Review of Shaolin Soccer (2001) by Edgar C — 03 Jun 2014

The work of Stephen Chow seems to be both of respect and innovation through comedy. The fact that his films of the past decade introduced Kung Fu as a discipline capable of unrealistic physical and spiritual wonders confirms his vision to be that of comedy rather than spoof, because the essence of martial arts remains there.

Incorporating that to modern settings is an idea beyond ridiculous that few studios with any sanity remnant would accept consciously, including the cheap CGI aspects which suckness is compensated almost completely by the creativity involved in something seemingly superficial, yet actually humble. Still, the film delivers what it originally set out to do, with a no-holds-barred energy and enthusiasm that so many movies are lacking today.

The argument that the film pays homage through comedy can be confirmed with the prolonged version, and not the chopped U.S. cut; this version, however, is specifically aimed at fans of the movie, because it won't add anything to those that have already found this experience as something indescribably bad.

But it would take three more years for Chow, a name who I miss in the industry, to perfect his vision and bring his trademark amalgamation of genres to complete cohesion.

79/100.