Steve Jobs combines the dialogue expertise of screenwriter Aaron Sorkin with the visual creativity of director Danny Boyle to take a gritty, no-holds-barred look at some of the major interpersonal conflicts in life of technological visionary Steve Jobs.

Instead of following the the usual cradle-to-grave biopic format, the film plays out more like a three act play, with each act focused around the 40-minutes or so before a major product launch in Jobs’ career—the 1984 Mac launch, the 1988 NeXT launch, and the 1998 iMac launch. The scenes are dialogue-heavy, and take place on stage or backstage of whatever venue is host to the product launch, or in the corridors in-between via Sorkin’s signature “walk-and-talks”.

Each act finds a stressed-out Jobs (Michael Fassbender) trying to meticulously prepare for the launch when some personal and/or professional crisis interrupts him, but friend/marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) is always there to help him deal with the crazy and try to talk him down. One of the main focuses of the film is Job’s relationship with daughter Lisa, or lack thereof. Ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) is constantly turning up at these launches, looking for money or support for the daughter that Jobs refuses to admit is his. And Lisa just wants Jobs to be the father she’s never had. Meanwhile, Jobs also has to deal with his deteriorating friendships with fellow original Apple employees Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) and Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg), or current Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels).

One of my main concerns going into this film was that Michael Fassbender doesn’t look anything like Steve Jobs. However, that quickly went away as I started to watch the film. He gives an amazing performance, expertly delivering the seemingly non-ending passages of dialogue. He isn’t afraid to make Jobs an unlikable guy, while also letting us see the fascinating person and genius behind the bitterness. Kate Winslet is also a joy to watch—she not only takes on the physical appearance of her character, but also the accent, and portrays this tough but heartwarming woman perfectly.

If you’re looking for a straightforward biopic that’s going to give you every detail of Steve Job’s life, this is not the film. There are a few flashbacks to try to fill in some of the gaps before and after the product launches—like the initial garage creation of Apple, or when Jobs was ousted from his company for the first time. However, these felt more like checkboxes for people who are already familiar with the story—I don’t think folks knowing nothing about Jobs would fully understand these flashbacks. But either way 2013’s Jobs already brought the complete Steve Jobs story to the screen. Instead, this film tries to give more of an emotional biopic around a few of the major interpersonal conflicts in Job’s life.

Danny Boyle was an excellent choice to direct the film. While most of the movie is dialogue-driven, and there are not many sets, Boyle has used steadicam to give the actors the freedom to move about naturally while still making the viewer feel like they are right there in the room with these characters. He has given the film a unique look and feel by shooting each act using a different color pallet and medium—16mm film for 1984, 35mm film for 1988, and digital for 1998. In addition, each act uses a different musical style for the score, representing the technology of that time. Boyle has also used the original locations of the product launches to add authenticity to the settings.

The visual differences between each act are quite evident when viewing the film on the Blu-ray. The first act starts off with a bit of a washed out color palette and grainy picture, and by the end of the film we get this pristine, bright crystal clear quality video. The audio track provides clear dialogue as well as the beautiful soundtrack. The Blu-ray Combo Pack also includes DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film, but oddly no iTunes. The discs contain a really entertaining three-part/44-minute making-of featurette, a director commentary and a screenwriter/editor commentary. In these features there was some mention of deleted scenes, but sadly none of those appear to have made it onto the discs.

What’s Included:
Film: (2:02:21)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS 2.0, Spanish DTS Surround 5.1, French DTS Surround 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS 2.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital Copy (See NBCUcodes.com for Redemption Deadline):

• UltraViolet Digital HD Copy redeemable via Universal, Flixster, Vudu and CinemaNow

Extras:

• Inside Jobs: The Making of Steve Jobs (44:11)
  A three part look at the making of the film. Includes raw behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew done in true Apple minimalist style. Those interviewed include director Danny Boyle, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, costume designer Suttirat Larlarb, editor Elliot Graham, property master Chris Ubick, location manager Chris Baugh, director of photography Alwin H. Küchler, production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, composer Daniel Pemberton, and stars Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”), Seth Rogen (“Steve Wozniak”), Jeff Daniels (“John Sculley”), Kate Winslet (“Joanna Hoffman”), Michael Stuhlbarg (“Andy Hertzfeld”). Play All or select from:
  
  
  
  • Part One (16:18)
    The cast and filmmakers talk about Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs, working with Director Danny Boyle, the script, and making a biopic that’s not the standard cradle-to-grave story.
  • Part Two (14:50)
    The cast and filmmakers talk about the characters of John Sculley, Joanna Hoffman and Steve Wozniak, consulting with the real people the actors are portraying, and the rehearsal process.
  • Part Three (13:03)
    The cast and filmmakers talk about shooting in San Francisco in some of the original locations, using steadicam, giving each act a unique look and sound, and recreating the original garage where Apple was born.
• Feature Commentary with Director Danny Boyle (2:02:21)
  Director Danny Boyle provides a really informative and interesting commentary throughout the film. He gives viewers some great insight into how the film was made, providing lots of production and behind-the-scenes stories.
• Feature Commentary with Writer Aaron Sorkin and Editor Elliot Graham (2:02:21)
  Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and editor Elliot Graham provide some insight into editing process, how some of the scenes came about, and recall some behind-the-scenes stories. This commentary isn’t quite as satisfying as the previous one. There are a lot of long pauses, which Sorkin tries to fill by asking Graham questions about things like his job and education history, which gets awkward at times. At other times they just comment about things they like about the scenes or actors. However, there are some interesting conversations surrounding some of the deleted material.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I found Steve Jobs really fascinating to watch. While it doesn’t provide an in-depth biography of Steve Jobs, it does provide an interesting look at this legendary man and some of those who were close to him. The film has some excellent performances, some great dialogue, and is very visually interesting to watch. The Blu-ray presentation is well done, and includes some worthwhile bonus material. It’s definitely worth checking out—especially if you’re a fan of the Sorkin walk-and-talk.