Now Playing: Real Steel

Sunday is dedicated homework day for this semester and, as a reward for finishing all our work, we went to see a lovely little family flick about rock-'em-sock-'em robots called Real Steel.  Yeah, I know what you're thinking: can song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman really pull off ex-boxer?  and can Evangeline Lilly really play anyone but Kate?  Okay, maybe you're not thinking either of those things, but that's what I was thinking for sure.

Anyway, the answers are Yes and Kinda, respectively.  Jackman could probably sell sand in a desert and his leftover Wolverine muscles don't hurt the cause.  Lilly plays Bailey, who is what Kate could have been had she not had a number attached to her by an island.  They're both passable.  It's Dakota Goyo, fellow Canadian and all-round adorable sass-mouth, that is the real star of the movie.  he's likeable, believable and downright adoptable.
As for the robots - because, let's face it, that's why you go to see this movie - they're pretty wicked.  I totally believe that robots could indeed take over the sport of boxing.  The bots were particularly emotive, fun and intimidating (as appropriate).  If you have little people in your life and you wish to see an action movie that's not bloody, expletive-filled or overly sexified, I recommend Real Steel.  It was a lot of fun.  3.5 out of 5 stars.