The Film Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans - Movie Review Example

Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans Film industry represents a great number of movieswith a wide thematic dimension, storyline twisting, digital effects inclusion and many other devices to make the film special and profitable. It is worse to mention that in this huge diversity everyone is able to find something that will make him/her pleased. Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans are under consideration of this paper. These two films are completely different and they focus on various cultures, ideas and sports games. Still, they have much in common, and the most important issue that Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans conveys their main ideas through the sport, and develop the storyline around the team game. First and foremost, the story distinction should be mentioned. Both films contain the principal storyline and a few additional ones. This constructs a complex narrative structure that is considered to be a characteristic feature of any complete film. Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans introduce the basic themes through the main plotline, and accumulate secondary ideas with the help of minor plotlines. The principle is analogous, but the content is different. Shaolin Soccer acquaints the viewers with the revival of an old team of soccer players including the technique of Shaolin Kung fu, while the film Remember the Titans show the development of a low-skilled team and achieving a huge success through the hard work and strong reliable relationships in the team. The past achievements together with true friendship are also represented through both stories. The thematic dimension is considered to be highly important for every film, and our pieces of art are not exceptions. The diversity of ideas that are laid in the movies is huge and interesting. Each of these creations displays particular problems in the dimension of sport game, and highlights moral notions through the plot. Shaolin Soccer is considered to be a film about kindness and justice, about honesty and credence, about friends and professionalism. One master has gathered together an old team to revive their art of playing game and to show the audience who is the real winner. A young master Kung fu is regarded as a person who is able to help him in making this idea the real one. On the first glance, everyone understands that the chances are miserable, but belief in their own strength and credence to each member of the team make them trying to start this affair. All participants of this group have no the peculiar outfit and well-developed skills that is why the scale of enthusiasm becomes lower sometimes. Nevertheless, the captain of the team has been competent to find the words of encouragement and to highlight the team spirit. We may argue about great love to this sport and huge perseverance in order to achieve the target aim, and the confirmation of this idea is considered to be Sing’s affirmation “Im not here to fight, Im here to play soccer!” (Shaolin Soccer Chow, n.p.) The importance of the team work is also regarded as a dominant theme in the film. The movie-makers show by the pattern of this particular command that every member is important, and team is also a system that is needed to be complied. The matter is that every member of team Shaolin has his own field of work, and is considered to be concentrated on an appropriate task in the process of game. Based on this, group of Shaolin players constructs their tactics and process of playing. Moreover, each player has a special alias that helps to recognize his unique ability and professional advantage. For instance, the man with the nickname “Hooking Leg” has abilities in ground tumbling boxing and is characterized by strong kick with an incredible power. The other example is remained to be a man with an alias “Iron Shirt” that introduces to the viewers his ability to absorb all possible attacks with the minimal percentage of pain and damage, and skill of shooting the ball with the help of stomach. Golden Leg Fung provides an idea to Sing that brings him an understanding of team game and an importance of being a firm group that protect each other. He claims “the final soccer game is a war” (Shaolin Soccer Chow, n.p.) In this very moment Sing realizes the significance of teamwork and unity as it is hard to survive alone in a war. As for the film Remember the Titans we may accentuate a curious variety of themes and ideas represented in the movie. The number of social, moral and psychological problems is introduced through the film. Remember the Titans is about life and people, about team and individuality, about equality and victory. We cannot but mentioned that the most important and valuable theme of this movie is racism. Leiter argues “Titans offered a challenge to popular representations of the civil rights movement that had appeared through the 1980s and 1990s” (32). The essential problem of American society that has been relevant in those times is introduced in the movie. Racial prejudices is remained to be a problem that has passed away, still there has been a period that show the relevance of this topic (Leiter, 33). The black people have been discriminated in the USA due to the number of reasons. Such politics has a right to exist and this hard socio-cultural problem is represented in the film Remember the Titans. The main hero is Herman Boone who remains to be a coach with an African American origin (Tyler, n.p.). The team he trained is racially divided; moreover, the team members display the preconceived position to the black people and their play. However, the film directors succeed to develop a storyline in curious and positive manner. The miserable and unfairly named team “Titans” starts to become progressive and advanced in the area of American football. Their black-shinned coach and hard work remains to be a helping hand in fulfilling this task. Moreover, his critique but fair claims assist this team to become winners; Coach Boone says “You look like a bunch of fifth grade sissies after a cat fight! You got anger, thats good youre gonna need it, you got aggression thats even better youre gonna need that, too. But any little two year old child can throw a fit! Football is about controlling that anger, harnessing that aggression into a team effort to achieve perfection!” (Remember the Titans ,Howard, n.p.). “Even though they are separated by the color of their skin, with the help of their remarkable coaches, they see past that, to come together, and bond together to face a world that is totally against them” (Tyler, n.p.). These words incorporate the theme of courage and unity in order to achieve an appropriate goal. Only because of desire to become the best and ability to act as a team “Titans” reach the wanted high. It is worse to mention that craving to win in accordance to improving moral standards consolidate these two films. Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans expose the idea that real victory comes only with the putting a lot of efforts and working hard. Moreover, credence in the team work and respondent support are highly important for the success. In, addition the eternal theme of good and evil is presented in both films. The good side is remained to win no matter what, as it is usually happened. What should be added is the cultural context of the films. Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans successfully represented two different cultures through the sport game and the players’ treatment to the game. It is evident that each film concentrates on its own cultural peculiarities and distinguishing features. Still, Shaolin Soccer represents the cultural aspect more explicitly, and attention that is allotted to Chinese culture is undoubtedly visible. The clothes, moves, language and manner are related to the southern tradition. Moreover, the Shaolin culture builds the film conception and represents the root of the idea of Shaolin Soccer. The importance of this implication is visible even in the level of titling the film (Mitchell, n.p.). Nevertheless, the influence of western culture is also visible. The film is filtered through American conscience that is why we may observe the influence of Hollywood tradition. Mitchell claims that Shaolin Soccer “is the latest example of what has been called the leave-no-viewer-behind technique of filmmaking” (n.d.). As for the movie Remember the Titans it is clear that American pattern of perception and understanding of the world is laid in the film. The typical for that period USA society is shown in the movie, so the heroes, characters and manner are fully American. The development of characters also is considered to be a highly important aspect. In both cases we observe strong and courageous heroes that straightforwardly come to their aim. Various kinds of obstacles are overcome with perseverance and firmness. Both Fung and Herman have a strong desire to achieve a particular aim, and arduous work in complex with sincere soul help these men to accomplish the tasks. All in all, Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans are considered to be excellent examples of films that have lifted the spirit, and have forced to believe in better future. Both of these movies concentrate on sports games. They develop a storyline and introduce characters through this aspect. Moreover, the producers set the goals and explicate the characters through the sport game. Soccer and American football are remained to be these games. Still, the hidden context is concealed under such ways of affairs. Filmmakers intend to lay much more important issues in the films concepts with the help of the sport game. Shaolin Soccer and Remember the Titans provoke the socially important and morally essential themes in the frames of their content. Humanity, kindness, purposefulness, credence, trust and respect are laid through the context of these particular films. It is impossible to overestimate the positive influence and good-natured message of considerable creations. Reference List: Chow, Stephen. “Shaolin Soccer. Script”. 2004. Web. http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/s/shaolin-soccer-script-transcript-chow.html Howard, Gregory Allen. “Remember the Titans, Script”. 2000. Web. http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/r/remember-the-titans-script-transcript.html Leiter, Andrew B. “Southerners on Film: Essays on Hollywood Portrayals Since the 1970s”. USA: McFarland, 2011, p. 32-34. Web. Mitchell, Elvis. “Shaolin Soccer (2001) FILM REVIEW; Legs of Fury: Chop-Socky, Thy Name Is Stephen Chow”. The New York Times, April 2, 2004. Web. Tyler, Joshua. “MOVIE REVIEW.Remember the Titans”. Cinema Blend LLC. Web. Read More