This film stars and is directed by one of Hong Kong's biggest stars, Stephen Chow. For those of you who his work, you know Chow for his outragious slapstick-style comedies. And although 'Shaolin Soccer' is no exception, this film stands out head and shoulders above the rest with its EXTREMELY imaginative action sequences and imagery.

Stephen Chow plays Sing, a life-long student in the ways of Shaolin Kung Fu. He received special training where he possesses unbelievable power in his legs. Since his teacher's recent death, however, he had no choice but to try to rejoin society in today's modern world. But for someone who spent all his time in martial arts training, he did not have any practical skills. So he essentially lives as a beggar trying to survive off of odd jobs. He did have a dream though - to find a practical use for his martial arts skills and show the world how wonderful knowing Shaolin Kung Fu can be.

On his quest to fulfill his dream, he meets Fung, played by Stephen Chow's long time co-star Ng Man Tat. Fung is a soccer star from years ago, whose career was cut short after accepting a bribe to throw a game and was purposely crippled because of it. Since then, Fung has lost everything and has fallen on hard times.

After Fung realizes what Sing is capable of with his martial arts background, Fung introduces the idea of utilizing his talents on the soccer field. So Sing gathers his fellow former Shaolin trainees, each of whom had training in his own unique area. And under Fung's tutelage, they form a soccer team with the goal to win the national championship.

On his quest, Sing also meets Mei (played by Vicki Zhao Wei), his love interest in the story. Mei also comes from a martial arts background, and she makes a very modest living using her Tai Chi skills to roll out bread for baking. She starts off very shy and reserved, but eventually breaks out of her shell with Sing's friendship and plays a role in the team's struggle for the national championship. Although their relationship only made up a small part of the plot, it did provide for many non-soccer related aspects to the story which blended nicely with the rest of the film.

The general storyline of this movie is very common - your basic sports hero story where the main character(s) from a poor background trains to become a great athelete dispite ovewhelming odds. But although the plot is unoriginal, the stunning visual effects in the film make it an extraordinary movie going experience. And it is not simply a matter of having good special effects. Instead, it is the ingenious combination of cinematography, extraordinary creative vision, AND good special effects that successfully expressed the moods, feelings, and actions of the characters. Not something you would expect from a slapstick comedy. Although some of the action sequences are obviously computer generated, the cleverness and originality behind those sequences more than make up for it.

Shaolin Soccer is one of the most successful movies in Hong Kong's history, and a Hong Kong Film Awards winner for multiple categories, including best picture. And after having seem the movie myself, I can easily see why. This film is a great combination of a hilarious comedy, an action-filled sport story, and fantistic visual effects. Even if you are not a soccer fan or know nothing about the game, you will still enjoy this movie since the technical details of the game never come into play. I would enthusiastically recommend Shaolin Soccer to anyone.