Real Steel

Robots are the undisputed stars of Real Steel, and they might have written the screenplay as well.

There isn’t an ounce of poignancy in the absurd father-son bonding tale at the heart of this story set in a near-future world where robot boxing has become the testosterone-fueled sport of choice. But when the mammoth machines take to the ring, they provide an adrenaline rush that the human sequences are lacking. Artificial intelligence, indeed.

Hugh Jackman stars as Charlie, a fledgling trainer of underground boxing robots whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of his pre-teen son, Max (Dakota Goyo), following the death of the boy’s mother. Charlie makes a deal with Max’s wealthy aunt (Hope Davis) to watch him for a summer that he sees as having financial benefits with no strings attached.

However, Max becomes enamored with the robots and the sport, even going so far as to claim a rundown machine named Atom from the local junk heap and fix it up for a shot at a small-time purse. But when Atom turns out to be both durable and powerful, both Charlie and Max decide against selling it in favor of a shot at a world title.

Real Steel, ridiculous title and all, is at its best while showing the fictional world of robot boxing. There is some conviction to the idea that fans would flock to such a sport for its amped-up violence and technological innovations, that a boxing-style championship structure could be created, and that fans would pack arenas and watch it on television.

That doesn’t count the underground element, which is more far-fetched but exciting nevertheless. And the robots in the film are pretty cool.

Yet the film, directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum), fails to give its human characters any realistic emotional appeal, with Charlie’s transformation feeling phony from the start.

It’s lazy to judge a film based on demographic appeal, but who exactly is this movie for? Kids might like the colorful robots but it’s doubtful they will identify with the 11-year-old protagonist. Adults, meanwhile, might enjoy the fights but should roll their eyes at this formulaic mix of Rocky and Transformers.

At any rate, the script by John Gatins (Coach Carter) is more concerned with underdog sports clichés and contrived sentimentality for all ages.

Rated PG-13, 127 minutes.