A bot from the blue

My favourite scene where Charlie actually talks to Atom!

This is how the cookie crumbles. Not really cookies, but between mouthfuls of gooey donuts and fun filled food walks around the city, I did find time to watch a movie now and then. And, when I do find a few more hours at hand, I’ve been busy watching the Big Bang Theory. So, when I watched Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, I really, I mean, reaaaalllyyyyyy wanted to blog about it. One, because it seemed so much like all those times in my head, where I had imagined myself in impressionist Europe and Victorian England. And two, because I love everything that Paris stands for – art, music, fashion, literature and of course, the four course, fine dining tradition! But somehow, Midnight in Paris is not really meant for a detailed analysis. It is only to be savoured slowly, getting lost in time, memories and nostalgia.

But, I did come across another film that truly, truly is a clear winner and an underdog at that. To be honest, I LOVE robots and I think that they’re pretty awesome! And, I confess that I had spent a larger part of my childhood, in front of the television, watching the WWE championships, nonstop. So the conversation at home was always peppered with ‘Oh, did you see how Shawn Michaels (yes, back then) took out the Hitman? And until recently, it was ‘Did you catch the cage match between The Undertaker (yes, the last time I checked that guy was still around) and Kane?’ Phew! And, when I did get around to watching Real Steel, it was one of the very best films I’ve seen in recent times. Only because, a) it is about robots and b) it is about boxing. Bring the two elements together, throw in a hunk like Hugh Jackman (I’m a big fan!) and a punky kid teaming up for THE Ultimate Championship, and you’ve a winner!

No, Real Steel doesn’t have the potential for even an Academy Award nomination. But it does have pure entertainment. The magic is in the minutiae and this flick has a lot of it – the loveable underdog, the clueless ex-boxer-father Charlie (Jackman is cut out for this) and abandoned son Max (Dakota Goyo) re-connecting after a long time, an unbeaten robot, Zeus that’s all steel, loads of money and no heart and finally, stacking up against the odds with their bot, Atom, a hastily patched-up robot salvaged from the junkyard. It’s about taking that leap of faith!

There’s plenty of action, awkwardness turning into familiarity, as the boxing champion gets into the groove and fights the last battle for his bot, Atom, against the gizmo-riddled Zeus in the Real Steel championship. Phew. What do we say… You just have to give it to the bots! They steel (pun intended) this show!