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Shaolin Soccer
Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
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  1. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Janice Page
    88
    As goofy action comedies go, Shaolin Soccer is one of the best.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    80
    An infectious knockabout kung fu comedy with amusing special effects combined with breathtaking stunts.
  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    80
    Whatever this universe is, you're inside it, with your mouth open, wishing that all sporting events could be this exhilarating, that all human bodies could work this way, that all simpleminded movies could be this mindfully empty-headed.
  4. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    80
    Shaolin Soccer really loves what it mocks, after all, and that grandly goofy affection -- nay, joy -- for all things chop socky is purely, utterly contagious.
  5. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    80
    Shaolin Soccer is "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with soccer balls, a touch of Sergio Leone and not one microsecond of seriousness.
  6. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    It is piffle, yes, but superior piffle.
  7. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    75
    Proving there's always a new way to tell an old story, Stephen Chow pulls out all the stops for one of the silliest, sweetest and most fun family films in recent memory.
  8. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Carla Meyer
    75
    Delightful blend of comedy, kung fu, soccer and special effects.
  9. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    75
    Shaolin Soccer's infectious style has a way of lifting spirits. You don't have to be a fan of soccer or kung fu to enjoy it.
  10. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    Infectiously entertaining comedy.
  11. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Glenn Kenny
    75
    Comedy-action lunacy of a truly high, and endlessly bizarre, order.
  12. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Ray Conlogue
    75
    One of Stephen Chow's extravagant and very funny martial-arts spoof movies.
  13. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    75
    Everything you've ever loved (or hated) but were afraid to laugh at in Asian martial-arts movies, ''Matrix''-ian bullet-time actioners, and Farrellyesque slapstick comedies -- all rolled into Hong Kong's highest-grossing local production ever.
  14. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Eric Campos
    70
    The one thing that keeps this movie from being an instant classic is its tendency towards childishly goofy humor. I guess it all depends on how you like your funny.
  15. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: John Patterson
    70
    The movie has a rambunctious and likable energy that compensates for its unsteady, only intermittently amusing narrative.
  16. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    70
    The ridiculously entertaining Shaolin Soccer pulls out all the stops to make sure viewers stay happy.
  17. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    70
    A spirited crowd-pleaser.
  18. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    63
    The movie overflows with action, slapstick and cliches, but the cliches never impede the action, and the slapstick is so expertly performed, it doesn't annoy you -- much.
  19. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Peter Debruge
    63
    Shaolin Soccer applies everything you love about Hong Kong action flicks to the paint-by-numbers sports-movie formula.
  20. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    63
    If you're looking for substance in a Hong Kong movie, stick with Wong Kar-wai ("In the Mood for Love"). But if brainless, predictable fun will do, check out Shaolin Soccer.
  21. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ed Park
    60
    Crammed with wild action, obvious but well-mounted gags, and playful effects, the film is refreshingly silly.
  22. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Melissa Levine
    60
    It's mildly amusing, good for occasional laughs and satisfying grunts of appreciation. But it's far from inspired. It's just goofy and fun, sort of.
  23. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    The film's much-vaunted stunts are deliberately unrealistic, from over-the-top wire-work to CGI-soccer balls that streak through the air like flaming cannon balls.
  24. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    50
    So unabashed in its cheesiness that it could be spread on crackers; it may spike your cholesterol levels
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 30
  3. Negative: 6 out of 30
  1. Paxster
    2
    Give me any other football film. This is one of the worst cinematic representations of football I've seen and the fact it is called Shaolin 'Soccer' to make the Hollywood market happy makes me very,very annoyed. CASH-IN.… Full Review »
  2. FusionX
    9
    Great movie, while some parts didn't translate so well into english subs it was still a very funny movie, great special effects and a good cast, some of the over the stop stuff was absolutely hilarious! Just what you'd expect from a Stephen Chow movie, i'll give it a 9, good stuff.… Full Review »
  3. RONGIU
    8
    Sorry, translation Italian - English mechanical Six bros soccer pros. A "freestyle soccer" delightful and contagious. Gray, ashy, dull, dull, leaden. These are just some of the colors that cover the human soul corrupt and insatiable of glory, power and deification pfui! :-||/. The director-star "leg of steel" Stephen Chow / is so present to the general public "Golden Leg Fung" Ng Man-Tat / young idol of the country, "the bug". Unlike the "Bombyx" that extrudes the proteins to give body to a wonderful cocoon, our Golden Leg seritteri soul secrete the invisible threads of dishonesty that profoundly alter the deeper meaning of a sport, and beautiful group, which by its nature is classified as "game". He is there, in front of the goalkeeper. Eleven meters separate it from a consecration that everyone is waiting, all they want. With the raised arm salutes the cheering crowd. It 'a riot, a waving of flags and banners that move with hopeful confidence. But the path is well traced in the heart and mind of the designer from the belly forward. The idol of thousands of children are to autograph his last penalty kick. We read that the Galilean law of falling bodies is true only in the empty stadium, unfortunately, "Golden Leg" at the moment it is not. The crowd is angry, the consequences are disastrous. So begins this fantastic, brilliant, extraordinary, wonderful love story. Yes Just so I understand. ... Love and all that. Smack! ;-) / A real team, take care of everything, is formed by a group. This group reach their goals if its members are highly motivated. Needless to say, that motivation alone is not enough. The objectives in addition to being very clear to all you have to internalize them, make their own. Thus become a vital center for the existence of the same group. And then ... and then we need a leader, emotionally mature Fiiihiu! :-D / who should be able to hold together the components of the team ensuring in particular the relational aspect. Squash! /:-D Who is our leader? What is your dream? The leader is Sing Stephen Chow / "leg of steel". The dream is firmly convinced that the spirit of Shaolin can be applied in all fields of knowledge and know-how of man. Sing, is the fifth of six children he has not seen for some time, they also experts in Shaolin Kung Fu. The best thing to do, think, is contact them. Show them the validity of his theories, it also means to reunite a family in temporary migration, which has retained the spirit of ancient traditions. Start looking for them. I try to introduce other "five bros soccer pros" ^ _ ^ • Pumpkin Iron Yut Fei Wong / First called Big Brother. Of the six brothers "Shaolin" is the most seasoned, veteran. He works as a servant in a nightclub. His head, under fire by the proprietor of the restaurant is constantly bombarded by bottles of beer. The "Shaolin Kung Fu" is still part of his life. The meeting with Sing, is significant. Do not miss!… Full Review »
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