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Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (27) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (7)
An ambitious, almost epic drama that devotes as much time to introspection as it does to combat.
"Shaolin" fits in the more somber kung-fu tradition. But it also finds room for the genre's comic strain.
The epic feel to this Hong Kong action-drama helps balance a lack of hand-to-hand combat scenes.
More action, less talk should be the order of the day, but it isn't.
Shaolin features a half-dozen impressive action set pieces, including an elaborate carriage chase and a battle inside the cages where Cao imprisons his workers.
The kung fu itself is great fun to watch, from the discipline of balancing on one foot on a wooden pillar, the other in the air, for hours at a time to the confrontations that send fist and feet flying.
One of those films that impresses you, even though it fails to set itself apart from other films in the genre.
Ambitiously staged set pieces fall victim to portentous technique, creating an ultimately irreconcilable chasm between how much one wants to like this movie and how much they actually do.
Jackie Chan brings some warm energy to his supporting role -- a rarity for this big star -- and turns in a delightfully self-effacing performance.
Frequently gripping and featuring a surprisingly spry supporting turn by Jackie Chan, it's a sturdy if unremarkable effort.
Shaolin is simultaneously regal and stilted, stirring and sluggish.
Large-scale melodrama is short on action and long on histrionics.
Fantasy martial arts tale built on the simple story of a man who makes a terrible mistake, hurting everyone who loved him, and spends the rest of his life clearing his mind, rebuilding the way he sees the world and atoning for his sins by protecting the weak. A simple, solid story that was beautifully acted and really moved me. Everyone finds their place. And of course I've been an Andy Lau fan my whole life because people think my dad looks like him. Or should I say, he looks like my dad.
Super Reviewer
Really good film. Lots of great choreography. Jackie Chan shows up in this, and he adds alot of humor. The only thing that took away from the movie was the foreign troops that show up to cause conflict...the lead soldier was a horrible actor. But that is such a small section, and it doesn't take away from this film. Good all around movie.
the film had some excellent moments. the story was predictable but still engaging, some of the action was solid, and the film looked great. however there was so much about this film that disappointed. some of the action was silly, and the end of the film fell flat at so many moments. i was looking forward to this film with much anticipation, but in the end, it was just a tad above average.
A decent effort, no big surprises here, but the whole thing is done with enough conviction and skill, just a bit too predictable and one dimensional. Bad guys learn their lessons, evil foreigners want to steal chinese treasures, and so on. Not bad if you want a kung fu fix, but there's no hurry to watch this one.
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