Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Photo Credit: 2021 - Marvel/Disney
Starring Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience), Awkwafina (The Farewell, Crazy Rich Asians), and Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love, Infernal Affairs). Written by Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham. Written & Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, Just Mercy).
Rated PG-13. In theaters at time of publication.
SCREENPLAY: B+
Shang Chi’s languages are a delight. On one hand, I’m referring to the spoken Chinese language. For a universe that stretches across galaxies, Asian culture getting its due was way overdue. On the other hand, each movie's fighting style may not be a language, but it’s certainly the accent of each MCU film. Guardians of the Galaxy’s fight scenes evoke a different tone than the Winter Soldier. Shang Chi’s martial arts sequences produce a beautiful, lyrical tone we haven’t seen in the MCU, and the MCU is better for it.
Greed is a pretty easy vice to dislike. Like Bezos and Musk and Zuckerberg, we’re not always fond of people who relentlessly chase more money than they can ever spend. Especially when it comes at society’s expense. But don’t we also admire them? Just a little? This duality is what makes Shang Chi’s father, Wenwu, such a compelling villain. Like today’s billionaires, he’s a guy you can hate and admire all at once.
The overall strong screenplay feels like it wakes up in a panic near the end, suddenly remembering it’s an MCU movie. This is a dazzling, new kind of MCU movie, but it ends the way they all do: with a CGI-heavy final battle. Maybe the filmmakers thought people would enjoy the first part and then erupt in applause when it reverts back to familiar MCU territory. For me, the opposite happened. I wanted to spend more time in that new world.
ACTING: B
Tony Leung is an Asian film legend. Even if you’re unaware of this fact, he projects a legendary presence on screen. He walks like royalty. Instead of pulling a gun on you, he simply glares. And it’s just as frightening. His character goes through an epic arc, experiencing everything life can throw at him. He plays it all magnificently.
Simu Liu plays Shang Chi as an everyday type of guy. Liu has not reached cinematic legend status, yet. Most of us aren’t familiar with him, which helps him pull off the “normal” vibe the part demands. When his martial arts skills burst on to the screen, it’s apparent this guy has a lot more to him than we initially thought.
There were other good performances. However, some of the performances are a bit too static, bringing the category’s grade down.
CRAFT: B-
Lapses in CGI quality occasionally break the film’s spell. The amazing bus scene (see next category) falters when we see the outside shot of the bus slaloming down the hills of San Francisco. It’s clearly a CGI bus and momentarily deflates an otherwise stellar scene.
Afterwards, the CGI is much more impressive. However, just the decision to use it in the final scenes is unfortunate. To this point, the film has relied on close martial arts combat. Jumping to the typical Marvel sized epic battle is jarring. Again, maybe the filmmakers wanted to give Marvel fans what they expected. The CGI is impressive and a hallmark of the MCU, but here it feels like a dragon out of water.
FIGHT SCENES: A-
The fight scenes literally and figuratively kick butt. The best ones take place in tighter, smaller defined spaces. Watching the bus scene is extraordinary as Shang Chi navigates several assassins through the cramped and crowded bus. The second fight - full of assassins dancing across a Chinese skyscraper’s scaffolding - tops that one.
The fights slowly become more “epic” and spread out which in turn makes them feel less exciting. We all know brand new characters don’t die in their own origin stories. That means no matter how big and bad the opponent is, there is a lack of tension. Where Shang Chi’s fights take place is what makes them entertaining and at times awe inspiring, It makes it more about how a fight will be won rather than who will win it.
FINAL COMMENTS:
The MCU has successfully launched Shang Chi’s character. “Set up movies” sometimes spend so much energy giving us all the necessary information about a character that they forget to entertain us. This movie sets up Shang Chi as a character we all can root for while luckily never forgetting to entertain us.
Shang Chi fights villains from without, but he also wrestles internally with how his past informs his identity. The early years were a lot brighter for Shang-Chi and his father. This movie asks, how can we create a bright future when we’ve lost a bright past? Do we go back and try to recreate the happier times, or do we forge a new path? Either way, the past can’t be ignored and must be addressed.
This movie isn’t perfect, but it does give us a little bit of everything we go to the movies for. Entertaining action. Family drama. Big questions about life. And all within the mostly glorious confines of the MCU. It’s a great time.
FINAL GRADE: B
If you like the movie, you might want to check out: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Farewell, Short Term 12.