Shaolin Soccer (2004)

The Age of Commercialism

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

While this shares some of the wonderful sense of the surreal and absurd that made Chow's 2008 "Kung Fu Hustle" a true classic comedy spoof of marshal arts films, it's nowhere near as consistent or as inventive in it's comedy. There are some real laughs, but also some serious dead spots and too-easy jokes in this tale of a bunch of once Shaolin trained Kung Fu masters giving up their hum-drum and largely unsuccessful work-a-day lives to team up and become the mightiest soccer playing force the world has ever seen. Or are they? Team Evil is waiting to take them on in the $1 million soccer tournament. Good-hearted and original enough to be worth seeing once, but unlike it's even wilder and smarter descendant I can't imagine feeling a need to go back and see it again, or to own it. If that later film is like a Hong Kong action Monty Python film, this one is more Three Stooges.

Martial arts in cinema often have this tendency to go way over-the-top in its depiction and it pretty much ruins the whole picture for me, especially if this exaggerated action is present in movies that take their drama seriously.It is no secret that I prefer films that display martial arts in a highly realistic & grounded fashion. In short, movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are a big no for me while I'm game for action extravaganzas like The Raid.Even in comedies, this stylised illustration of martial arts doesn't work all the time since majority of them are busy spoofing kung fu instead of weaving a funny tale around it. And that's exactly what separates Shaolin Soccer from the norm.Shaolin Soccer does blow its martial arts aspect out of proportion but it retains the very essence of it. Despite the film's batshit crazy premise and absurd slapstick wit, the film brims with so much heart & warmth that it remains a joyful experience from start to finish.The story of Shaolin Soccer follows a former Shaolin monk who wants to bring kung fu to the masses but has been unable to find a way that works. However, after meeting with an ex-soccer star, he decides to promote kung fu through soccer and gets back in touch with all his brothers to form a superhuman team.Co-written & directed by Stephen Chow, the film is hilarious as hell from beginning to end and qualifies more as a comedy than spoof. Also, thanks to Chow's skillful writing, it packs in a genuinely heartfelt story beneath its utterly ridiculous premise, and even its characters are worthy of emotional investment. Well, at least a couple of them.Visual effects play a key role in realising its most unbelievable moments on screen and while the CGI looks a bit cartoonish, it still adds to the film's overall craziness. Additional momentum is provided by its splendid camera-work, swift pacing & thrilling score, and the maniacal contribution from its entire cast further strengthens its position.On an overall scale, Shaolin Soccer is an absolute bonkers of a movie that promises its viewers an overdose of laughter and effortlessly provides it. A rollicking ride that benefits from its kinetic direction, ebullient screenplay, lively camera-work, stimulating score & outlandish performances, this sports comedy works because its heart is at the right place.

Shaolin Soccer is a very quirky movie. I can't say I have seen anything else like it before. The movie has a very basic premise. An ex-soccer player gathers up a rag tag group of players and coaches them to win a tournament against all odds. It's a premise that has been done to death in many sports movies but this is the first time I have seen it infused with Kung Fu.The Kung Fu adds a lot of fun. As cheesy as the special effects are, it still makes the movie more enjoyable on the whole. I do however think they over did it with the juvenile jokes. There were funny parts but many times I just couldn't understand how they thought they were being funny (women with facial hair for no reason at all).Ultimately its not a bad movie but it's not one I would watch again and again. I wouldn't say you must be a soccer fan to enjoy this movie, but I think it definitely helped me enjoy it.

Stephen Chow has a knack for combining impressive special-effects, interesting characters and hilarious comedy. The prototype of Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer, demonstrates many of Chow's strengths but the film does not rise to the same level of excellence as the later film.The film relies heavily on making the characters as pathetic as possible but lacking the multi-level approach of Kung Fu Hustle the characters just come off miserable at first and then suddenly get better for no reason. The story also focuses too heavily on a central duo of characters and the badguys are left more to the background.The film still has hilarious Kung Fu references and excellent visual-effects and gags which keep the viewer invested in the film but the structure is too straight-forward and too simplistic to compete with Chow's later work.However, it's entertaining and I guess that's what really counts.