Xin shao lin si 2011

Rachel Saltz, New York Times: "Shaolin" fits in the more somber kung-fu tradition. But it also finds room for the genre's comic strain. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Fists fly furiously and much blood is spilled; there's a sacrifice via sword that's both cringe-inducing and cheerworthy. Read more

Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News: An ambitious, almost epic drama that devotes as much time to introspection as it does to combat. Read more

Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter: A well-mounted but soft-edged reinterpretation of a martial arts classic that gives precedence to drama over action. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: 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. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: 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. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: The epic feel to this Hong Kong action-drama helps balance a lack of hand-to-hand combat scenes. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: More action, less talk should be the order of the day, but it isn't. Read more

Russell Edwards, Variety: Well-mounted Chinese-Hong Kong martial-arts co-production Shaolin elevates enlightenment above brute strength, but weak helming undercuts the pic's punch. Read more

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: This 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. Read more