When the PR machine gears up and really begins its attack on the public to promote the upcoming film, Real Steel, expect a whole lot of comments about rock-‘em-sock-‘em robots. But you won’t find that kind of lowbrow humor here. No sir, those jokes are far too easy (and we may or may not have already used them when the first trailer debuted).
Regardless, the upcoming Real Steel is set the near future where robots have replaced boxers, and the sport is still relevant. So it really is fiction (zing!).
Hugh Jackman stars as Charlie Kenton, a former championship contender, who was put to pasture when people decided it was more fun to watch robots beat on each other than humans. Things haven’t been easy for Charlie, and they are further complicated when his son Max shows up to live with him. Charlie hits the road to act as a fight promoter, but is soon in trouble when his prized bot is destroyed. With the help of his adorable little scamp of a son, the two find a training robot that against all odds becomes a contender.
The early buzz for the film has been good. So good that a sequel is already being planned because apparently the demand for fighting robots is off the charts right now.
Directed by Shawn Levy (Date Night, Night at the Museum), Real Steel hits theaters on October 7.
