Kung Fu Soccer Review: Even Behind The Scenes, Stephen Chow Shines The Brightest

Even when he is not acting, Stephen Chow is head and shoulders ahead of many comedy directors.

Disclaimer: As this is a review of the movie, spoilers are unavoidable, so be sure to read at your own discretion!

Growing up in a Chinese-speaking household in Malaysia, it is practically impossible to avoid Stephen Chow movies.

I remember back when my family had cable television; his shows were on repeat, especially during festive periods like Chinese New Year. The ones that stuck with me the most would be A Chinese Odyssey, Hail the Judge, and of course, Shaolin Soccer.

To many – at least for me – Chow is comedy itself in the Chinese world. His distinct style of delivering comedy is iconic in a sense that they can be very direct or very subtle.

As he ages, Chow has taken up a more “behind-the-scenes” role in his movies, pumping out movies like Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons and The Mermaid, where he directed the movies but was not physically in them.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of any of the aforementioned movies, so when it was announced that Kung Fu Soccer would not feature him on the main stage again, I was skeptical.

Well, I might have been wrong after watching it.

Also, if you are on the lookout for more Stephen Chow movies, check out TGV’s coming soon list here!

Let’s Talk a Little About Shaolin Soccer First

It’s really hard not to mention Shaolin Soccer when we want to talk about Kung Fu Soccer, as it is taking inspiration from arguably the best Stephen Chow movie.

The absurd take on soccer and how it blends martial arts with the sport was a gimmick that exploded. If you’re on social media, to this day, there are international social media accounts still using clips from the movie as memes. This is to say the movie has broken language barriers, and non-Chinese-speaking countries have also enjoyed the movie.

So why did I go all the way to make this point about Shaolin Soccer?

Well, the point here is to help readers visualise how big a shoe the sequel has to fill. Plus, the movie has to navigate a minefield that can truly make it fail; it’s not primarily spoken in Cantonese, Chow is absent, and a large chunk of the actors who made the film work is not in it.

Still, Kung Fu Soccer worked as intended?

A Nonsensical Plot That Works in Favour of The Movie

Expecting a well-written story in a Chow film is akin to expecting a Wong Kar Wai movie to have one-dimensional characters.

Right from the movie’s get-go, we see the main team thrash the opposition with an absurd scoreline, and that is just the start of it. Things get crazier, and with no regards to any storytelling and I love it.

I loved it because Chow remained true to what he is good at. Sure, you might not have the most riveting story but his straight-to-the-point jokes still land really well and even if he is not the one delivering them, you can see his footprints all over it.

Subtle Fan Services From Chow’s Older Works

As loud as Chow’s jokes tend to be, Kung Fu Soccer included many quiet instances with references from his older movies.

A memorable one for me would be the 007 pose Lay’s character did in the alleyway, referencing From Beijing with Love. Nothing particular but just there for long-time Chow fans to catch. There were so many of it and it was like playing a mini-game within a movie.

Another one that come to mind would be the lolipop referenced from Kung Fu Hustle. In Kung Fu Hustle, the lolipop is one the movie’s main plot device and has made its way to Kung Fu Soccer in almost the exact same scene from a flashback.

There’s a whole lot more I can go on with these references but I’ll let you watch it and see if you can spot any yourself!

What Stephen Chow Makes or Creates is Going to be Great

Image Source: Variety

Ok, I might be overstating it when I make this claim but seriously, he rarely misses, especially if you were to grow up watching his films. There is just that uniqueness to it where you can see even in modern-day conversations, his signature style of phrasing and communicating is imitated a lot.

Sure, you can make the argument that Kung Fu Soccer might not be as good as its predecessor but you cannot deny that it is a child from the genius that is Stephen Chow.

Celebrating Kung Fu Soccer With Comb-Fus at TGV Cinemas!

Did you know when Kung Fu Soccer was showing in TGV Cinemas, they actually prepared character-customised combs from the movie!