Real Steel (2011)

This is an okay movie. In 2020, the sport of boxing is changed when robots are put into the ring to fight instead of people. Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a washed-up fighter who earns a little money by piecing together low-end robots from scrap metal. After his ex-wife dies, Charlie attends a custody hearing for his son Max (Dakota Goyo) and agrees to let the boy be raised by a wealthy aunt and uncle. However, Charlie allows Max to stay with him for the summer. Max finds an old robot that he thinks has potential. At first Charlie is reluctant to support him, but then decides to give the boy a chance.

The film is based in part on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson. A 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone is also based on the story. Filming took place primarily in the state of Michigan. Animatronic robots were built for the film. Boxing hall-of-famer Sugar Ray Leonard was an adviser on the film and also gave Jackman boxing lessons. The studio collaborated with Virgin America to name one of their Airbus A320s after the film, and one of the film's robots is pictured on its fuselage. The score was composed by Danny Elfman. Although unrelated to the movie, there is a toy called Rock'em Sock'em Robots that was released in 1964 and includes two dueling robot boxers.