extinction and that in order to be saved they must return to the past and undo something Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) did in 1973. Along with Charles and Magneto, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Storm (Halle Berry) arrive to the place where the rest of the mutants are hiding out. Since Wolverine is the only one who doesn't age and who can fully recover, they decide he is the only one fit to return to the past and stop Mystique from assassinating Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), the creator of the sentinel program. His murder would only fuel human's hate towards mutants and lead them to perfecting his work through experimentation with Mystique's unique DNA. Once back in the past, Logan must reach out to Charles (James McAvoy) and Erick (Michael Fassbender) and unite them in order to stop Mystique from achieving her goal and thus saving their future. 

Time traveling can be a difficult and tricky feat to pull off, but by using a similar approach to other films such as The Terminator, Singer manages to turn it into a quite simple premise. He merges both timelines perfectly in a satisfactory way. The film feels genuine thanks to some wonderful performances, strong character development, excellent pacing, and the emotional risks that are involved. In a way, I felt like Days of Future Past followed the steps of its predecessor and fixed a lot of the problems audiences had with The Last Stand, thus reinvigorating the franchise without having to reboot it. The film is inventive, original, and there are plenty of surprises. I loved every moment Fassbender was on screen as he absolutely dominates every dramatic moment. Jackman's Wolverine was always my favorite character in the X-Men franchise, and he is fantastic, but this time he has a lot of help from the rest of the cast. McAvoy also adds a lot to the emotional dramatic effect of the film on the viewer. The scene he is confronted by his future self (Stewart) is impressive. His character and Fassbender's are complete opposites despite the fact that they truly respect and care for each other. Lawrence's Mystique seems to be at the center of their struggle. All these elements combined with Singer's breathtaking visuals turn what could've been just another conventional superhero film into an epic one. Singer also knows how to balance action with dramatic moments along with some comedic ones. Despite all the memorable scenes in this highly entertaining blockbuster movie, Evan Peters stills it in the scene where they are helping Magneto escape. That is just a pure example of how Singer managed to balance all those elements together by mixing thrills with laughs. 

My Review: Prisoners (8/10)

"Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst."

Prisoners is a dark thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat during almost the entirety of the film. It was a very intense experience. It is hard not to compare this film to Mystic River or Gone Baby Gone because those two movies set the landmark for modern thrillers dealing with abduction. Prisoners almost lives up to the standards that those two films set. Canadian director, Denis Villeneuve, follows up his Oscar nominated film, Incendies, with this intense thriller that manages to capture the audiences attention once again. Incendies was one of my favorite films of 2011, and despite Prisoners not living up to the perfection that film achieved, I still thought this film was highly entertaining and satisfying. There were a few minor plot points that didn't work for me, but that didn't take anything away from this great film. It is a more mainstream film, but it manages to follow a similar approach as Fincher reminding us of Se7en or Zodiac thanks to its dark and haunting atmosphere. I am a huge fan of this genre and really had a fun time trying to solve the mystery through the small clues that Villeneuve masterfully presented in the story. Prisoners was without a doubt one of the most gripping and intense experiences I had all year. Unfortunately it is a little too intense and at times I felt the film could have used some moments to release such tension. Anyways Prisoners is a highly recommended film and a must-see. 

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is a family man who is always prepared for the worst. He is a survivalist with a basement full of provisions and is teaching his older son, Ralph (Dylan Minnette), how to hunt. He's married to Grace (Maria Bello) and they have a daughter named Anna (Erin Gerasimovich). One afternoon, Keller's worst nightmare comes true while they are hanging out with their friendly neighbors the Birches. Franklin (Terrence Howard) and Nancy Birch (Viola Davis) have two kids about the same age as Ralph and Grace, Eliza (Zoe Borde) and Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons). While the two families are having a lovely time together, Joy and Anna decide to go back to Anna's house, but when the Dover's come back home they are horrified to discover that the kids never made it back. Ralph remembers that they were playing next to a strange RV that was parked up front which is now gone. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is appointed as the lead investigator in the case and the first thing he does is locate the RV. The driver is a disturbed young man named Alex Jones (Paul Dano) who has the IQ of a 10 year old and with no evidence to incriminate him Detective Loki has to let him free. His Aunt (Melissa Leo) comes to pick him up and explains how naive and innocent he is. As hours pass, Keller begins to get more desperate and convinced that Alex was involved he decides to take matters into his own hands. From here on the tension begins to escalate as they try to solve the mystery.

Prisoners succeeds as a neo-noir thriller building up a lot of tension with a very dark atmosphere which is perfectly captured by cinematographer Roger Deakins. It adds to the mysterious mood of the story which on its own is already pretty intense. The screenplay, written be Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband), is very well written with a very interesting premise and some great twists. My only complaint with this film has to do with the lack of a strong female character. With such a strong cast, I thought that Maria Bello or Viola Davis could have been given a stronger role, but the film focuses mostly on Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. They both give very strong and convincing performances, and Gyllenhaal has surprised me over the last three years with very good films (Source Code, End of Watch, and now this one). I guess he has been choosing his roles very wisely lately because his next film also looks interesting (Enemy which is also directed by Denis Villeneuve). Paul Dano also gave a strong performance as his character's motivations were very hard to decipher. The strong cast and the interesting story make this a very entertaining film despite some minor flaws involving character motivations. It is one of the best recent thrillers coming out of Hollywood and I doubt you will be disappointed.

My Review: The Wolverine (7/10)

¨What they did to me, what I am, can't be undone.¨

It seems that adding the ¨The¨to the title nowadays makes every movie look a bit cooler and it actually works for this film because The Wolverine is much better than its predecessor, X-Men Origins - Wolverine. Logan was one of my favorite characters in the X-Men trilogy and it was a shame the origin story didn't work too well because he is such an interesting character and there are so many places you could go with it. Director James Mangold (who has a favorable track record with me: Walk the Line and 3:10 to Yuma) succeeds here by taking Logan to Japan, which many fans of the comics may agree is one of their personal favorite moments (Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's 1982 run). Having the events of this film take place after The Last Stand also allowed Mangold to have more space to work with and focus on Logan's inner demons as he deals with the loss of Jean Grey. Fans won't be disappointed because the character is carefully developed here and unlike its predecessor the action scenes work to build the story and not the other way around where you have the typical superhero movie that jumps from one action scene to the next without any apparent purpose. The action scenes are also beautifully choreographed here (I am specially thinking of that train sequence). Another thing that worked for me is that you don't have Logan trying to save the world; the entire plot takes place almost entirely in Japan. It is a small scale film unlike recent superhero films where everything takes place around the globe while entire cities are being blown to pieces. And finally the film has a great scene after the credits that connect things nicely to the next X-Men film coming out next year. The Wolverine is a solid film and one of the better superhero films of the year. 

The film takes place around two years after the events of The Last Stand. Logan (Hugh Jackman) is living on his own in the Yukon constantly having nightmares about Jean (Famke Janssen). He has been living as a nomad in the woods conflicted with the fact that he has lost so many dear loved ones. One day while having a small dispute with some hunters at a near town he encounters Yukio (Rila Fukushima) a Japanese red haired woman who has come to persuade him to come to Japan to say goodbye to her master, Yashida (Ken Yamamura), who is dying from cancer. Logan saved Yashida's life 70 years ago during WWII in Nagasaki and now he wants to say goodbye to him. Logan decides to travel to Japan to say his farewell, but once he is there Yashida presents him with a unique opportunity: he claims his company has the technological advances to make him mortal again. He knows eternity has been a curse for him, and offers him the opportunity of becoming mortal, but Logan refuses the offer. He then asks Logan to stay for a couple of days and protect his granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), who he believes is in danger. That night Logan awakens to find that Yashida has passed away. During the funeral some yakuza try to attack Mariko, but Logan saves her. For the first time in his life Logan doesn't seem to recover from his injuries, but that doesn't prevent him from protecting Mariko from the people that are after her. The Wolverine now must learn how to face an unknown enemy while at the same time deal with his immortality. 

Hugh Jackman looked better than ever as Wolverine (this is the fifth time he repeats the role). He owns the character in probably the same way that Robert Downey Jr. owns Iron Man and is physically in better shape than in his previous films. The film also seems to have more depth and substance as the character is better developed here. It also has what a superhero film must have which are thrilling action scenes, but there is much more to this film. The story is dark and isn't as fast paced, but it is satisfying. My only complaint has to do with the final act which is a little too cartoonish and generic, but it doesn't hurt the overall effectiveness of the film. I really had a fun time with this film and it has me hooked with how they are going to tie things up with the next film of the franchise.

My Review: Les Miserables (8/10)

¨But remember this, my brother, see in this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the Passion and the Blood, God has raised you out of darkness; I have bought your soul for God! ¨

Academy Award winning director, Tom Hooper (The King`s Speech), brings one of the most famous musicals based on Victor Hugo`s 1862 novel, Les Miserables, to the big screen with quite a remarkable screenplay adaptation, a beautiful production design, and some stunning performances from the cast. The film is directed in such a way that you feel like you are watching a conventional stage musical rather than a movie. For the viewers like myself that live far away from the big cities and have no option of watching a live musical this is as close as it gets for us. Hooper took a huge risk by letting his actors sing live on set while they were performing instead of simply having them doing playback like in most musical adaptations. This is in my opinion what gave the film such a livelier feel to it and made me feel like I was watching a play. The film is almost entirely sung as there is very little dialogue, so if you aren’t a big fan of musicals you will want to stay away from this one. My only complaint about Hooper`s style of direction is that he used extreme close ups on every character during most of the film, which didn’t allow us to enjoy the grandeur of the production design as much as I would have liked. These close ups were a bit too much for my taste. Most of the songs performed were done in long takes so I can imagine how hard and exhausting it must have been for the actors to get each take right. I enjoyed this film very much, but did have some issues with the length of the movie. Even so, this is a great film and Tom Hooper successfully manages to adapt this well known play. It deserves all the recognition it is getting.

For those of you familiar with the novel or the stage play you might want to skip this second paragraph focusing on the plot. The film takes place during the post-French revolution time period where we are introduced to prisoner 24601, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who has spent the past 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread for his dying niece. He is finally being released, but Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) warns him that he must not break parole. ¨Once a thief, always a thief¨ is his motto and he`s sure Valjean will end up behind bars again. Jean finds it extremely difficult to find a job after being marked as a criminal and is very bitter about life, but he finds redemption in a Bishop who saves him from returning to prison and makes him turn his life around. Jean breaks parole and begins a new life as a successful businessman who becomes mayor. He is a kind person, but his past continues to haunt him as Javert appears several years later and recognizes him. Jean has to go on the run again, but not before he makes a promise to a former employee of his, Fantine (Anne Hathaway), to care for her child. Jean wasn’t aware that she was fired from his business after the employees discovered she had a child and was single. Fantine was forced to turn into a prostitute in order to maintain her child, Cosette, who is being cared for by the Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter) who take advantage of her. Feeling guilty for what has happened to Fantine, Jean pledges to care for Cosette and buys her from the Thenardiers. Several years later we see Jean and Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) enjoying life together as father and daughter, but once again Jean`s past catches up to him as he runs into Javert during the student revolution led by Marius (Eddie Redmayne). When Cosette and Marius fall in love with each other, Jean realizes he won`t be able to run all his life.

We are all familiar with the story and the universal themes that this classic novel touches such as love, redemption, mercy, poverty, and the revolutionary spirit. The film captures all these themes perfectly thanks to some wonderful performances from Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway who both received Oscar nominations. My favorite character however was the young Gavroche who was played brilliantly by Daniel Huttlestone. Samantha Barks as the broken hearted Eponine also gave a strong performance. Much of the success of the film is owed to these great and inspiring performances. The songs were also beautifully delivered and I enjoyed most of them. I think my favorite one came from the student revolutionaries, ¨Do You Hear the People Sing? ¨ Les Miserables will please fans, but those who have no taste for musicals or haven’t enjoyed the stage productions will hate this film because it is manipulative and over the top. Having that said, I still think Hooper`s effort pays off and he`s made a great musical, although his best film was the much smaller and far less ambitious in scale, The Damned United, which catapulted him to fame. I did not feel as emotional as other people did about this film, and wasn’t moved. In all honesty I was a bit exhausted by the time the credits began rolling, but it still was an entertaining film worth checking out for the performances alone.

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My Review: Rise of the Guardians (7/10)

¨It is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives.¨

Rise of the Guardians is the latest animated film brought to us by Dreamworks (the studio that created Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon) and directed by Peter Ramsey. This is Ramsey`s first film as a director as he is mostly known for his work as a storyboard artist for films like Fight Club, Men in Black, and Independence Day. Rise of the Guardians is probably not up to par with other Dreamworks projects, but it still manages to be a very entertaining animated film, and one kids will enjoy. The art direction is perhaps the best part of the movie, as the story and characters lack better development. There are a lot of action scenes that the children will enjoy, and plenty of funny moments as well. Rise of the Guardians is a fun movie, it just doesn’t reach the same level How to Train Your Dragon or Kung Fu Panda did. The animated film was adapted by David Lindsay-Abaire from William Joyce`s book. Children will really love this film because it has well known characters and the movie sort of has a Avengers look to it as these heroes assemble together to protect the Earth from a dangerous villain-

Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine) is the main character of the story is a mischievous kid who can turn anything into ice with his stick. The only problem is that no one seems to know he exists. The kids all seem to love North (Alec Baldwin) aka as Santa, Tooth (Isla Fisher) aka the Tooth Fairy, Bunny (Hugh Jackman) aka the Easter Bunny, and Sandman, but they don`t know of the existence of Jack Frost. These four guardians protect the children and ensure that their light always shine with amazement and dreams. Jack Frost on the other hand is always fooling around and doesn’t seem to have any responsibility whatsoever, but his life will change when the evil Pitch (Jude Law) begins to threaten the children and scare them off with nightmares. The four guardians discover that they will need the help of Jack Frost in order to protect the kids from this evil nemesis. The dreams and happiness of the children around the world are at stake.

Rise of the Guardians is a pretty inventive film, using these beloved characters from our childhood and turning them into superheroes that not only bring joy to the children in the holidays, but also protect and guard them from the darkness. I had a fun time with this movie, but I don’t think I would want to watch it again. I probably wouldn’t enjoy a sequel either, but nonetheless I had a good time with this animated feature. Kids will probably enjoy this more than adults.

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My Review: Real Steel (9/10)

¨I wanted you to fight for me.¨

Real Steel is a fantastic and fun film that is so much more than simply a robot boxing movie. I have to admit that when I first saw the trailer I thought this was going to be another Transformer like fiasco, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well the movie was presented. The robots were simply secondary characters and the true heart of the film relied on the human characters and their relationship. It mixes sci-fi with the classic David against Goliath underdog story and some heartfelt drama focusing on the relationship between a father and his son. The special effects and the boxing robot scenes are great, but I am so glad that wasn’t the actual focus of the film; there was so much more to it. Hugh Jackman is a great actor and he really delivers a lot of heart in his performance, but the actual star in this film is the young Dakota Goyo who really shines in each scene he`s in; he has so much charisma on screen; I am sure he has a great future ahead of him. The relationship between his character and his father (Hugh Jackman) is the true focus of the film and what made Real Steel stand out above the rest of the summer blockbusters. Shawn Levy (Date Night and Night at the Museum) directed this film which is loosely based on the short story ¨Steel, ¨ and the screenplay was adapted by John Gatins. I found some parts of the screenplay similar to the original Rocky movie, so in a way Real Steel could be called the futuristic remake of Rocky.

Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) used to be a professional boxer before the sport was banned and displaced by robot boxing. He was an average boxer who could take a lot of hits, and stood his own against the then champion of the world. Now he barely survives as a boxing promoter, taking his robot across the state to small rodeos and promoting small fights. He is not very good at winning and owes a lot of people a lot of money. He lives with his former coach`s daughter, Bailey (Evangeline Lilly) who also loves boxing and works as sort of the robot engineer as she tries to fix the different parts and pieces of the damaged robots Charlie brings back. She admires Charlie, but also knows that his life is leading nowhere. Charlie`s life changes when he spends a summer with his eleven year old son, Max (Dakota Goyo), whom he had never met before. Max`s mother passes away so legally Charlie is in charge, but the boy`s aunt Debra (Hope Davis) wants to take full custody of the kid along with her wealthy husband Marvin (James Rebhorn). Charlie sees the opportunity of making some money off his son and offers to give them full custody of the kid as long as they pay him 100,000 dollars. Marvin makes a deal with him as long as he keeps Max during the summer while he travels with his wife to Europe. Max and Charlie don’t get a long at first, but their passion for robot boxing brings them closer together. Charlie can find a chance at redemption when Max finds an old and abandoned robot named Atom which was used for training, but with some few adjustments they might have found a winner.

Real Steel was probably one of the most fun films I`ve seen this year. Yes, it has some flaws, it`s not perfect, but it was really entertaining. The film has some corny dialogue, it can be predictable, but it is a winner thanks to the great cast. I`m also a sucker for underdog stories and this is probably one of the best sport movies I`ve seen this year. It has its emotional moments and I really loved the performances from Jackman and Goyo. The kid is just fantastic on screen and his charisma is unbelievable. You can`t help but route for this kid. I also enjoyed Evangeline Lilly being the Lost fan that I am and it was great to see her in a decent role. The scene where she talks to Max about how Charlie used to be a great boxer was great; you can tell how much her character cared for Charlie by the way her eyes light up when she talked about it. I wish she would accept more roles in the future; I loved seeing her on screen. The robot boxing scenes were also great; I can remember two or three fights that were absolutely engaging, and the final fight is just a great homage to the original Rocky movie. Real Steel is real fun and real entertainment. I absolutely recommend this film and it will surely be among my favorite films of 2011.

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