vincent-bullock

It is easy for films like Real Steel to give in to sloth and rely on CGI robot fights and Hugh Jackman's presence for an easy buck. To my delight, Real Steel doesn't opt for the lazy approach to blockbuster films and pulls off the whole production with a great script, brilliant acting, amazing directing and the best CGI robots I can recall seeing.

Considering the premise for the film sounds more like an feature-length ad for a line of action figures and video games and that it is taking a big risk by selling itself to both an adult male market and a children's market, it really is impressive that the result is such a passionate and endearing story about a father and son.

Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo feel perfect side by side and the latter is living proof that child actors aren't always obnoxious distractions from an otherwise good action flick.

I also have to commend the film for going for a slightly different and original dynamic regarding boxing films. Hugh Jackman plays a washed up, past his prime, jaded boxer who has lost all his aspirations due to the shift in fandom from humans to robots. Dakota Goyo plays Hugh's estranged son who has good reasons for hating his father. Naturally, Goyo shows a spark of talent in the field of robo-boxing and the two join forces for a shot at the title of world champions. The twist is that everything revolves around Jackman and his journey of rediscovery, coming to terms with his misfortunes and mistakes while mending his relationship with Goyo; it is a much braver and refreshing storyline than the typical Rocky formula: old guy teaches new guy his old tricks.

If you are looking for a film to watch with the family, this is probably it. The subject matter is approached with all the respect and seriousness you could ask for while the larger narrative is fast-paced and simplistic assuring it can captivate the majority of audiences.

This is hands down the most unapologetically violent film I have ever seen or probably will see in the next decade and be warned, this is the brand of violence that is designed to make you remember war is hell. I loved it, make no mistake. It's a film I might recommend you to watch once, but you would probably never want to watch it again.

To cut the story short, this film took the premise of Kickass were Kickass didn't dare to go. What if a single, sociopathic loner tried to take on a drug dealing gang dressed as a defender of justice? Super answers the question with relentless detail.

Overall, I think this film is a masterpiece. It has a unique pacing and style, bringing ideas and feelings almost alien to cinema thus far. The characters are brutally real and their stories painfully honest. The film is funny, it's laugh out loud hilarious, but only with the darkest most messed up humor I have ever seen. It's weird to admit, but I, at 22 years of age, felt the guilty rush of watching something that I wasn't old enough for. I doubt that at 50 I would feel ready to deal with something this adult.

Super reflects the most cynical side of human nature. The personal search for meaning in the depths of despair is prevalent throughout this harrowing tale and the end of the journey doesn't pull it's punches. Religion plays a very important role in this story. Paradoxically, it is handled with the most tasteless blasphemy and most serene respect.

This is probably one of the weirdest films you will ever watch guaranteed, but it works. This movie will tear you to shreds as a person.