REAL STEEL? More Like RAGING BULLS***!

By Simon Gallagher / June 25, 2011

Unfortunately this trailer image is not representative of the film.

Doesn't happen that often, but such is my disgust today that I feel compelled to do a personal follow-up to the release of the trailer for Dreamworks' sci-fi boxing film Real Steel. First off, ignoring the trailer for now, it's a "robot boxing drama". I am a boxing fan - it's a sport that I've grown up with, thanks to my father's association with it, and have even thrown a few punches myself, but never, ever did I ever envisage a time when anyone would want to see a boxing film with robots. The second point, and one that is inherently linked to the first is that boxing films usually work on the basis of their humanist elements - the Rocky franchise was one long tale of triumph in the face of adversity, and most of the films dedicated to the sport that work are fundamentally linked to some kind of inner personal turmoil. That's why actors win Oscars when they pull on gloves and shorts and step into the ring. Director Shawn Levy may have recently told Empire that the film will be "more like 30% robo-boxing and 70% drama... not unlike the first Rocky, which is 20% boxing, 80% that underdog redemption story", but that just doesn't sit with the Michael Bay style trailer that I've just seen.

No matter how much you tell me a film has a heart, if it's about robot boxing, I'm just plain not going to believe you. Especially not when the trailer has not even the faintest whiff of emotional significance (aside from Hugh Jackman looking a bit troubled briefly).

And that's the real issue here. The director might be trying to big up the sentimental undertone, by claiming that "the goal... is that you come in thinking you're going to see a cool robot boxing movie, you don't expect this emotional underdog, father/son movie", but having a trailer that looks so fucking brainless and vulgar isn't going to inspire anyone who craves a deeper level of connection than watching Johnny 5 open a can of whup-ass on Wall*E to sit down and allow themselves to be surprised by how "human" the story actually is.

I remain thoroughly underwhelmed.