Shaolin Soccer

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

The actor / director career of Stephen Chow is beginning to expand the way he only dreamed off. First Shaolin Soccer, then Kung Fu Hustle, making for terrific David vs. Goliath pictures of beating the inevitable but all this in super effects laden movies where the Matrix fans only dreamed off. Its impossible to describe the movies because so far I have only seen Shaolin Soccer, but its a terrific comedy / action sports movie with some outstanding humor, but above all impossible effect shots which would make The Matrix effects crew even blush, for a moment that is! Still the movie is a sublime overblown pastiche but a welcome fresh one and is to be enjoyed for young as old who want their movies big and funny, and not subtle. And so I came in contact with a director I want to know more from (already now looking forward to Kung Fu Hustle) and with a composer that holds his ground well besides the American big name composers. Together well considering he went for the American crowd with a typical Randy Edelman approach, of synthesized moves and easy whistable themes. But it works for the movie and by sure for the soundtrack as well. Its all centered around a catchy heroic sports theme, which opens the disc 'Opening' and is reprised almost exactly in 'Double Dragon', the only 2 tracks composer Lowell Lo had a co composing spot, and what he does exactly extra to this piece is beyond me, but it does show extra percussion and choir, so perhaps its the extra pound. And why as said Edelman is because his style is close to Randy's sound of movie scores, with the synthesized strings, cheaper pounding effects and occasional horrific tension noises, which crops up from time to time in the score, like 'Making Buns', or the extremely appropriate 'Pissing', my apologies for that! The latter by the way takes a long time to euhm (you get the picture) and also includes some Cowboy like effects of flute, and atmosphere.

Most tracks are still good to listen to, like 'Kung Fu' with with its flute whistling, but also growing choir and strings, or the effective love theme in 'Shoe Fixed' or 'Lane Crawford'. A cheap but cool sounding main theme is heard in 'Roof' and also in 'Bull's Eye' when after the weak minutes like comedy and tension music ala Edelman the theme sounds heroic. 'Underwear' exhibits Tibetan like church choir before the main action sound, pound and rhythm is setting the main theme in motion in one of the movies best visual spectacles. Near the end of the score and movie, much more grander music is used with choir and big time sounding versions are then thrown towards you. Noting of high art but especially enjoyable, like 'Final Match', and the best tracks '1st Half' with especially grand sounding choir, and 'Cell Phone' covering the more cheaper sounding Edelman moves with main theme statements and choir. The most surprising track is however 'Victory', because here it especially apes big time Hans Zimmer's music from The Lion King, not only the whirling strings when Scar surrounds Simba with the guilt playing card at the end but also especially with his main theme in final glory, when choir and strings make the version work, in both the movie as on disc. Call it ripping off, but when others do it, why hate Raymond Wong for it? Its a good moment to hear. The Lion King version in almost Scottish sense with saluting choir sends off a nice to listen to moment in 'The Cup' and 'Ending' throws a main theme version at you in the Kung Fu Fighting sense of the word, with full blasting choir, you gotta love it. Call it cheap in the end, because it doesn't have the surging strings of Returner at its disposal. But Shaolin Soccer does have effectiveness and above all a great listening experience, despite its rather cheap tone and ugly tension moments. Raymond Wong is therefore heralded by me because he did good, and his winning score for a superb motion picture event works like clockwork in the Matrix Shaolin sense of the word.

\ЕЕЕ/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. Opening * (1.44)

2. Kung Fu (3.49)

3. Refrigerator (1.57)

4. Making Buns (1.42)

5. Dance (1.01)

6. Pissing (3.55)

7. Shoe Fixed (0.42)

8. Roof (1.01)

9. Bull's Eye (4.20)

10. Battlefield (2.32)

11. Underwear (4.55)

12. Lane Crawford (0.42)

13. Under The Tree (1.09)

14. Double Dragon * (1.48)

15. Final Match (4.53)

16. 1st Half (4.04)

17. Cell Phone (5.17)

18. Victory (4.12) Excellent Track

19. The Cup (1.23)

20. Ending (1.27) Excellent Track

* Written by Raymond Wong & Lowell Lo

Total Length: 52.42

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons