Review: Lomu shows why Jonah became a global phenomenon

The useful part

A documentary about his life was inevitable, but Lomu will mean different things to different people. Quinn, himself considered one of sports great articulators, was moved to raw emotion – not a natural state for Kiwi men in the 90s – by Lomu's feats. So while people listening on the radio may have been wondering what was going on, those viewing the spectacle on television had the perfect audio accompaniment to something world rugby had never seen before.

How it works

• Yet he was also known as a "gentle giant", softly spoken with perhaps his loudest off-field statements delivered via his fashion choices.
• Such was Lomu's power and reputation that fans felt genuine excitement whenever the ball landed in his hands.
• No All Black – not Richie, or Dan, or Ma'a, or Ardie – has captured the imagination of the international rugby fans like the Tongan/Kiwi winger.
• A documentary about his life was inevitable, given his profile and the tragic end of his career and eventually his life at the cruelly young age of 40.
• Filmmakers Vea Mafile'o (For my Fathers Kingdom) and Gavin Fitzgerald (Connor McGregor:

What to take from it

In some ways, the fact he is no longer with us only adds to the myth, because part of understanding the awe with which he is spoken of by fans, former colleagues, and commentators around the world is experiencing the explosive jolts of his physicality on the big screen. The duo juxtapose the loud physicality of the arenas with quieter family moments trying to see w...