Real Steel
One story plot you see many times in the movies is the bad
(insert authority figure) who is transformed into a good (insert
authority figure), usually through his or her interactions with mind,
body, and spirit characters. In Real Steel, Hugh Jackman plays
Charlie Benton, a bad father who is transformed into a good father
through his interactions with mind, body, and spirit characters.
Max is Charlie Benton's son, but has been living with his mother his entire life. When Max's mother dies, he goes to spend the summer with Charlie. When he discovers Charlie is a robot boxer, Max is excited and starts talking about various robot fights he's seen or read about. When Charlie's new robot seems to be malfunctioning, Max speaks to it in Japanese and the robot responds.
When Charlie takes his new robot to fight, Max argues they should play it safe, take an undercard, and win a little money rather than taking the main event and possibly losing everything. Charlie ignores Max and loses everything except his robot's voice control system.
When they get a new robot, Atom, Max negotiates the first fight, trains the robot himself, and integrates the old voice control. When a boxing mogul offers $200K for Atom, Max refuses, noting the mogul sees something bigger in the robot to offer so much.
One interesting characteristic that comes out in Max's character is his acknowledgement of his own limitations. In other words, he knows what he doesn't know. He realizes he can not train Atom to be a champion, so he asks Charlie to help.
Atom is an older-generation robot Max digs out of the mud in a junkyard. He was originally designed as a sparring robot, and several times in the movie, characters comment on his strength, his speed, and his ability to 'take a hit.'
Atom can do nothing without input from Max or Charlie. He has a 'shadow function' that allows him to copy and 'memorize,' the actions of other characters. Max teaches him to dance and in the final fight, Atom shadows Charlie when his voice controls are damaged.
Bailey obviously has a romantic interest in Charlie, but she is tired of being disappointed. When Charlie asks for her help, she says she's been there for him in and out of the ring as his career has spiraled downward. She finishes that statement by saying, "We...he loved you like family," referring to her father.
Bailey makes an emotional connection with Max. She is the first one to make him smile. When Max asks about Charlie, Bailey describes him as "lean, tough, no quit, no fear," which are attributes to which a spirit character would be attuned. She tells Charlie Max looks at him the way she used to look at her father.
When Max, Charlie, and Atom are fighting their big fight, Bailey is cheering loudly for them from a local bar. You get the idea she is cheering for their relationship as much as she is cheering for their victory in the ring.
The Mind Character: Max Benton (Dakota Goyo)
Max is Charlie Benton's son, but has been living with his mother his entire life. When Max's mother dies, he goes to spend the summer with Charlie. When he discovers Charlie is a robot boxer, Max is excited and starts talking about various robot fights he's seen or read about. When Charlie's new robot seems to be malfunctioning, Max speaks to it in Japanese and the robot responds.
When Charlie takes his new robot to fight, Max argues they should play it safe, take an undercard, and win a little money rather than taking the main event and possibly losing everything. Charlie ignores Max and loses everything except his robot's voice control system.
When they get a new robot, Atom, Max negotiates the first fight, trains the robot himself, and integrates the old voice control. When a boxing mogul offers $200K for Atom, Max refuses, noting the mogul sees something bigger in the robot to offer so much.
One interesting characteristic that comes out in Max's character is his acknowledgement of his own limitations. In other words, he knows what he doesn't know. He realizes he can not train Atom to be a champion, so he asks Charlie to help.
The Body Character: Atom
Atom is an older-generation robot Max digs out of the mud in a junkyard. He was originally designed as a sparring robot, and several times in the movie, characters comment on his strength, his speed, and his ability to 'take a hit.'
Atom can do nothing without input from Max or Charlie. He has a 'shadow function' that allows him to copy and 'memorize,' the actions of other characters. Max teaches him to dance and in the final fight, Atom shadows Charlie when his voice controls are damaged.
The Spirit Character: Bailey Tallet (Evangeline Lilly)
Bailey obviously has a romantic interest in Charlie, but she is tired of being disappointed. When Charlie asks for her help, she says she's been there for him in and out of the ring as his career has spiraled downward. She finishes that statement by saying, "We...he loved you like family," referring to her father.
Bailey makes an emotional connection with Max. She is the first one to make him smile. When Max asks about Charlie, Bailey describes him as "lean, tough, no quit, no fear," which are attributes to which a spirit character would be attuned. She tells Charlie Max looks at him the way she used to look at her father.
When Max, Charlie, and Atom are fighting their big fight, Bailey is cheering loudly for them from a local bar. You get the idea she is cheering for their relationship as much as she is cheering for their victory in the ring.
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