Nova Media Korean Blu-ray Synopsis: N/A (112 Mins)

 

Universe HK DVD Synopsis: In a fight against the gangsters, Sing who is watched by a previous soccer star Fung fights his way out show his powerful martial arts kicking skills. Sing is persuaded to form a soccer team together with his Shaolin comrades for the National Soccer Tournament. With Fung as their coach, Sing and his teammates' talents for kung fu are unleashed in the soccer field... (112 Mins)

 

Views: Where do you start with a film like Shaolin Soccer? A genuine classic of modern Hong Kong cinema that quickly gained a cult following, broke box-office records, won many awards and made an international star out of Stephen Chow! It's a simple tale of underdogs giving their all to prove their worth in life and score a win, but Chow being Chow, he still manages to take take things to a whole other level and deliver something that will forever be grained in your brain. The film plays like a live-action cartoon, with Chow actually stating in the past that his approach to the OTT football moves and use of CGI had been inspired by the popular Japanese manga series, Captain Tsubasa. It reaches levels of Naked Gun (1988) style humour, yet stays original enough to let the world know just what a comic genius this man really is – although much of it's localised laughs and cleverly written comedic scenes were no doubt lost on the general (western) public. This is confirmed by the Miramax North American release that saw a ridiculous 23 minutes cut, although the DVD release does offer viewers the chance to watch it uncut. And that's exactly how you should watch Shaolin Soccer – uncut in it's original language – for the best experience, undoubtedly!

 

If, like myself, you had been watching Stephen Chow or canto-comedy films for many years in the run up to this, then Shaolin Soccer will absolutely have you rolling! I remember the first time I ever saw it, right after I won my first Ebay bidding war back in 2001. For years I had already been wetting myself at the hi-jinks of this man in films such as Curry and Pepper (1990), Look Out Officer (1990), Tricky Brains (1991), God of Gamblers 3: Back to Shanghai (1991), Flirting Scholar (1993), A Chinese Odyssey 1 & 2 (1995), Forbidden City Cop (1996), God of Cookery (1996) and so much more. To me, Chow Sing Chi was the funniest man in cinema – and I still stand by that today. My point is that, even when Shaolin Soccer came about, I was still laughing just as hard! Of course, he did also serve as writer and director of the piece, something he had been doing for a number of years before on films such as From Beijing with Love (1994), Forbidden City Cop (1996), God of Cookery (1996), and King of Comedy (1999); all of which I highly recommend. Chow would follow this with what was, perhaps, his biggest ever film – Kung Fu Hustle in 2004 – a film that just blew him and his success out of this world. Oddly, his next film would be based on just that. CJ7 (2008) is a family comedy about a visiting alien that helps save him as a father, but it also saw him play his final leading role to date. Since then, Stephen Chow has been a little quite in the film world, focusing on life as a director – delivering his humour through a new line of actors with films such as Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013), The Mermaid (2016), The New King of Comedy (2019), and the upcoming sequel to this, Kung Fu Soccer (2026)...

 

Chow's long-time partner in crime and prolific actor in his own right, the late Ng Man Tat, stars as the team coach Fung; an ex-professional footballer crippled by a jealous teammate and reduced to cleaning his shoes in later life. For a solid decade, this pair were considered one of the greatest team-ups in Hong Kong cinema, backing each other up in the wildest of comedies, with Man Tat making a name for himself as a serious character actor in between. So it was unfortunate that, given the huge success of this movie, Shaolin Soccer would also prove to be their last time on screen together. Both are joined by the wonderful Vicki Zhao Wei, a relatively new actress in the film world having just starred in 4 or 5 features in the run up to this. Her first Hong Kong film was, in fact, Andrew Lau and Wong Jing's crazy wuxia comedy The Duel (2000) that helped give her a taste of the insane style of comedy she'd be walking into for this. Since impressing audiences in Shaolin Soccer, Zhao Wei has went onto become one of Hong Kong and Chinese cinemas most bankable actresses. Next we have the legendary Patrick Tse, here starring as the boss of Team Evil and the man that destroyed Fung's leg all those years ago. The father of popular action star Nicholas Tse, and another great actor that has already left us, Tse brings some style and menace to his role and was a joy to see him having a bit of fun. Stephen Chow film regulars Tenky Tin and Wong Yat Fei star as fellow players for his team, with the latter taking part in one of my favourite scenes – the night club where he works. I can't help but laugh out loud every time I see this, with so many NG shots left in for good measure as both he and Chow keep breaking character due to the insanity of it all. Joining them on the team are a few new faces who, since this, have went onto have successful enough careers in film and television. The first is Mo Mei Lin, a professional gymnast from China who was doing pretty well with films like Kung Fu Chefs (2009), Treasure Inn (2011), Princess and the Seven Kung Fu Masters (2013), Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (2014) and others. The other two are the burly Lam Tze Chung and Bruce Lee lookalike Danny Chan, both of who Chow brought back for follow-up roles in Kung Fu Hustle (2004). Both have since had hugely successful careers, with Chan actually going on to play Bruce Lee himself in Kung Fu League (2018), Ip Man 3 (2015) and again in Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019).

 

It's also worth noting the guest appearances on offer. This starts with the gorgeous Cecilia Yip and Karen Mok as two moustached rival footballers, as well as Vincent Kok and Steven Fung Min Hang also. Of course, both of them have worked with Chow numerously over the years, with Fung coming back for the aforementioned Kung Fu Soccer (2026). When they aren't enhanced by the (now slightly dated) CGI during the action scenes, the over-the-top wire-fu action is presented by the fantastic Tony Ching Siu Tung, aided here by Jackie Chan Stunt Team member Ailen Sit and Sammo Hung Stunt Team member Wong Ming Kin. Yeung Kwok Fai returns for his last stint as producer, having already been behind Chow's hits with A Chinese Odyssey 1 & 2 (1995), God of Cookery (1996), and King of Comedy (1999), while the prolific Lee Lik Chi – Chow's co-director on most of those aforementioned titles, as well as the man behind The Magnificent Scoundrels (1991), Flirting Scholar (1993), Love on Delivery (1994) and others – serves here, as the executive director.

 

Although it's been a good 25 years since Shaolin Soccer, with Kung Fu Soccer about to hit the big screens across the UK & Ireland (which is why I'm currently revisiting this), their has been a couple of nods to this footy classic over the years from some of the people involved. The first was Silly Kung Fu Family (aka) Shaolin Family Soccer from 2004, a low budget spin-off based on the character of Iron Head (Wong Yat Fei) with a Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) twist. While it lacks the genius of Chow's original, it does make for an okay watch but there's really not much in the way of soccer. But the next is Shaolin Girl (2008), a Japanese production co-produced by Stephen Chow that shifts the focus to an all-girls Lacrosse team and runs a similar path to this – albeit with less stupidity. It's a great show and may actually have been the blueprint for his official sequel, Kung Fu Soccer (2026). Regardless, there's no denying what an impact Shaolin Soccer has had on the world, and it's a film I just love to go back to time and time again!

 

Overall: A fine promotion of Shaolin martial arts if ever there was one, as well as a healthy dose of laughs and pure stupidity, Shaolin Soccer has to be seen to be believed – but is worth every minute!

 

Nova Media Blu-ray Extras: Making of Featurette, NG reel, Music Video, SFX featurette, Trailers

 

Universe DVD Extras: Making of Featurette, NG reel, Music Video, SFX featurette, Trailers