For what it's worth, any non-studio driven Hollywood blockbuster film and non-local film that receives wide commercial release in our local cinemas should be at least checked out.

Leave any judgment on the film's qualities for post-viewing sessions, and who knows, good times may roll ahead, and further down the road we may change our perspective on these films.

For sure, not every film in the above category may belong to that rare club which ends up being a critical and commercial success. Attempts have been made in many forms, including genre-bending or genre-importing approaches.

In the not so distant past, audiences flocked to local cinemas to see Jade Warrior, a Finnish film which combined a martial arts genre with gun-packed action -- European style. Closer to home, Japanese anime and the Hong Kong film industry take turns in adaptations, as we have seen Japanese manga-based animation Initial D and Kung Fu Dunk shown on the big screen by Hong Kong film companies, starring Cantonese R&B star Jay Chou.

Joining the latest string from the opposite direction this time is Shaolin Girl, a Japanese take on Chinese kung fu genre. Helping oversee the balance of slapstick humor and aiming at supposedly well-choreographed fighting scenes is the king of comedy himself, Stephen Chow, lending his name as one of the film's producers and giving permission for his famous Shaolin Soccer to be used as the basic premise of the film.

Other names may help bring Girl immediate recognition, but Chow's gets top billing instead of the film's actors or director. However, when it comes to viewing and comparing the two, we cannot help but notice the lack of fresh jokes or believable characters in Girl. Instead, Girl gives us 90 minutes of confusion, where girl-power unions, young adolescent cuteness, almost-anime style ruthlessness and slapstick humor are thrown together.

Shaolin Girl brings to us Rin (played by Japanese actress Kou Shibasaki), a young girl who has endured one thousand days of kung fu training in China. On her graduation day she decides to return to her native Japan, where she is compelled to resurrect her late grandfather's dojo (kung fu school).

Her enthusiasm quickly fades when she sees that many of her late grandfather's students have led their lives ignoring the disciplines of kung fu. However, Rin is persistent enough to spread Shaolin philosophy to everyone she encounters. This includes her newly found university friends, where she becomes the star of her lacrosse team. What follows are battles against an evil power who wants to have revenge against a dark past Rin knows nothing about -- scenes which are mixtures of physical jokes, CGI-ridden action scenes and martial arts.

While in early scenes Rin's character is shown to be the driving force of the film, it is in the latter ones when her persona has been reduced to merely reacting, beating up bad guys in a weaker Uma Thurman style, that we begin to fidget impatiently, wondering what's next?

The next is the surprisingly bland action-packed choreography filled with Lucas-studio supervised CGI action scenes which lacks the necessary elements to support the overall storyline. Even average films such as Dragon Tiger Gate succeed in combining the effects with the actions. Switching uncomfortably between the action scenes are poorly timed comical interactions between the hapless victims who tone down any gay references to mere jokes. This is in spite of the fact that the show has been peppered with lesbian innuendoes in reference to Rin's unrequited affection for one of her teammates (played by Kitty Zhang, who shared screentime with Chow in CJ7).

Still, what makes the film worth checking out is its undeniably timeless appeal to both die-hard kung fu and Stephen Chow fans. The latter may be slightly disappointed in not seeing his cameo but may be vaguely entertained by performances from his two co-stars from Soccer which provide much-needed sidekick appearances, and anyone curious enough to see just what it takes for the Japanese film scene to come up with proper kung fu homage.

Beware: The Finnish and Tarantino do it better and more coherently.

Of course, it also helps to screen the film now, as there is a dearth of martial arts offerings in local cinemas.

Shaolin Girl (in Japanese with Indonesian subtitle) is currently playing in cinemas nationwide.

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