Shaolin Soccer (DVD, 2004)

Stephen Chow did an amazing job of creating a story involving real characters in not so real, but agreeable situations. He has given each character a personality of its own; just to create comedy, with a humor that is sometimes honest and others rough. It has some great comedy moments although, coming from the characters, very peculiar ones.

It basically all comes from the characters. You have different persons, united by one thing: Shaolin Kung-Fu. And then you have one man, with one passion: Soccer. This premise helps to create human emotions in the characters. They all have a past that, for some reason, want to forget. Except one of them, who could be living in the past, and still thinks in the goodness of Shaolin Kung-Fu. He believes in it so much, that he gives speeches to people about the qualities of his culture, and the improvement it could do in society. He is right, and sooner or later, she will remind these things to some people, and they will all remember. They will all be prepared to get together again.

What a good-hearted film this is, and how it is filmed, it's beyond imagination. You will find special effects from other world. In occasions, these will seem slow for you, and you will think they are not well managed or handled; but then you will watch. Watching will make you connect all the elements of the story, to make it one. In elements I include special effects, and say again: they couldn't be done better, especially in a movie like this one.

The entire cast did a wonderful job in their roles by giving their characters the personal development they need. They are not playing the most complex people in the world, but they still know what characters they're playing. Some of the scenes, such as the first time we see Mui making bread, are absolute genius; so funny that you can't help but to laugh. I felt Mui seemed like she should have been in more of the film, and I've read that a lot of her part got cut out of the American release, which is a shame. A number of people are saying the original is vastly superior to the edited U.S. version, but this version is so great that I would be mightily impressed if that were true.

The idea of this movie is ingenious, using the style of extravagant martial arts films in a soccer movie, and is done beautifully. You will probably find something you've seen before, I can't deny that. You will find the ending you expect, the situations you imagine, the resolutions you anticipate, or not. You'll have the old coach, the person with the dreams and the heart, the girl; it's just that you'll have them differently (you'll realize what I mean). This is another type of cliché, a very different one, so different that I would say it is not a cliché at all.

Shaolin Soccer is the movie that got Stephen Chow's name recognized in the U.S. Shaolin Soccer has a good storyline, and at times can seem like many other comedy sports movies (Bad News Bears, Kicking and Screaming). However, it's combination of special effects and soccer makes this a truly unique movie. It has parts where the soccer teams are doing Matrix-esque moves on the field, and it also has a strange sense of humor (and I do mean strange). If you liked Kung Fu Hustle, you will probably like Shaolin Soccer.

This semi-bizarre, absurd comedy is about Shaolin kung-fu and how it is incorporated into soccer. None of the players use kung-fu against their opponents, but instead used it in how they played the each game: this is the 'bizarre' factor. The soccer ball is kicked so hard, it turns into a ball of fire: this is one example of what I mean by 'absurd.

This DVD comes in two complete versions: English-dubbed and Chinese. And has the basic theme -- good vs. evil [one opponent is called 'Team Evil'.]

I found this movie funny, with good special effects. But the movie script is average: so my overall rating is slightly Above average.

[Sorry Ceclia Cheung fans. but she has a few seconds, cameo roll...complete with a moustache!]

Jackie Chan movies, and you like soccer, this movie is for you!
Made by the same genius of Kung-Fu Hustle - Stephen Chow
The animation is pretty decent for a comedy martial arts film.
The acting, well is quite hilarious.
Many might think it is not funny because it is so over the top, and think it is poorly made.
If you are one of those people, you must not understand Asian comedy.

Overall its a fun movie to watch with the family and have a good laugh.
Good movie to own because you never know when you need a good laugh.
Happy to now own it :)

I enjoyed this movie for the sheer campiness and comedic kung-fu. It's an interesting film style that borders on its own genre. This film is created by the same team that brings us Kung-Fu Hustle.

The story follows a group of men who practice a special form of kung-fu. They come together and apply their skills to the game of soccer. The soccer form borders on a superhero/video game style that is powerful and sci-fi. Kicking a ball can peel back the ground and generate bolts of fire. Fun to watch, but not realistic.

Like I said, it's fun and interesting if you like campy films. If you want something realstic, this isn't for you.