This blog post is part of the Agora Road Travelogue for June 2025

There’s something so hectic about Hongkongese cinema. I’m no expert but at least that’s the impression I had after watching, say, a Wonkg Kar-wai film. It seems that life in Hong Kong is so fast paced that there is no alternative for their cinema than to reflect that. Stephen Chow’s cinema is probably more on the blockbustery side than Wong’s, but that doesn’t limit the amount of praise that it receives. Maybe this being a foreign film we grant it with our suspension of disbelief all the easier. And I think that’s the norm for martial arts films in general. With counted exceptions, like Jackie Chan’s films, most of these fall within the realm of fantasy, which might not be the most appealing thing for us action-heads seeking thrilling emotions.

Enter Shaolin Soccer. I remember the first time I watched it I caught it on TV, in a period of my life in which I was obsessed with Asian culture. I didn’t know much about it in general. My only exposure to it was through the anime I watched on pirate sites from which Crunchyroll would be the only one that survived. I wasn’t aware of the massive differences among countries, let alone the specific one-of-a-kind political situation of Hong Kong. Maybe like the dominance of Taiwan in processor manufacturing, the haunting spectre of the CCP also explains why Hongkongese cinema has a very distinct flavor. It has the confidence of showing reality as it is, a confidence that is only made possible by a thriving economy. Take for example American cinema, and how often it introspects into what the meaning of being American itself is. Compare it with the cinema of something like Mexico, in which the reality of the nation has to be constantly either hidden under the rug or made a social denounce out of it. It is either Los olvidados or anything starring Marta Higareda. There is no point in between. One cannot be poor and happy because the poor either don’t exist or are miserable. Maybe in this regard some telenovelas are more honest than movies, specifically María de Todos los Ángeles, which I will never grow tired of calling a masterpiece.

Movies from Hong Kong, and specifically Shaolin Soccer have no shame in showing the suburban reality of the city. Everything has that feeling of happening on a street market somewhere in a third world country, but this is not done out of a sense if despise, not exactly pride either, just a sense of reality. “This is how we live. There’s no reason to hide it.” The movie can be classified as a whimsical over-the-top comedy. The premise itself is kind of ridiculous, shaolin monks playing soccer. However it paves the way for the introduction of a team of underdogs that would perfectly fit in any other sports movie. I’m not sure if I would call the special effects dated, mostly because I’m not sure if they ever look realistic. What I can attest is that they contribute to the enjoyment of the film, which is not meant to be taken too seriously. If you are willing to let yourself go and shut off your brain for an hour and a half (two hours if you watch the uncut version), you are up for some of the funniest, most warm-hearted film as there is. Main couple doesn’t even kiss on camera for goodness sake.

Is it a masterpiece? Hard to tell. I can say that it prompts me to revisit it. It also makes me want to watch or re-watch some of Chow’s other films. I get some innocent enjoyment out of it. It makes me feel like I can be happy with what I have, and there are very few films that make me feel that way.