Jonah - A Living Rugby Legend DVD

The sight of All Black's Jonah Lomu pile-driving his way to the try line, carrying half the opposition team on his back, is undoubtedly one of the most exciting in sport, and JONAH stylishly charts the rise of this phenomenal young man. Featuring interviews with the disarmingly boyish star himself, as well as awed tributes from team-mates and opponents, this is a celebration of one rugby union player to have transcended the sport. It's not hard to see why. Lomu off the pitch is personable and self-deprecating. On the pitch he's all but unstoppable, and here's the evidence... from his career to date, including amazing footage of Lomu as an enormous schoolboy player in 1993. His unfortunate opponents that day can reflect that the following year Jonah became the youngest All-Black in history. At 63 minutes long, the producers have had to strike a balance between action and context, and though there's only time for the best of the highlights of events at the World Cups in 1995 and 1999 and beyond, it's a largely successful compromise, featuring classic tries that bear repeated viewing. However, Lomu's battle against Nephrotic Syndrome--the kidney disorder that almost snuffed out his career--is glossed over in a couple of sentences, and students of rugby might hope for a little more analysis of the games themselves. That said there's at least a dozen slices of action here that will take your breath away. ON THE DVD: A straightforward text biography and some stats are augmented by 26 minutes of extra footage, including a rather odd discussion about Lomu's favourite music. The temptation to plug his commercial interests is not passed up, though the "Making of..." features on his Adidas adverts are strong enough to merit inclusion. The "Favourite Moments" and "Extra Tries" chapters are the stand-out features. --Alex Hankin [show more]

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