53
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70The New York TimesRachel SaltzThe New York TimesRachel SaltzIf the movie feels old-school (with new-school production values), consider its pedigree. It's no wonder: Shaolin is a reimagining of the 1982 "Shaolin Temple," in which Jet Li made his debut.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovDirector Benny Chan has fashioned a visually sumptuous period wushu film with a strikingly contemplative and pacifist bent.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichFists fly furiously and much blood is spilled; there's a sacrifice via sword that's both cringe-inducing and cheerworthy. Even special guest star Jackie Chan gets in on the fun with a hilarious bit of food-jitsu. It's almost enough to make you forget that this entertainingly hollow film is populated entirely with toy soldiers.
- 60New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyNew York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyJackie Chan's cameo as a monastery cook is a tiny joy. To see Chan use his once-great physical skill on a hunk of bread dough is to see a giant work in miniature.
- Shaolin is simultaneously regal and stilted, stirring and sluggish.
- 50Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerSlant MagazineAndrew SchenkerOnly Jackie Chan, in a comedic supporting role as a Zen-trained cook who applies his culinary techniques on the battlefield (he "stir-fries" one enemy in a giant pot and "kneads" another like dough), provides any measure of relief.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterDirected with feeling for its richly layered protagonists, the film is elevated by its emotional complexity but simultaneously dragged down by the relative shortage of propulsive, hardcore action.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThis new movie features stylishly filmed and choreographed battles. But in between the set pieces is a lot of sentimental blather that slows down the film. More action, less talk should be the order of the day, but it isn't.
- 30Village VoiceNick PinkertonVillage VoiceNick PinkertonThis crude, overlong chunk of kung-fu kitsch lays its scene in a 1920s Republican China, torn by internecine fighting and weighed down by drably expensive production design.