Real Steel hit DVD and Blu-ray this past Tuesday! This modern-day ‘Rocky meets robots’ film is a special effects masterpiece with visually stunning and flawless imagery!
A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future where the sport of boxing has gone high-tech, “Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.
“Real Steel” is directed by Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum” franchise and “Date Night”).
Find out more at www.steelgetsreal.com. Rated PG-13
We got the chance to check out the Real Steel DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack that included some seriously guy-friendly bonus features – ‘Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ’ feature, deleted and extended scenes, and more! The Blu-ray also features a super cool Second Screen application that I’ve never seen before. The Disney Second Screen application is available in the iTunes store, and allows fans to dive deeper into the action with concept art, behind-the-scenes images, supplemental videos, and more! You can interact with your Blu-ray Disc while you’re watching the film and without interruption on your laptop or iPad. Definitely worth checking out!
Jeremy and I really were amazed at the quality of the special effects, and I enjoyed the heart warming father/son drama, while Jeremy hung on every punch and hi-tech action scene. 
Jeremy and I watch a lot of boxing and UFC, so this film was right up our alley. The father/son journey doesn’t end exactly like I thought it would, but it’s still a great ending with a few twists and turns along the way that you won’t see coming. Charlie (played by Hugh Jackman) gets a chance to reconnect with the son he ran out on years earlier, but what starts as merely a business transaction turns into a father/son bond. While waiting for his payout, Charlie begins to realize all that he’s missed out on in Max’s life. We also enjoyed seeing Evangeline Lilly, who we first became a fan of when she starred on T.V.’s Lost.
With all the hype about Real Steel being a great film for everyone, I have to say I was disappointed to realize that this is not a kid-friendly film. I should have known when I saw that it was PG-13, but Jeremy and I both kept thinking how the kids would really have loved this film about robots. Basically, it boiled down to the language. It wasn’t a ton, but enough to definitely keep little ears away, and the worst part was that most of the foul language came out of the mouth of the child actor in the film! All that aside, it’s definitely a great film for grownups with phenomenal special effects, and a great storyline!
For a limited time, Dreamworks is offering $5 OFF the purchase of the Real Steel 3-disc Combo Pack. Visit www.steelgetsreal.com, and click on the offer in the upper right corner of the page. Offer ends 1/29/12 – so HURRY!
