Shaolin Soccer

I love this movie. This and Kung Fu Hustle are among my favorite kung fu flicks of all time. The story is absolutely absurd but the movie is so much fun that I could care less. It's funny, touching and inspired, with some instances of cheesy special effects and strange humor laced throughout. If you liked Kung Fu Hustle at all, you have to watch this film. It's that simple.

I finally purchased the DVD today and I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed and only because this DVD is lacking in the features department. There isn't much here besides both cuts of the film (the US and the original Chinese, the latter of the two being the one to watch), so you're covered if you can't stand the dubbed version or if you're not into the sometimes strange Chinese humor. But that's really it. No special features to speak of.

The picture quality is fine but I have to make special mention of the sound. This has one of the most active 5.1 mixes and if you want a film that really puts your surround system to the test, look no further.

In a nutshell, if you want a technically great presentation of the film and not much else, go with this. If you are looking for an edition loaded with behind the scenes info and commentary, etc, etc, prepare to be sorely disappointed.

Very good movie enjoyable and funny VERY FUNNY, if you are or aren't a soccer fan still watch this movie...

One in a long list of films that have been butchered by Miramax in an effort to make Hong Kong films more palatable, SHAOLIN SOCCER suffered doubly due to shifting release dates (it was pushed back for over a year and a half). In its native country, SHAOLIN SOCCER was one of the most successful films and for good reason. It takes the typical "ragtag underdogs teaming up to fight against insurmountable odds" adding Shaolin kung fu and special effects to the mix for a perfect combination.

When the formerly formidable soccer star Golden Leg Fung (Man Tat Ng)--now a limping lackey thanks to his teammate Hung (Patrick Tse)--loses his job, he hopes to start his own soccer team. He happens upon Sing (Stephen Chow), a cleaner who has been charged by his former master with spreading the techniques of Shaolin kung fu. Sing has been searching for a way to repackage Shaolin in a new, exciting, and socially viable form. It takes a bit but Sing finally realizes that his "Iron Leg" technique would be a perfect fit in Golden Leg's dream soccer team.

Golden Leg and Iron Leg set out to convince Sing's five other brothers to join in their venture. They discover that Iron Head (Yut Fei Wong), Empty Hand (Kwok Kuen Chan), Weight Vest (Lam Chi Chung), Hooking Leg (Chi-Sing Lam), and Iron Shirt (Kai Man Tin) have let their confidence and skills lapse. Can they regain the spirit from their idealistic days of youth? You better believe it! After some hilarious training sequences, the brothers come together as a team and begin to make their way through the ranks of the soccer championships until their showdown with Hung's appropriately named "Evil Team."

Along the way, Sing meets Mui (Vicki Zhao), a master of Tai Chi and bread making. When the two meet, Sing's infectious optimism and singing create chaos in the streets and results in a dance sequence highly inspired by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. This moment is typical of the uproarious tone of Chow's film. As much as it took from other "losers banding together" films like THE BAD NEWS BEARS, REVENGE OF THE NERDS, and THE REPLACEMENTS, Chow's film helped pave the way for other Asian "extreme sport" films such as Fumihiko Sori's PING PONG and Yudai Yamaguchi's BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL.

A word of warning: in all, nearly twenty-two minutes of the film were eliminated for the long-delayed, limited US release. Things missing include the backstory between Fung and Hung. Avoid this version at all costs. Region free NTSC versions with English subtitles are readily available via innumerable web vendors. Shun this (and any other) Miramax re-cuts like the plague.

I first saw the trailer for Shaolin Soccer while surfing around the internet, and thought it might be a fun film to watch with the kids-sort of a live action cartoon. When it arrived, I was stunned to see the brilliance with which this film was put together. Yes, it does capture zany cartoon magic I expected, and my kids loved it, but there was so much more there than met the eye.

There are two versions of the film on this DVD. Although it's tempting to watch the "Americanized" version, you'll be doing yourself a grave injustice if you do. The original Chinese version, subtitled, is a far better experience. Yes, my kids prefer the Americanized vesion, since it's dubbed, but the Chinese version is a much more complete and enjoyable film. (It makes me wonder what happened to the original Chinese language versions of other films, like Rumble in the Bronx.) Watching the film the way Stephen Chow intended it makes it clear why it was the biggest film ever outside of the United States.

This movie is second only to Kung Fu Hussle for the all time greatest movie ever made. Buy it. Watch it. Learn Chinese by speaking all the lines.