Kung Fu Soccer, 2026.
Directed by Stephen Chow.
Starring Zhang Xiaofei, Dilraba Dilmurat, Lay Zhang, Carina Lau and Takeru Satoh.
SYNOPSIS:
The Emei team participated in Asian Women’s Champions League, and was not favored, but captain Shuangshuang were invincible after getting help from senior brother Xu Feng. But because of a dispute, Xu Feng turned against them.
Stephen Chow is notably one of the most famous comedic filmmakers to emerge from Hong Kong. While many of his films may not be widely recognised in the West, works such as Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle found international audiences thanks to Miramax Films and Columbia Pictures, respectively. His zany brand of comedy is often described as Mo Lei Tau (無厘頭) in Cantonese, a term that loosely translates to “making no sense” or “coming from nowhere”. I feel this style is perfectly illustrated in his latest film, Kung Fu Soccer.
A spiritual successor to Shaolin Soccer, this time focusing on a women’s football team, Chow’s signature comedic flair is back in full force. The phrase “coming from nowhere” is the perfect description for the comedic beats present throughout. Everything is a punchline, from bodies flying across the football pitch as they struggle to stop the strikes of Team Emei, to one of their opponents, Team Ewha, using their beauty and psychological tricks to win over the referee, and even the Japanese team serving as the film’s final boss.
When everything is a punchline, not every joke lands. At times, the film’s vaguely sexist approach to Team Ewha, who use their bodies to cover up blatant red-card offences, is far from funny. Yet other moments are genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious. From the first football match, which perfectly utilises physical pain for comedic effect, to another scene in which a character eats their own tooth, the film is utterly disgusting and yet irresistibly funny. Very few comedies have made me react so viscerally, and at its best, Kung Fu Soccer is a genuine comedic riot.
Chow’s determination to focus on comedy comes with a massive trade-off, though. Which is that everything surrounding the comedy is lacking in depth and purpose. Moving the focus from a male to a female team should allow Chow to explore disparities within the sport. However, this is not the case; according to this film, women’s football is just as big as its male counterpart. Given the high-octane and intense football matches, it should allow for interesting commentary, but that’s not what the film is trying to be.
This lack of depth extends to the cast. Describing them as one-dimensional at times feels like giving the film more credit than it deserves. Team captain Shuang, played well by Zhang Xiaofei, is defined almost entirely by her inability to handle losing, with her arc revolving around rediscovering her love for the game. Meanwhile, co-lead Jade, wonderfully brought to life by Dilraba Dilmurat, is similarly underdeveloped. Her character is largely reduced to a team member who left the sport for the love of a man and only returns once that relationship falls apart.
The only character with any real depth is Xu Feng, who is decently portrayed by Lay Zhang. Whether he is an antagonist or an ally should make for an interesting dynamic and add a welcome thorn in Team Emei’s side. However, his role ultimately proves more frustrating than compelling. This is largely because he has no developed characters to bounce off. His eventual heel turn feels less like a natural progression and more like a lazy narrative device used to force character and plot development. With little meaningful character growth or a compelling narrative throughline, the film often feels like a series of comedic set pieces tied together by the bare minimum required to keep audiences engaged between each football game.
Those comedic beats, as previously mentioned, are genuinely hilarious. This is aided by Stephen Chow’s strong action direction, which utilises over-the-top yet flawed CGI alongside some truly gnarly practical effects. The attention to injury detail will have you wincing in pain every time it unfolds on screen. Raymond Wong, Chow’s regular composer, also returns with another fantastic score that feels reminiscent of tracks featured in Kung Fu Hustle. Even when Chow’s script is weak, his direction remains strong and utterly enthralling.
Without its breakneck comedy, Kung Fu Soccer leaves a lot to be desired, feeling like a film that lacks a clear sense of purpose. However, that comedy is nothing short of hilarious. If you’re looking for a film you can sit back and relax with while enjoying some outrageous gags and surprising cameos, then you cannot go wrong here. It’s not perfect, but it is undeniably a fun time.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Ewing
