Overall, I would say that in Shaolin Soccer you have a gorgeous blend of Frank Kapra, Woody Allen and Jon Woo.Compete against your friends in a fantasy sport that mixes soccer with kung fu action movies. There is great social comment - it seems that the new China, with its strange blend of capitalism and communism isn't working for everyone and the film suggests that perhaps too many people are being left out of the dream, and that perhaps it's an empty dream. There are strange, Brechtian moments of disassociation, such as when Iron Leg finds himself transported from a disastrous football game to a war scene. Shaolin Soccer has some great cinematography and the special effects great. Iron Leg wants to win so he can make his sweetheart happy. The Kung Fu masters make a soccer team with the hope of winning a football competition with an enormous prize. We follow the fortunes of Golden Leg, a fallen-from-grace football star, as he tutors Iron Leg, his brother Iron Head and other pupils from their Kung Fu school. It is a genuinely hilarious movie with great dollops of pathos and bathos. It often seems that someone just found an English/Chinese dictionary and added the equivalent English word to the subtitles, regardless of grammar or idiomatic expression, and often not taking too much care over the spelling either.Īlthough Shaolin Soccer has its fair share of these moments, that is not where the fun is. Often the most entertaining things about Hong Kong action movies, after the spectacular wire aided effects, is the translation. A frightening combo but an altogether successful combination.ĭid I say Ronaldinho eat your heart out? Pele, Maradona & our own Vinnie Jones. The movie is a spoof of modern day football, an RPG game and a martial arts movie. Cometh the men of the monastery, they mature into legends. not only do you wish that you could do a neat trick like that, but it busts your gut from laughter too.Ī relative poor boy takes to the clubs, wishing only to "go park, kick ball." The Chelski of his native land, cheaters galore and controlled by a wealthy benefactor- needs to be humbled. When one of these shaolin wizards take the ball on. Remember those time when you sit in awe admiring a master football wizard's footballing genius, how his feet mesmerise the opponents eys leaving you with the screams of 'Oh Damn!' Cruyff's turn, Ronaldinho's flip flap, Ossie's flicks and Ronaldo's stepovers. If there was a World Cup of soccer movies, this film is Brazil- Ronaldinho eat your heart out. Give this film a unique tag, sure it's comedy, martial arts and sports, but it's done taken all those genres so well that it deserves its own accolade. With the special effects looking anything but special, the BluRay does nothing but highlight how poor they are. `Shaolin Soccer' was one of Chow's earlier attempts at comedy action film making and is an interesting start, but he went on to bigger and better things. The supernatural elements of the Shaolin soccer games are not played up as much as they should have been, probably because when they are, they look a little naff. The special effects also go some way into doing this. Some of the co-stars are more forgettable and they almost come across as amateur actors, this really cheapens the film. This is a good thing as he is a very charismatic and gives the film a centre you care about. Nowhere else on Earth would make a film that is quite as mixed up and batty as `Shaolin', but is there anyone who would want to? The film is sweet and does not play up the violence, but it lacks the edge or more obvious humour of `Ku Fu Hustle', Chow's best work.Īs in many of Chow's films, he casts himself as the lead. It is the Hong Kong nature of the film that is both its strength and its weakness. Whilst its kung fu always hits home, that cannot always be said of the humour as the culture barrier comes into effect. The film tells the story of a group of down on their luck Shaolin Monks who decide to join together to create a football team that will take on Team Evil to win the big tournament and take home the cash prize.Ĭhow has an eclectic style of direction and that is once more the case with `Shaolin Soccer'. Stephen Chow is a populist director who combines kung fu with comedy and he also has an eye for a good thing hence he created `Shaolin Soccer' all the way back in 2001. China is one such place and football, or soccer, is more popular there than ever before. The Premier League is a growing brand, no matter how greedy the players get, delusional the owners are, or apathetic the home crowds becomes, there are still plenty of places on Earth that crave it.
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