The Calcium Kid DVD Review:

Jimmy (Bloom) has drunk three pints of milk a day for as long as he can remember but he never realised that it would have such a dramatic effect. Even though his first love is been a Milkman, Jimmy gets a part time job as a sparing partner for middle-weight challenger Pete Wright (Hassan) but when Pete punches him he breaks his hand. All that milk that Jimmy has drunk over the years has made his bones extremely hard. With his fighter out of the bout, manager Herby Bush (Djalili) is forced to come up with an imaginative solution. He is going to put Jimmy on the card to fight world champion Jose Mendez (Pena) because Jimmy is now the Calcium Kid.

Up and coming superstar Orlando Bloom agrees to appear in a low budget British boxing comedy, it’s bound to be a knock out, isn’t it?

Filmed in a mockumentary style, The Calcium Kid proves one thing, that Orlando Bloom is a talented actor that can carry a movie. This low budget British film is an extremely nice take on the Rocky formula that unfortunately doesn’t have the bottle to take it all the way to the final bell. The story, while very slight, is engaging enough to keep your attention but the lacklustre ending that just doesn’t have the big fight spectacle that you might have been expecting, does let the picture down.

Orlando Bloom is as likeable as he could ever be. As Jimmy he creates a character that is far too nice to be a boxer. He lacks any amount of aggression but his unnatural talent makes him the ultimate boxer. Bloom takes us through Jimmy’s training regime, which has the obligatory running through the streets scene that every boxing movie has to have, his disastrous press conference and the insights into his personal life which all endear the character to you. This might not be the most challenging role for the actor but he makes it his own all the same.

His support also does their best with the material. Omid Djalili is suitably over the top as manager and promoter Herby Bush. This is a character that the actor has no problem playing as he throws in a few comedic uppercuts to keep your attention. Tamer Hassan is also good as the menacing Pete Wright. He has cornered the market in playing over the top hard men. Ronni Ancona is great as Jimmy’s Mother, the local masseur who enjoys giving extras. The rest of the cast are fine but never do enough to really make much of an impact, especially Billy Piper who has about four lines.

The Calcium Kid does throw a few comedic jabs but never quite has that knockout punch to be a contender. It is a fun for the first couple of rounds but doesn’t do enough to score the points to make it a champion. Still there is enough to joy here and it proves that the gloves are still on for the British film industry.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is very good. The picture quality is very sharp throughout, even during the more energetic boxing scenes. The sound quality is also good with a strong emphasis on dialogue but nothing that will get your surround sound speakers pulsating.

BONUS FEATURES

Deleted scenes (8.58 mins)

These nine deleted scenes entitled “The Herby Bush welcome”, “Herby ‘The Shark’”, “Unique training style (A) the Alley”, “Unique training style (B) at Altitude”, “Mother’s Love”, “In the Locker Room”, “The Hospital Visit”, “The National Front” and “Chris Eubank pays a Visit”, introduces a couple of plotlines that were removed from the movie. Due to the lack of a commentary track we don’t know why these scenes were removed.

Outtakes (4.54 mins)

This is your chance to watch a collection of mishaps and mistakes that occurred during filming. The main culprit seems to be Omid Djalili as Herby Bush and there is also a hilarious contribution by ex-heavy weight champion Frank Bruno.

Billy Elliot – The Musical Trailer (1.37 mins)

A preview of the soon to start musical based on the award-winning movie.

OVERALL

While the film is nicely presented the bonus features are a little lacklustre. The deleted scenes and outtakes are fine (even though the deleted scenes would have benefited from a commentary track or an introduction explaining why they were removed) but the lack of a making of… featurette or a commentary track mean that the added value doesn’t amount to very much. Fans of the movie could be slightly disappointed with this. It is still worth a rent however.

DVD Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

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