Rating: 
Summary: Old skool w/ new skool
Review: This movie is actually a bit old to me. I saw about 2yrs ago when the DVD was released in HK/Asia.It's scheduled to be released in US theatres which I am strongly against since they will give it bad dubbing and a horrible soundtrack (Kung Fu fighting?). DO NOT WATCH IT IN US THEATRES. JUST DON'T. PERIOD. Foreign movies need to be kept in their original language and soundtrack. This changes EVERYTHING if you try to watch it in dubbed. Subtitles isn't even noticeable once you get used to it. As for the movie, brilliant and hilarious.
It's got the spaghetti western feel to it along with the old skool kung fu flick then throw in todays technology.
People who hate wire work and unrealistic fighting effects will probably abhor it.
The movie does start out a little slow but once the main part takes effect, you can't wait to see which poor soccer team they play next. The goalie scenes are the best.
They should've kept one of those outtakes.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but uneven
Review: I found this DVD title at my local New York Public Library branch and was intrigued by the title and also I vaguely remembered a trailer I saw in theaters last spring or summer. First thing I noticed about the movie was how much better the print is compared to the typical Hong Kong flick. Most HK films are grainy and greenishly dark, plus they are edited in weird ways. (Admitted I haven't seen many HK movies but the ones I've seen always made me feel motionsick afterwards.) The visuals on this film, on the other hand, are clean and well-balanced, with good color tones, albeit a bit high on the orange/yellow side. The storyline is interesting but uneven at places. The first hour of the 100-minute film is about how the players come together to form the team, and then the final match for the rest of the film. There are a lot of funny moments, but also some jokes that could baffle a Western viewer. Furthermore, there's a lot of oblique references to homosexuality, such as when the fat boy eats his precious chicken eggs off the stockbroker guy, and an unnecessarily excessive amount of male leg exposes. A few scenes are superfluous and make the first half boring at times (e.g., the bar scene). The movie is dominated by computer-generated special effects. A "making of" featurette reveals much of the action was filmed with blue screens. But I have to say the effects are quite good, and more refreshing than the stuff put out by Hollywood these days. Most of the human-computer action sequences are well spliced together and therefore enjoyable. Overall, Shaolin Soccer is an enjoyable film for every comedy fan, but especially for the martial arts and soccer crowds. The HK version I saw feels uneven in many places, maybe that's why the U.S. theatrical release has been pushed back again and again. Whether you rent it or borrow it from the library, it's a worthwhile movie to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly Funny
Review: This is a great movie for those who want to have a mind-numbing moment with soccer, special effects, good humour, and why not, man's greatest invention: football!
Rating:
Summary: Very funny and fun to watch
Review: thIS MOVIE REALLY ROCK, SO FAR IS MY FAVORITE HK FILM !
Rating:
Summary: Hahahaha
Review: This movie was friggin hilarious. The plot basically goes down like this: An former soccer player (who is now a coach) recruits a kung fu master who believes that using kung fu to play soccer would be a smart thing to do. They go on to recruit other kung fu masters and the coach then teaches them the fundamentals of soccer. The movie then progresses to show them developing into an indestructable soccer team. The scenes worth watching are the definitely the soccer scenes which involve "Matrix" like special effects. This is one of the best foreign films I have ever seen. If you can get your hands on this movie, I suggest that you don't pass it up.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!!
Review: I was first introduced to this movie when my girlfriend demanded that we watch it. I've never been a fan of martial arts movies, so I was extremely iffy about it. I also am not a fan of subtitles, so this movie was in the trash as far as I was concerned, but being the good boyfriend I am, I decided I could tough through a two hour movie and maybe catch a couple of z's while I was at it. But after the movie started, my opinion almost immedietely changed. From the opening scene this movie grabs you and doesn't let go. It is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It is creative and the effects aren't as cheesy as you might think. I sat with my jaw dropped for two hours, thinking to myself "How many other movies have I blown off that might be great?" I can't wait for the theatrical release where it will be dubbed in English. I hope they come out with a DVD with an English dub too.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant blend of martial arts, comedy, SFX, mysticism
Review: Stephen Chow has proven himself to be one of the world's finest directors with "Shaolin Soccer" (aka "Kung-Fu Soccer"), which was Hong Kong's biggest-ever box-office success when released in 2001. The simple story of a family of brothers who use Shaolin kung-fu to win the national China soccer tournament against The Evil Team (who use "American medicines" to win their games) is
bolstered by some hilarious comedy, spirited performances and
very creative special effects. Outside of the comedic scenes--
which are among the funniest I've seen in a foreign film in a long time--the film's mystical element comes through most uniquely, as during the fabled hypnotic scene involving Mui's steamed bread making. The part where the brothers are getting beaten to death on the field and then suddenly "freeze" revert to ancient kung-fu forms was also startling and wonderful. Although banned in mainland China because it was released in Hong Kong before given official certification, this film also works as a glimpse into what the modern-day country looked like in 2001. "Shaolin Soccer" was primarily filmed not in Hong Kong but in Shanghai, and uses that city's futuristic-looking new skyscrapers and hip, youthful citizens as a slick, glittery backdrop to its story. Never before has communist China looked this modern, confident and vibrant in a movie. The special effects, too, are very cutting-edge, and work particularly well during the final soccer match where flying soccer balls become ferocious black tigers, and some kicks are so powerful as to rip the skin right off of the players. At no point is this movie ever dull or uninteresting, and most of the time it moves at a roaring pace. The director's cut on the foreign DVD is even better, as it features two lengthy scenes that were cut out of the original, but add to the subplot between Sing and Mui. Whether you are a fan of martial arts, comedy, China, or just
plain good old fashioned filmmaking, this film is for you, and when it is released here in the US this August I hope it becomes
a phenomenon. Very highly recommended--I have seen it three times now and it continues to grow on me.
Rating:
Summary: Love Sports? Then Watch This Ultra-Funny Action-Comedy
Review: In the summer of 2001, this hilarious comedy-action film was released in Hong Kong, and it immediately became the biggest hit there, even beating the previous box-office record of Jackie Chan's "First Strike." The craze went on, and when it was released in Japan in May, 2002, it again became an instant smash hit even though Stephen Chow's name, before that release, had been known only among the small number of devoted Hong Kong film fans. How the movie is received in US and other regions, I don't know, but as those facts testify, "Kung-Fu Soccer" is an incredibly funny movie. [STORY}] You need one? OK, it is about a young man Sing (Chow) who wants to promote the usefulness of kung-fu he learned at Shaolin Temple, and an ex-star soccer player "Golden Leg" Fung (good supporting actor Ng Man Tat), who is now down and out, living in misery. However, when Fung meets Sing on the street of Hong Kong, and sees how he kicks an empty can miles away (literally), Fung realises that here is a golden opportunity for him to regain the dignity and pride he lost long time ago. Combination of Kung-fu and soccer! Invincible!! So, Sing recruits the old pupils he knew when he was training at the temple to make a soccer team. They are no longer what they were; one is a businessman busy with a cell ohone, another totally unemployed, and so on.... And they seem to have lost the skills they had once until, of course, one day, suddenly, they come back in good shape, ready for fight, game for more. Meanwhile, Sing meets a girl named Mui (Vicki Zhao), and a romance (but very unusual one) starts to bloom. My overall impression is, in short, Austin Powers with sports and martial arts. [WHO IS STEPHEN CHOW?] Chow has been very popular in Hong Kong since the year 1990, about two years he made his film debut, and he is 40 years old at the time of writing this, but looks much younger and very agile. His comedies are always filled with incredibly stupid and ridiculous things, often under the very unique situations. Some of his movies include "With Love from Beijin" (1994) "The God of Cookery" (1996), and many others, and I hope those titles would tell you what you see in those funny films. Always stupid and powerful, often with extraordinary parodies, his films give you dynamic gags with improvised atomosphere. Though the film often lacks a coherent story, and his character is not always amiable, finally you come to like him. [ABOUT THIS FILM] As I said, "Kung-Fu Soccer" is a funny comedy, and it also uses first-rate wire-actions and CG images to create its original world. The soccer players jump (to the height of more than 10 meters), kick a ball (to make a hole in a concrete wall, or sometimes catches fire, becoming a roaring puma-like shape!), and ... well, about the rest you should see for yourself. Some of the CGIs are intentionally (and aptly) cheesy (see how villains fly in a browl), but some are surprisingly effective, especailly in the final game scene. Not "Titanic" class, but its use is well-regulated and most importantly, makes lots of funny scenes. [AND ... TRIVIA] 1) As Stephen Chow is a great fan of Bruce Lee, he makes a reference to this legendary hero in the character of the goal keeper whose orange-colored uniform is that of Lee in his last film "Game of Death." 2) Vicki Chao is a famous, very popular idol singer/actress in mainland China, but she never shows her real face. Three time she appears, but each time she is wearing some make-ups. This is an in-joke for those who know her, but to some audience Chow's joke may seem to have gone too far. 3) If you're a Hong-Kong film fan, check out the special appearances of Karen Mok with a strange make-up (regular of Chow's films like "The God of Cookery" and also seen in Jet Li's "Black Mask") and Vincent Kok (also seen in "With Love" and director of Jackie Chan's "Gorgeous"). [AND FINALLY...] The film has first made with the running time of 102 minutes, and then two additional sequences are made to make it 109 minutes (I saw the latter one in Japan). However, it has been reported that for the US release Miramax decided to cut extensively the Asian version, so you may keep that in mind. But, though I hate those changes done to the films, I think, as far as this case goes, the cuts would not affect the total effect of the film very much (I admit some parts of the original version was, to me, a little unnecessary or ineffective) because the film itself is way too funny. Well, anyway, that's for the record. I love the film. Hope you enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but could have used a little more action
Review: First off, I'm going to agree with pretty much everyone here, the scenes with Kung Fu are done excellently. The effects, although ridiculous are quite cool. Now my (minor) gripes: - There's no way to skip to the menu while the disc is initially loading. This isn't a big deal the first time, but it does get kind of annoying to have to sit through the warnings and logo screens. - The story kind of falls over itself towards the end. That might be kind of predictable given that this team would have destroyed everyone in the competition, but it kind of betrays the point of these guys playing together (to spread the word about Shaolin kung fu) when it looks like every team but the scrubs knows a little kung fu. Other than that though, it is quite fun to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Bend it Like Golden Leg Fung
Review: I had heard about Shaolin Soccer (2001) a couple of years ago from a friend, as he had recommended it to me, knowing the particular way some of my tastes ran, and I am glad he did, as it's a heady mix of the wacky, the absurd, and the just plain fun. The movie starts off with a flashback, showing an extremely popular Chinese soccer player named Golden Leg Fung accepting money to throw a game from a lackey, and the consequences of his actions, including a severely crippling beating by the crowd after purposely missing a rather easy goal scoring opportunity. Now, it's many years later, and Fung now works for the gangster organization that had originally paid him off, in a completely demeaning position. He dreams of coaching, but the once lackey who owns the current champion soccer team and is also chairman of the league, finds this notion completely humorous, and heap further degradations upon Fung. Despondent, Fung ends up meeting a vagabond/shaolin follower called Steel Leg, and formulates a plan to build a new soccer team around this exceptional martial artist. Fung also finds out Steel Leg has enough brothers, all once trained in martial arts, to make up a team. Each brother has their own, unique ability, and soon they begin to practice. During their first practice, the men suffer a fairly brutal beating (this whole pain, beating, and humiliation factor seems to be a constant theme throughout), but soon find their shaolin training coming back to them, and turn the tables on their opponents. They enter the tournament, sweeping through the ranks, until finally the meet with the current champions, the Evil Team (I'm not kidding, that's their name), and meet the ultimate challenge, as the chairman gives his team a decidedly unfair advantage. Will the shaolin players be victorious, or will they suffer the crushing defeat at the hands of the chairman and his evil team? The special effects here are truly amazing and inventive, making for the most insane soccer playing I've ever seen. Imagine someone being able to kick a soccer ball with the same force of shooting it out of a cannon, and with pinpoint accuracy. There is not really a lot of actual soccer playing, in the traditional sense, as with the abilities of the players, the ball mainly zooms around in a very cartoonish manner. Mixing kung fu and soccer is certainly and interesting concept, and provides some really spectacular visuals. The English captioning is really bad, but certainly gave me much to laugh about, along with the seriously outlandish overacting. Special features include an option to watch the film with the deleted scenes, the deleted scenes by themselves, a trailer, biographies, a featurette on the making of the film, a photo gallery, and behind the scenes featurette on how the special effects were made. All in all, Shaolin Soccer is an unsane, over the top comedy steeped in outrageous action and definitely worth a look if you care to expand your horizons. Cookieman108
| 
