Genre: Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Director:
Shawn Levy

Writer:
John Gatins, Dan Gilroy, Jeremy Leven, Richard Matheson

Cast:
Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis, Karl Yune, Olga Fonda

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for or some violence, intense action and brief language)

Runtime:
127 min

Synopsis:
Balancing gritty action and emotional heart, “Real Steel” is an inspiring and visually stunning film that takes audiences on an action-packed journey. Washed-up boxer Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) scrapes by as a small-time robot-fight promoter as he tries to make a comeback. Against all odds he eventually succeeds—at least in the eyes of his son Max (Dakota Goyo). “Real Steel” is spectacular family entertainment that will have everyone cheering again and again.

At its heart, director Shawn Levy‘s Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot movie is an old school underdog tale, with a sentimental father and son story at its core. Yours truly can be personally sentimental to a fault, and while I love a good underdog tale, I’m not really fond of movies that are rife with schmaltzy, touching strands of storyline and meant-to-be-heartwarming dialogue that usually just seem corny, and thankfully Real Steel features enough robots smacking the crap out of each other action to balance out the aforementioned schmaltz.

While of the topic of Bots, they recently scored an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects in Real Steel, and rightly so. They are quite impressive and the lead robot, Atom takes on life in a way that you actually start to care about him.

Hugh Jackman, who portrays washed-up boxer Charlie Kenton and Dakota Goyo who plays his estranged son Max, both impressed me by bringing heart and humanity into the film, while not taking it so far into schmaltz territory to ellicit groans from the audience.

Now on to the list of everything that’s included in the Blu-ray Combo Pack of Real Steel, notes on quality and my overall star rating.

The Bonus Material:

Second Screen –

• Real Steel Second Screen transforms the movie-watching experience by allowing viewers to explore the story behind the film while perfectly synched on an iPad™ or laptop, without interrupting their enjoyment of the movie. By accessing the Second Screen companion application on their Internet-connected device, consumers are able to dive deeper into the film by engaging with key elements of the movie. This groundbreaking application allows users to interact with the movie on their iPad or computer while they watch the movie on their Blu-ray™ player by simply starting the Blu-ray movie, and then syncing Real Steel Second Screen with the film automatically by following the easy on-screen instructions. Once connected, they can explore interactive galleries, dive into activities, and learn interesting facts about the scenes they’re watching.

Features:

• Real Steel evolves the interactive experience with brand-new second screen features and extensive additional bonus content. GO RINGSIDE WITH DIRECTOR SHAWN LEVY on an action-packed journey into the world of Real Steel that you control. DIVE DEEPER into the action with seamless branching pods that explore the revolutionary look, sound, and flair of the film, plus the cutting-edge technology used to create the fights. INTERACT with exclusive Flick to Screen features by “flicking them” from your iPad to the TV screen. Examine awesome 360-Degree Turnarounds of the robots and Panoramic Views, peel away the layers of effects in a shot with a Progression Reel, go behind the scenes to learn how the movie was made, and more! Real Steel Second Screen social media features add another exciting layer to the experience. Connect with Facebook and/or Twitter through Real Steel Second Screen while watching the movie to participate in activities and share the excitement with family and friends.

• Countdown to the Fight—The Charlie Kenton Story
• Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ
• Deleted and Extended Scenes with introductions by Shawn Levy
• Extended “Meet Ambush”
• Deleted “Butterfly” Storyline
• Making of Metal Valley
• Building the Bots
• Bloopers

Video Quality: The detailed 1080p transfer on the Blu-ray is astoundingly crisp.

Audio: The 7.1 audio mix is amazingly detailed and clear. It’s equally, if not more impressive that the visual clarity of the Blu-ray.

The Real Steel Blu-ray Combo is a great value considering all that’s included. With very few exceptions, Disney and its affiliated companies do an unparalleled job of packaging Blu-ray combos, making you feel like you got a great value for your money. If you haven’t seen Real Steel, it’s definitely worth a look and if you have kids that dig bots, this will be an oft-watched disc.

I give the Real Steel Three-Disc Blu-ray Combo Three out of Five Stars

 

 

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