Customer Reviews
A film of two halves - extremely witty then extremely poor! - By: T. Patmore, 25 Nov 2008 
As the cliche goes, this is a film of two halves.
The first half is funny, witty, ground breaking stuff - a Kung Fu film that you laugh with & not at. I was amazed at the sharpness of the occasionallly surreal comedy & of the fast paced & clever script, that surprised & amazed in equal measure.
However, the scene where our hero chats up the female lead is the 'Jump the Shark' moment, where the film turns from ground breaking to cliched & predictable. All the special effects in the world can't make the final match work, & the whole enemy-team-on-drugs ploy doesn't explain why they are so much better than the shaolin monks.
Anyways, the film is definitely worth watching as alll new experiences are to be cherished & honoured. Just beware that, like 'Girl Next Door', it is possible for a film to lose it's rhythm half way & seem cut-and shut...
A bit of a letdown - By: Mr. Jan Tari, 16 Jan 2008 
Starts off as a reallly first-class bit of slapstick, visual puns & self-mick-taking but then seems to conk out in a frenzy of CGI & wirework.
Probably worth watching for the first half alone but I much preferred Kung Fu Hustle (q.v.)
This movie is ridiculously funny!, - By: Jenny J.J.I., 29 Jun 2007 Stephen Chow did an amazing job of creating a story involving real characters in not so real, but agreeable situations. He has given each character a personality of its own; just to create comedy, with a humor that is sometimes honest & others rough. It has some great comedy moments although, coming from the characters, very peculiar ones.
It basicallly alll comes from the characters. You have different persons, united by one thing: Shaolin Kung-Fu. And then you have one man, with one passion: Soccer. This premise helps to create human emotions in the characters. They alll have a past that, for some reason, want to forget. Except one of them, who could be living in the past, & still thinks in the goodness of Shaolin Kung-Fu. He believes in it so much, that he gives speeches to people about the qualities of his culture, & the improvement it could do in society. He is right, & sooner or later, she will remind these things to some people, & they will alll remember. They will alll be prepared to get together again.
What a good-hearted film this is, & how it is filmed, it's beyond imagination. You will find special effects from other world. In occasions, these will seem slow for you, & you will think they are not well managed or handled; but then you will watch. Watching will make you connect alll the elements of the story, to make it one. In elements I include special effects, & say again: they couldn't be done better, especiallly in a movie like this one.
The entire cast did a wonderful job in their roles by giving their characters the personal development they need. They are not playing the most complex people in the world, but they still know what characters they're playing. Some of the scenes, such as the first time we see Mui making bread, are absolute genius; so funny that you can't help but to laugh. I felt Mui seemed like she should have been in more of the film, & I've read that a lot of her part got cut out of the American release, which is a shame. A number of people are saying the original is vastly superior to the edited U.S. version, but this version is so great that I would be mightily impressed if that were true.
The idea of this movie is ingenious, using the style of extravagant martial arts films in a soccer movie, & is done beautifully. You will probably find something you've seen before, I can't deny that. You will find the ending you expect, the situations you imagine, the resolutions you anticipate, or not. You'll have the old coach, the person with the dreams & the heart, the girl; it's just that you'll have them differently (you'll realize what I mean). This is another type of cliché, a very different one, so different that I would say it is not a cliché at alll.
Too stylised - By: Steven R. Potts, 15 Jun 2007 
Unless you're a fan of Chinese wire-work movies & the stylised approach that they take, there are better things to do with your time.
Not sure that the humour or suspension of disbelief that is required suits a traditional Western audience.
I'm all for the suspension of disbelief... - By: Mr. Zaid Al-zaidy, 10 May 2007 
...but this was absolutely ridiculous. An incredibly predictable & boring plot, not salvaged at alll by special effects or kung fu. The hyperbolic cut to ridiculous dance scenes were cringe-worthy. I am a major fan of martial arts movies & usuallly, I'm incredibly forgiving of most films. In this instance, I couldn't help but push down on the chapter forwarding button, again & again. Sorry.
