68
Metascore
24 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasAn infectious knockabout kung fu comedy with amusing special effects combined with breathtaking stunts.
- 75PremiereGlenn KennyPremiereGlenn KennyComedy-action lunacy of a truly high, and endlessly bizarre, order.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliInfectiously entertaining comedy.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEverything 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.
- 75New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanProving 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.
- 70L.A. WeeklyJohn PattersonL.A. WeeklyJohn PattersonThe movie has a rambunctious and likable energy that compensates for its unsteady, only intermittently amusing narrative.
- 63New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoIf 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.
- 60Village VoiceEd ParkVillage VoiceEd ParkCrammed with wild action, obvious but well-mounted gags, and playful effects, the film is refreshingly silly.
- 50The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottSo unabashed in its cheesiness that it could be spread on crackers; it may spike your cholesterol levels
- 50TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThe 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.