Real Steel

Our local paper's reviewer, who's no longer local and instead lives somewhere else in the parent company's empire, gave this one a D+. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating is a sad 59%. So, you might reasonably ask, why did I go to see it?

It's SF.

Hugh Jackman stars.

I could watch Evangeline Lilly all day.

Rock 'em sock 'em robots!

I walked out of the theater having enjoyed the movie. Others liked it less.

After discussion, I came to believe that the key to whether you'll have a good time at this film is the degree to which sappiness and a clear formula bother you that day.

I'm a sucker for father-son films. I was in a mood to be entertained, so the formulaic nature of the movie--and make no mistake, this one marches to an entirely familiar drum beat--didn't bother me. Plus, I had a good time watching big, loud robot fights.

Of course, if I think hard about the movie, the silliness of the plot, the completely cardboard and unbelievable nature of Evangeline Lilly's character, the inconsistency of the tech, the...well, you get the idea--the essential weakness of it all becomes hard to ignore.

On this Saturday night, though, sitting in the dark, staring at the magic screen, I suspended all those judgmental faculties and had a good time.