Shaolin Soccer Mega Comparison

[Shingster]

Time to compare the shit out of this film:

Grab 01:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 02:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 03:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 04:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 05:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 06:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 07:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 08:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 09:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut

Grab 10:
Optimum Blu-ray Extended Cut | Optimum Blu-ray USA Cut | R3HK DVD | R3K DVD Extended Cut | R3K DVD USA Cut | R3K DVD Theatrical Cut


Short Story: Shaolin Soccer is in need of a remaster, none of the releases look or sound particularly good.

Long Story: Optimum Blu-ray offers an improvement over the DVD editions, but the it's only marginal. The Extended Cut on the Optimum has some severe Edge Enhancements applied and is quite a dark transfer with clipped highlights, the USA cut on the BD is even darker and red tinged, but the EE is not as bad. R3HK DVD from Universe looks atrocious, which we all knew anyway, whereas the R3K UE DVD is actually not that far behind the BD as far as detail in the Extended and USA cuts goes. It's just a shame that all transfers on the UE DVD are interlaced.

[grim_tales]

How come Stephen Chow looks red on the BD?

[bradavon]

Because they've pinkified it. Otherwise it looks loads better.

[Shingster]

Only the USA cut is "pinkified" on the Blu-ray, the Extended Cut has some red push in places but generally looks more naturalistic.

[Markgway]

This might sound terrible but there are times with Asian movies that I'm relieved when I've no interest in buying them. Means I don't have to concern myself with the myriad of fuck-ups.

[bradavon]

True .

[Yi-Long]

I always really liked Shaolin Soccer. I watched the movie in Hong Kong in a cinema in Yuen Long, in 2001. Not even sure if it had english subs or not (I'm assuming it did).

The singing-scene in the bar is a classic that always cracks me up, but there are a whole bunch of great and funny scenes in there.
I can absolutely understand people NOT liking it, but I thought it was great.

[saltysam]

i'm quite happy with the Shaolin Soccer BD-it was reasonably priced and a vast improvement over the old Universe i had watched previously (i did have the uk optimum but had never watched it).