When a film is hyped up or critically acclaimed, it often seems to be the case that your average movie-goer is disappointed by the end product. When it comes to 'Shaolin Soccer' though, this has to be one of only a few examples that actually lives up to it's reputation. The outcry from fans of all genres has been so great that even Hollywood has had to sit up and take notice and it would appear that comedian Stephen Chow Sing Chi is finally about to make it big.

Once a proud member of the soccer hall of fame, Fung (Man Tat) was crippled due to his own stupidity, which in turn destroyed all of his hopes and dreams.  When he stumbles upon a street cleaner by the name of Sing (Sing Chi), he sees a superstar in the making.  Sing is a student of the Shaolin Martial Arts and longs to bring his gift to the masses in a new and improved way.  Realising that they can combine the two activities, they enlist the help of the Shaolin brothers to form a soccer team that possesses a few new skills.

First things first, 'Shaolin Soccer' is a comedy. I say this because the film appears to have garnered quite a reputation for it's special effects or (in the West) the introduction of a new "kung fu" star, but it's the comedic talents of Stephen Chow Sing Chi that really put it on the map. For international audiences, Chow has often been overlooked as his unique "mo lei tau" comedy relies heavily on wordplay, making it difficult to translate all of the elements into other languages. With 'Shaolin Soccer' though, he finally seems to have bridged the gap by introducing a more visual element that, when combined with his already impressive comic timing and ability, really hits the nail on the head.

As I've already pointed out, the action in 'Shaolin Soccer' isn't the primary focus but it is still a very important ingredient. Once again, Chow takes his inspiration from his true-to-life idol, Bruce Lee, and mixes in several 'Fist Of Fury' style street brawls. It has to said that each of these is excellently choreographed and are further enhanced by the use of some nifty special effects to give the heroes superhuman abilities. Unfortunately, as with other recent efforts like 'A Man Called Hero' or 'The Storm Riders', the computer work is still far from perfect but it doesn't seem to matter as much when applied to such a comic book world.

With so many positives, it does seem strange that hardcore fans have criticised 'Shaolin Soccer' for lacking the character development of Chow's previous outings. Personally, I believe this to be an unfair assessment as even though earlier efforts such as 'King Of Comedy' and 'God Of Cookery' did offer up a few more thought provoking human dilemmas, the characters in 'Shaolin Soccer' still provide plenty of heart to sit alongside the laughs.

So as I said in the opening, 'Shaolin Soccer' really is a film that lives up to the hype and I'd thoroughly recommend it everyone. The film is just the epitome of fun and easily one of the best films I have seen in the last few years, so if you haven't already got the message - buy this film today!