The first half of the movie was kind of slow and frustrating and Jackman's character was such a deadbeat that it was impossible to enjoy even his physical beauty. But then in the second half, things got really interesting. The fight scene was epic, there were a lot of funny moments and the finale was just astounding. The movie had a bit of anime-like feel to it, especially when the sexy, well-dressed yet arrogant villains showed up and the robots fought. I don't know if it's intentional or not but damn, it certainly looked good.

Once again, allow me to express my genuine fascination for Dakota Goyo, who plays the precocious, cocky and brash 11-year-old Max. I love how he looks angelic but acts like a mini BAMF. He not only held his own against Hugh Jackman but he practically owned it. The moment his character started talking back to his dad and employed the same in-your-face attitude in the conversation, the movie was his. He's just amazing. I love how the character is written - the kid is bratty but still very lovable and they didn't ham up his cute factor - but Dakota played him to perfection. Watch out for this kid.

(I was wondering where I'd seen him before. As it turned out, Dakota Goyo also played young Thor in Thor. He was also kind of cocky and arrogant as well, which amuses me and worries me at the same time. I'm amused because he plays the part so well but worried because I don't think it's a great idea for him to be typecast at this age.)

Real Steel is probably better suited as a summer movie but it really doesn't matter. It's a great family movie and it's yet another crowd pleaser from Shawn Levy. He has yet to disappoint me ever since he made Night At The Museum. I hope his penchant for creating movies that never fail to make me laugh and happy never dies.