Real Steel looks very impressive in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray. The highlights are the scenes involving the boxing robots, which are all digital creations. Sometimes movies with so much digital effects footage are hurt when presented in high definition because they look too sharp, coming across more like video game graphics. This is not so with Real Steel, as the battling robots still look realistic in addition to being very sharp and detailed. Black levels are deep without losing details in the shadows or dimly lit scenes. Colors are realistic throughout.
The 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack also excels when it comes to the fight scenes. Crowd noise and music blends perfectly with a barrage of grinding metal sound effects. The subwoofer definitely pumps out a significant amount of bass to emphasize the hardest hits. The surround speakers are highly active, really enveloping the viewer in an audio whirlwind. But as important as these action-heavy scenes are to Real Steel, the quieter moments are well mixed too. Dialogue is always easy to understand and subtle effects are audible throughout the movie.
Special features are far from extensive but there are a few things worth taking a look at. The best features are the Deleted and Extended Scenes, which includes a subplot that was entirely removed from the movie (“Deleted Butterfly Storyline”) that expands on Max’s background. “Countdown the Fight – The Charlie Kenton Story” is a fifteen minute featurette that is a little more interesting than the standard promo piece in that it’s a mockumentary featuring the actors playing their characters from the movie as they expand on the story. The “Making of Metal Valley” featurette focuses on the special effects for the junkyard battle scene. Sugar Ray Leonard served as Jackman’s boxing coach and he shows up for “Cornerman’s Champ,” a short piece that offers insights into the training the actor went through to be a convincing boxer.
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