Blu-ray

There’s just something about the spectacle of watching big robots punching each other that makes most grown men regress back to their 12-year old selves. The unbelievable success of the Transformers films with those of us old enough to know better is a case in point.

Real Steel plays to pretty much the same demographic with its tale of washed-up former boxer Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) scraping a living in the world of robot boxing. However, he’s given a shot at redemption through an estranged son (Dakota Goyo), and acquires a new outlook on the sport and his life. Eat your heart out Rocky Balboa.

Picture: This Blu-ray’s AVC 2.40:1 1080p encode delivers an almighty wallop courtesy of its mix of excellent colour reproduction and fine detailing – just check out those gorgeous robot designs. It’s also a film that isn’t afraid to play around in the dark when necessary, and even here the disc delivers rock solid blacks, plenty of shadow detail and a complete absence of crush.
Picture rating: 5/5

Audio: You’d expect a film about boxing robots to land quite a sonic punch and Real Steel’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack doesn’t disappoint. Away from the canvas it delivers convincing 360-degree locations full of subtle ambience and surround effects, and when the ‘bots take to the ring the mix really picks up – be it the room-shaking bass that accompanies Zeus’ first appearance (Chapter 9) or the even more explosive mix of effects during the final title fight (Chapters 16-18).
Audio rating: 5/5

Extras: Even if it never quite lands a knockout blow, Real Steel’s Blu-ray disc packs a decent set of extra features. Apart from director Shawn Levy’s informative audio commentary, fans of the movie can get stuck into Countdown to the Fight: The Charlie Kenton Story, a 14-minute in-character featurette showcasing Kenton’s boxing history, and The Making of Metal Valley, a 14-minute look at the creation of one of the film’s most challenging sequences.

Then there’s a look at the creation of the film’s robot effects; a featurette about Hugh Jackman’s training sessions with boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard; a three-minute extended scene; a whole 13-minute subplot that was excised from the finished film; and blooper reel.
Extras rating: 3/5

We say: A scrappy little sci-fi fighter that should be a hit with boys of all ages in this hi-def incarnation

Walt Disney Home Entertainment, All-region BD, £25 Approx, On sale now
HCC VERDICT: 4/5