I didn't know what to expect when I finally decided to watch this movie. The ONLY reason was for Jackie Chan but by the time it ended, I was in awe of the entire cast. This movie had everything. Special effects, fighting, beautiful cinematography, great direction and production, beautiful costumes and... just everything. As far as the cast. Everyone was wonderful. I realized half way through the movie that I have seen Andy Lau before in House of the Flying Daggers but his acting blew me away in Shaolin. OMG!!! What can I say about Nicolas Tse and Wu Jing. Brilliant!!! But the best part of the movie are the little boys. I am a sucker for baby monks:) who in turn did the Shaolin style of Kung Fu a bit better than than the adults:) If you don't like movies that have a message, then this isn't the movie for you. Behind the fighting and revenge plot that most Shaolin movies have, this actually has a stronger message and with the tragedies and problems that all of us are experiencing around the world, we need to be reminded of faith, redemption and compassion. If you are looking for a movie that gives you the sense of the old school kung fu movies from the late 70's to the 80's, I recommend this movie.