Shaolin Soccer

Good B-movie. I don't even know why I postponed watching it for so long. The film is a nice combination of Kung-Fu and football and even though it’s quite over-the-top, it is funny and very entertaining. A great thing even after almost 20 years. Story***, Action***, Humor****, Violence>No, Entertainment*****, Music***, Visuals***, Atmosphere***, Tension***. 8/10. (27/11/2020)

The title itself is a promise of something very special. Shaolin soccer players, it just sounds great. It's not just ordinary soccer, but it's all connected to kung fu. Stephen Chow is one of the successors of Bruce Lee, just like Jackie Chan chose the path of comedy. His comedies are sometimes much crazier than Jackie Chan's, which makes him a unique creator in his original efforts. "Shaolin Soccer" is about a group of nobodies coming together to defeat the Evil team. Quite literally named. It may not seem world-changing at first glance, but kung fu is simply kung fu and everything looks better in his rendition. Soccer can be an incredible spectacle, fast, brutal, fiery. Stephen Chow demonstrates that he is an incredible master of martial arts and that he can relate it to genres and activities that don't seem to have much in common with kung fu at first glance. At times, it is apparent that the digital effects were still not good for their time and they are a somewhat sad example that even in such films that always boasted classic tricks, something unnatural is introduced. On the other hand, Chow wanted to incorporate elements into the film that would be very difficult to film without computer effects. If you like kung fu and comedies, if you don't mind absurdity, you will definitely love this film and it will captivate you with its "poetics". More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/09/expendables-2-cerna-venuse-mame-papeze.html (28/02/2013)