Another robot movie. Seriously? One would think three “Transformers” movies would be enough. But a robot boxing movie? It may seem ridiculous but Real Steel pulls it off.

Although starting off slow, Real Steel is surprisingly centered on ex-boxer Charlie (Hugh Jackman), a consistent loser on the robot boxing circuit (a sport that emerged after the year 2014 to replace real human boxing). Unlikely Real Steel is more than expected.

Charlie travels across the country toting his far from perfect robots trying to win a fight to earn a quick buck. While on the road, he learns that one of his ex-girlfriends has passed away. This leads him to court where he has to give up custody of his 11-year-old son, Max, who he has forgotten.

After Max’s aunt and uncle place Max in Charlie’s care for the summer, Charlie is forced to take his son with him on the road. After searching for parts at a garbage dump, Max comes across Atom, an old sparring bot that was thrown away to rust, completely covered in mud. Max cleans Atom up and sets him to work by creating a friendship in hopes that he can be a fighting bot.

At first Charlie is very opposed to Atom becoming a fighting robot and thinks of him as a joke. But when he shows heart and keeps on winning, Charlie gets behind the dynamic duo of Max and Atom 100%. After defeating multiple robots outside of the championships, they are invited to start competing in the big leagues: for the World Championship. They soon take to the ring and defeat some of the big names like a two-headed robot called Twin Cities and work their way to a challenge match against the World Champion Zeus. This last match-up will really test all that the three are made of.

Don’t judge a movie by its previews though. There is way more to the story than just robot boxing. There is the growing bond between a father and son along the journey, an ex-boxer having the courage to fight again, and the central theme of the underdog and how they can always surprise you.

Featuring action, suspense, and plenty of heart-warming moments. Real Steel preaches the ever-lasting theme of not giving up. And while story is somewhat corny and predictable, don’t give up on Real Steel –  it’s awesome. Real Steel earns a B+ and would encourage anyone that is a fan of action movies to go and see it.