Today’s quick review: Shaolin Soccer. Sing (Stephen Chow), a poor kung fu master with an impossibly powerful kick, catches the attention of “Golden Leg” Fung (Ng Mang Tat), a former soccer star whose injury ended his career and ruined his life. Seeing a chance to make it as a coach, Fung recruits Sing and the estranged members of his kung fu school to form an unconventional soccer team that uses their martial arts skills to blow past their opponents.
Shaolin Soccer is a martial arts sports comedy from director Stephen Chow. Shaolin Soccer’s humor is a mixture of slapstick, absurdity, and parody. The movie takes the underdog sports plot to comedic extremes, with a broke loser of a protagonist and soccer with remarkably few rules. It also pokes fun at the miraculous power of kung fu often seen in the martial arts genre, applying high-flying wire stunts and CGI to mundane tasks like soccer and baking.
However, Shaolin Soccer is missing the polish needed to make it a truly excellent comedy. The characters are right on the border between lovable losers and plain losers. The gags are more absurd than outright funny, and the language barrier can make it hard to tell when the movie is being tongue-in-cheek. The CGI used for the stunts is also pretty rough. The core comedy still shines through, but it lacks the refinement of Airplane! or Kung Fu Hustle.
Watch Shaolin Soccer if you are in the mood for an absurd, unconventional comedy. Neither the story nor the characters are much to speak of, but the jokes are entertaining, the action is fun, and the movie offers an unusual experience. Skip it if you prefer subtle humor or dislike the martial arts genre. For a more masterful martial arts parody, check out Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle. For an even more ridiculous one, check out Kung Pow: Enter the Fist.
7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for enjoyable humor hampered by a lack of polish.