Shawn Levy has given us some amazing movies and TV shows like Night at the Museum franchise, The Pink Panther, All We See as Light, and Stranger Things. The director always hits home with a heart-tugging narrative, relatable characters, and big spectacle when needed. Over the years, Levy has carved out a niche for himself. While his partnership with actor Ryan Reynolds has given us some hilarious films like The Adam Project and Free Guy, none come close to the success of Deadpool and Wolverine.
The $1.3 billion feature has many things going for it, like Deadpool’s comic timing, his first entry in the MCU, the meta jokes, and more, but the movie’s biggest bet was the return of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. A Herculean effort to satiate long-time Wolverine fans and the new ones, and Levy executed it very well. He used various touchpoints in the character’s long journey, but made him fit very well in a new universe. The gamble paid off, and fans around the world welcomed Deadpool and Wolverine with open arms in the MCU. But this wasn’t the first time Jackman and Levy executed a movie well.
Many moons ago, the two collaborated on Real Steel, in addition to two other future MCU stars, Evangeline Lily and Anthony Mackie. Released in 2011, the movie’s focus is on a father and his estranged son’s relationship. In this futuristic sports drama, we follow Charlie Kenton (Jackman), who used to be a prize fighter but lost his chance to win a title when heavy, towering robots took over the boxing ring. Now he works as a small-time promoter, barely earning enough to make it from one underground venue to the next. When things hit rock bottom, he reluctantly teams with his estranged son, Max (Dakota Goyo), to build and train a championship robot for a last shot at redemption.
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‘Real Steel’ Has a New Free Home
Fans who’d like to check out or revisit Levy and Jackman’s original collaboration are in luck. Real Steel is now streaming for free on Tubi as of March 1. The feature was a big success, earning $300 million at the worldwide box office against a $110 million budget. It was loved for its believable CGI and animatronics. Which was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Visual Effects category. The 60 percent Rotten Tomatoes-rated feature is worth a watch for Jackman’s earnest performance and his chemistry with young actor Dakota Goyo; their performance makes the emotional core of the story.
You can check out Real Steel on Tubinow. Stay tuned to Collider for more such updates.
- Release Date
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September 28, 2011
- Runtime
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127 minutes
