KUNG FU SOCCER (功夫女足) (2026)

Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Stephen Chow
Cast: Dilraba Dilmurat, Lay Zhang Yixing, Zhang Xiaofei, Carina Lau, Sisley Choi
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village and Encore Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 6 August 2026

Synopsis: An unlikely women's football team from Mount Emei is dismissed for their age, lack of experience, and slim chances of success. Everything changes when they unlock extraordinary martial arts-inspired abilities that transform their game, propelling them from underdogs to championship contenders. But as victories mount and their dream of glory comes within reach, an unexpected betrayal threatens to tear the team apart. Forced to regroup after a crushing setback, they must overcome their differences and rediscover the true power of teamwork. Facing the undefeated reigning champions in the ultimate showdown, they will need more than extraordinary skills—they must outthink, outplay, and outmanoeuvre their opponents. Can this unlikely team overcome the odds and achieve the impossible?

Movie Review:

Growing up watching Stephen Chow's “mo lei tau” movies was almost a family tradition for this reviewer. The Cantonese term, which roughly refers to a deliberately nonsensical, absurdist style of comedy, became a defining feature of Hong Kong cinema, built around wordplay, slapstick, parody, unexpected punchlines and jokes that could suddenly veer into complete ridiculousness.

For many Hong Kong audiences, Chow's movies were more than comedies; they were communal viewing experiences, with families gathering to laugh at the same silly lines and endlessly quotable moments.

Fans first knew Chow as the cheeky funnyman in front of the camera before watching him gradually move behind it as a director. His directorial persona today is noticeably more serious, complete with white hair and the appearance of someone who has accumulated a few more decades than the irreverent character audiences remember. That can make fans miss the younger Chow, but his movies remain highly anticipated because his distinctive comedic sensibility continues to attract audiences.

His latest, Kung Fu Soccer, arrives after 2019's The New King of Comedy, itself a spiritual sequel and self-remake of his beloved 1999 King of Comedy. This new film is similarly a standalone spiritual successor to Chow's Shaolin Soccer (2001), combining underdog aspirations, sporting action and his trademark brand of comedy. At its centre is a group of unlikely female characters who find themselves in the world of football, with dreams of proving themselves on the pitch despite having little reason to believe they can succeed.

It is clear that Kung Fu Soccer has been made with the Chinese market in mind. The dialogue is predominantly Mandarin, and fans who grew up with Chow's Cantonese delivery may initially find themselves missing that familiar rhythm. Yet perhaps the bigger challenge is that “mo lei tau” itself belongs to a different era.

Some of the humour takes a little time to settle before you surrender to the deliberately nonsensical situations, exaggerated reactions and absurd one-liners. Once you stop trying to anticipate where the joke is going, there are moments that can still send a cinema audience into fits of laughter.

The cast certainly commits to the madness. Zhang Xiaofei, whom audiences may remember from her more serious performance in Hi, Mom (2021), and Lay Zhang, who played a victim of human trafficking in No More Bets (2023), clearly relish the opportunity to shed their established screen personas. They throw themselves into the physical comedy and ridiculous situations with impressive abandon. One particularly absurd gag involving Zhang and an outrageously swollen face had the preview audience roaring, proving that some of Chow's comedic instincts still work remarkably well.

Dilraba Dilmurat is the pretty face to watch here, bringing considerable charisma to the proceedings. Chow has a history of giving female stars memorable opportunities in his movies, and it would not be surprising if this film helps propel the Xinjiang-born actress to even greater things in her career.

One slight disappointment is the presentation of the football matches. Much of the action appears to be staged against green screens, and the artificiality is distracting. There is something nostalgic about remembering the days when sequences were filmed more extensively on location, giving physical action a more tangible quality.

But filmmaking has changed, and commercial realities matter. Productions need to balance spectacle with budgets, and perhaps Chow understands better than anyone that keeping costs manageable is part of ensuring movies like this can continue to be made.

Kung Fu Soccer may not recreate the magic of Chow's Cantonese classics, and fans may spend some time wishing for the younger man who once dominated the screen with his mischievous expressions and impeccable comic timing. Yet there is still something comforting about seeing him preserve a style of humour that has become part of Hong Kong cinema culture.

Movie Rating:

(Not quite the Stephen Chow of old, but this goofy football comedy still finds moments of the "mo lei tau" magic)

Review by John Li