Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

A Shaolin martial artist applies kung fu to soccer, setting up a team of old friends under the tutelage of a crippled coach who is seeking revenge on the man who ruined his career as a player.I love the idea of combining extraordinary martial arts skills with football, but nothing illustrates my failure to understand Asian humour more than this zany 'comedy' from Stephen Chow. While many clearly find Shaolin Soccer absolutely hilarious, the film made me laugh about as much as the time my appendix almost ruptured.in addition to the dreadful slapstick and silly impromptu dance routines that pass for humour in this perplexingly popular kung fu comedy sports film, I also found myself cringing at the horribly dated and totally unconvincing CGI that it relies so heavily upon: you would think they could at least make the football look real...

"Golden Leg" Fung was a great Hong Kong soccer star. His teammate Hung deliberately threw a game and hired a mob to break Fung's leg. Hung is now a fabulously rich and powerful chairman of the soccer tournament while Fung is a drunken has-been with a limp. Fung encounters street person "Mighty Steel Leg" Sing (Stephen Chow) who thinks Shaolin kung fu is the answer to everything. Sing meets special-powered street baker Mui with severe acne. Sing tries to promote kung fu by singing in a karaoke club with brother Iron Head. Sing refuses to fight a street gang but turns it into a super soccer demonstration. Fung tells Sing to play soccer and Sing sees an opportunity to promote kung fu with the other Shaolin brothers.I love this most for the moments of deadpan humor and its surreal touches. There are a couple of aspects that I find less funny. The first soccer game with the thugs is great but the subsequent games become less and less funny. It's a function of the same action over and over again. The other minor problem is Mui's makeover. She has emotional flip-flops that are too jarring. It's also a great opportunity for her to join the team. I wish the scene starts with the dejected team and an injured goalkeeper. By the end, they come up with an idea for her to train as the new goalkeeper. Her training could be a fun traditional addition. I love the first half and the second half isn't that bad.

(59%) A very crazy, very childish - but in a good way - effects based comedy. The ideas featured don't always work well (like most comedy), although largely they do, and even the few more subtle comedic elements translate nicely. There's quite a number of strange, and very eastern almost manga style elements that would never make it into a western film such as the really unusual romantic love interest character that comes across as more confusing than anything else. In terms of the actual soccer played it's more likened to an episode of "Wacky races" than the real game itself, but it's still very fun to watch, and fans of Chow will almost certainly like his over-the-top brand of comedy.

Next time you are in the mood for a laugh out loud action comedy film that's both clean and wicked funny, turn to Shaolin Soccer. This wonderful film starts a rag tag group of brothers that have lost their way in Shaolin and band together to win a soccer tournament. The action and chaos that ensues is hilarious and amusing, as long as you go in knowing that it's supposed to be!Sounds ridiculous, right? That's exactly the point. The whole plot, while it works and is pretty well done, is meant to be taken very lightly. It is an absolutely goofy, absurd and high comedy gag fest that has laughs coming at rapid fire. I can't recommend this movie enough; Shaolin Soccer truly kicks grass!