No matter how many trailers, plot descriptions, and TV spots I watch/read, I can't get my head around Real Steel. I love boxing movies because they have a great way of creating emotional resonance from physical brutality, but how do you get that when the human is standing outside of the ring throwing shadow punches while two hunks of metal swing at each other? Sure, there's the element of Hugh Jackman's character trying to reconnect with his son, but isn't it much more powerful when you can see a dad taking punches and sacrificing his own body a la The Champ? It's possible that this element simply isn't being translated in the promotional materials, and if that's the case, it continues with a new featurette released about the making of the film. Check out the video below.



Plot aside, I do think it's cool what they are doing in terms of world building and technology. I like that the robots have not only different fighting styles, but are controlled differently by their owners (though I still think it looks like Jackman is playing Wii Boxing). I can also appreciate the use of motion-capture and bringing in professional boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard. There was a serious risk that this film would be Transformers in a boxing ring, where the two mechanical characters just wail on each other and we can't tell what's happening, but motion capture suggests that there may actually be some art to the robots' boxing style. Real Steel is set to be released on October 7th and for more about the film be sure to check out our Blend Film Database.