MovieChat Forums > Real Steel (2011) Discussion > a ridiculously stupid premise

a ridiculously stupid premise

posted 11 years ago by mrrockey
20 replies | jump to latest

Even though I haven't seen this film, I gotta say, this is a ridiculously stupid premise. It's like a bunch of studio executives got in a room together and someone said "We need another big franchise for Disney. Anyone have any ideas?" and then someone said "Why don't we do another heart-warming, boxing family drama maybe with... the Wolverine guy to star in it? That'll sell, right?" and then another guy says "Nah, that *beep* been done a million times ever since Rocky came out. Besides, you know how audiences these days must need action and special effects every 5 seconds for them to pay for that ticket." and then another guy says "Hmm, why don't we change from people fighting to robots fighting? Yeah, that'll sell. A heart-warming, boxing family drama with Wolverine as the lead star with ass-kicking robots! Gentlemen, we're gonna be rich!"

That's how I picture how this movie got made. It feels like a product that's just made to sell based on familiarity and merchandise they could make. "Hey, why don't we make another underdog, boxing drama but replace the drama and emotion with stupid Rock'Em, Sock'Em robots?" Adding that just makes it into a silly cartoon that no one's gonna be able to take seriously. The reason the first Rocky was so emotionally-involving with its boxing fight was that it was a realistic, gritty fight with a character that feels real and we care for, not just robots punching each other 80 times a minute without ever feeling any pain.

This is a ridiculously stupid premise that sums up many of Hollywood's current problems.

[–] raythorne2005 11 years ago

The little conversation you wrote up is exactly why this is an excellent premise. Maybe you should revise your title to say "an unoriginal premise", then your whole illustration would make your point, but the execs who greenlighted this knew what they were doing, and knew it was a good premise and would sell well.

Then contrarian hipsters such as yourself come along to internet boards complaining about how mainstream this movie is. Talk about originality, you will find someone like yourself in every movie board on this site.

It could be God, the Devil, Buddha, an Alien...or it could be a kid playing a video game. - onn1320

[–] mrrockey 11 years ago

Just because it could sell doesn't mean it's a good idea. This is just another generic, schmultzy boxing drama that loses all it's emotional weight by adding in stupid Rock'em, Sock'em robots. And no, I'm not a hipster just because I don't like dumb Hollywood ideas like this.

[–] raythorne2005 11 years ago

Just because it could sell doesn't mean it's a good idea.

I doubt you have a job in business. I do. I would consider this a GREAT idea! It will net me TONS of cash. That's a good thing in life. This movie was awesome because I am a simple man who is a sucker for these kind of "start poor, grow to be the best" ala Pokemon stories.

It could be God, the Devil, Buddha, an Alien...or it could be a kid playing a video game. - onn1320

[–] mrrockey 11 years ago

You do realize that film is also an art form, right? And if you're that simple-minded, then maybe you should just stay home and watch mindless Youtube videos all day because you clearly have no critical-thinking skills whatsoever.

[–] raythorne2005 11 years ago

You must have replied to the wrong person, bud.

It could be God, the Devil, Buddha, an Alien...or it could be a kid playing a video game. - onn1320

[–] mrrockey 11 years ago

Not my fault that you choose to represent yourself as such a simple-minded individual who only sees films from a business standpoint rather than an artistic standpoint.

[–] raythorne2005 11 years ago

Tell me where I said I only see it from a business standpoint?

It could be God, the Devil, Buddha, an Alien...or it could be a kid playing a video game. - onn1320

[–] mrrockey 11 years ago

Well, you certainly act like you do. Considering how your only argument was "It'll make money!".

[–] raythorne2005 11 years ago

Just because it's the only problem I had with your post doesn't mean I can't look at it from both sides. Like I said, it would have been valid if you said this was an unoriginal premise.

But this is pointless anyway, because it's all subjective. I was only trying to show you a different way of seeing things.

It could be God, the Devil, Buddha, an Alien...or it could be a kid playing a video game. - onn1320

[–] mrrockey 11 years ago

Well, next time, show it!

[–] raythorne2005 11 years ago

I did.

It could be God, the Devil, Buddha, an Alien...or it could be a kid playing a video game. - onn1320

[–] tomtkh 10 years ago

Oh dear, we p*ssed off one of the producers of this movie!
This was a bad movie made for losers with bad taste!!

[–] mrrockey 11 years ago

Man, I can't imagine this being a Twilight Zone episode. It just seems too schmultzy for a show that focuses a lot on suspense and scares.

[–] HellboundHero 11 years ago

There's a time for gritty, realistic drama and a time for fun. You sound like the kind of person who would have panned The Wizard of Oz when it came out just because of its far-fetched premise.

[–] mrrockey 11 years ago

You sound like the kind of person who would have panned The Wizard of Oz when it came out just because of its far-fetched premise.

I am not that kind of person by the least bit. I understand that film is meant to be a form of escapism and I love lots of fantasy/sci-fi films such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, RoboCop, and Total Recall. What I don't like, are films that are so self-aware of how unoriginal and uncreative it is, they decide to put in elements that belong in a COMPLETELY different genre just as a gimmick. Ass-kicking robots are cool, but when you put them in a film that's meant to be a serious adult drama, you just turn into a goddamn cartoon. Kinda like when they threw in that robot servant in Rocky IV.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tomtkh 10 years ago

I agree...it was a bad premise, & a bad movie! But apparently that doesn't matter to all the losers who have no life and love to go out to see a movie no matter what the hell the plot is!

[–] zeeke 10 years ago

its actually not when you consider streetfighter tournaments and the various blizzard tournaments. Its not the best execution from that point of view, but it isnt totally ridiculous either

I'm a contradiction 

[–] zeeke 10 years ago

+ for a kids film its great, it handles the human drama well. I'd still rather watch transformers

I'm a contradiction 

[–] bond_98 10 years ago

So have you seen it yet.