"Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings" Review
- Vega
- Sep 7, 2021
- 6 min read
Platform: In Theaters
Release Date: September 3, 2021
I thought I was excited to see Black Widow, and I still think I was, but there was also the added benefit of being the first new MCU movie in two years and marked comic book movies' return to the theaters. "Shang-Chi", on the other hand, has built a level of anticipation all on its own without a set of circumstances to boost it up (its release is actually marred by inconvenient circumstances). Following a series of positive reviews, a very strong Rotten Tomatoes score, and a word of mouth praising its characters, action, and end credit scenes, I can not help but fall back into the nostalgia of a new MCU property that is set to unveil a new hero to the already impressive roster. Since my viewing of "Shang-Chi" was delayed, which is very abormal for me and comic book films, my anticipation could only grow. I have never voiced myself to be a huge fighting/martial arts movie fan, even though I tend to enjoy them, but having seen "The Raid" for the first time this year (4.5/5 in case you were wondering) reinvigorated my appreciation for the sub-genre. I have always lauded Marvel Studios for not making comic book movies, but instead making movies of other sub-genres that exist within a comic book universe. Marvel showed the best of their genre mixing with the spy-thriller that is Captain America: Winter Soldier, but there may finally be something to dethrone that mix with the natural thrill of martial arts encased in Marvel comic glory.
Turning away from the murderous intent of his father's quest for revenge followin his mother's death, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) lives in San Francisco under the guise of Shaun, working as a valet with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina). When he is attacked by members of his father's organization, The Ten Rings, Shang-Chi and Katy travel to China to find his sister, who he believes will be targeted next by their father Wenwu (Tony Leung Chiu-wai). Reuniting with his sister Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) brings his father out of the woodworks to plead with his children to help him free their mother, who Wenwu believes is being held captive in her home of Ta Lo, a village in a mystical dimension. To stop Wenwu, Shang-Chi, Xialong, and Katy travel to Ta Lo to warn the village of their father's plans. Upon learning of the Dweller-in-Darkness, a soul-consuming creature that their father may inadvertently release, they stand with Ta Lo and defend the gate holding the creature from Wenwu and his army. To overcome his fear, Shang-Chi must channel both of his heritages, that of his mother and his father, to establish his place in the world...oh, and save it of course.
Shang-Chi leads a stereotypical origin story plot, complete with flashbacks to provide context to the present day happenings. I have found myself dividing the film into b.T.L. and a.T.L. (no, not Atlanta): before Ta Lo and after Ta Lo. Before Ta Lo you get a character establishing storyline that illuminates intentions and sets everyone into their roles. Most importantly, though, it starts planting the seeds for the mystical cornucopia of the third act through Shang-Chi's mother, Ying Li (Fala Chen), a gentle soul whose chi-based guidance brings the heart and magic of the film before the actual magic takes over. In terms of the movie's characterizations, I do not really have much to complain about. Simu Liu brought a strong pallette of tortured and confidence and showcased a level of martial arts that clearly demonstrated his dedication to the role. The biggest suprise for me was Awkwafina, who played the comic relief role quite well, but without a lot of corny punchlines, but instead through the natural reactions of an everyday citizen thrusted into the Marvel Universe. I really enjoyed Meng'er Zhang as Shang-Chi's sister, she led her scenes with such a complexity of guardedness and subtle vulnerability and felt such as important as her brother throughout a majority of the film. The biggest takeaway was that nobody seemed to phone it in and took the responsibility of this film very seriously.
Wenwu, the primary antagonist of the film, find himself in a strange place in regards to where he stands as an MCU villain. Sure, he was a bit overzealous and crossed the killing line too easily, but the only compulsion for his present villainy was love sickness. He was almost too relatable at times to be a villain and even had a near redemption moment at the end, which is just another nod to the lack of simple characters in the movie. Everyone carried a bit of complexity. The supporting villains, Razor Fist and Death Dealer, were nearly unecessary, though Razor Fist got a little to work with to keep himeself from being a total throwaway character, unlike the latter. As with many of its films, I have to express my undying frustration with Marvel Studios' compulsive killing of villains in their introductory film.
Now for after Ta Lo, if you like Godzilla, Dragon Ball Z, Avatar, Mortal Kombat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or anything of the like, the second half of the movie is gonna have something for you. The mystical village brings with it an amalgamation of asian folklore, from element bending to flying dragons. Not just substantial in lore, but also substantial in scenery, everything about the design was mesmerizing. The landscapes, the wardrobes, the creatures, and, of course, the fighting had such an elegance to it that the film borderlined a stage performance in all the best ways. The choreography was dance-like in its execution, sometimes taking it to a literal level with Wenwu's tussle with Ying Li, and I would be remiss if I did not say it was the best overall choreography the MCU has offered. Wong was a brilliant addition to the film, albeit being present very little. His background in the mystic arts made him the perfect connection between the Shang-Chi and the greater MCU and he could be filling in a little of that recruiter role once occupied by Nick Fury.
There are a few things that bothered me about the movie, both big and small. The biggest downer for me was the impending doom that Shang-Chi had to stop his father from unkowingly unleashing. This was such a personal story about how a child reacts to his parents' legacies that boiled down to a fireworks spectacle of mayhem and CGI creatures. Do not misunderstand me, I loved the mayhem, but a smaller threat that did not have the typical universe invading ramifications could have served the plot just as well. This was all made even stranger when realizing that Wenwu never seems to acknowledge all the creatures he was unleashing nor that there was ever an actual sign of his wife while pounding the wall down. Also, how did Shang-Chi know how to use the rings so well considering his father is the only person to have worn them for thousands of years? A little to convenient for the storytelling. The CGI wavered in a couple of spots, which was only annoying because of how flawless it was everywhere else. Lastly is the tiny fact that Katy acknowledges having issues understanding Chinese in the elevator to the fight club but proceeds to travel to a mystic village and suddenly demonstrates no difficulties with the language.
Attending to the mid- and end-credit scenes, wowzers. I wish they swapped the mid- and end-credit scenes and started with Shang-Chi's sister, who was supposed to be dismantling the Ten Rings, taking her place as her father's successor. Clearly, the Ten Rings will continue to play a role in the MCU, which the movie also had to literally spell out after the scene ended. I really like Xialing and do not want to see her just turned into an opportunistic villain. The mid-credits scene is where Marvel played all their cards, with Shang-Chi and Katy in the Sanctum Sanctorum with Wong who is analyzing the Ten Rings. Also assisting in the analysis are Carol Danvers and Bruce Banner via the video imaging technology seen in “Endgame”. They discern that the rings are made of an unknown element, are enscribed with an unknown language, and are transmitting a mysterious signal. We have not known much about where the MCU is going in regards to its big picture story but his movie may have planted the first seeds with this signal. Most importantly, Bruce officially brings Shang-Chi into the hero fold as he announces “welcome to the circus”. It is interesting that he does not explicity say Avengers, continuing to paint a mystery as to the status of the team and whether we will ever actually get that naming again.
When “Doctor Strange” premiered, it was discussed as opening the door to the mystical side of the Marvel Universe. That movie only cracked the window compared to “Shang-Chi” kicking the doors in and normalized mysticism in so many ways more than just casting spells. It would be hard to find an MCU origin film that brings as much to the table as “Shang-Chi,” while also being an all-around great film. “Iron Man” may be its only real competition, but if it is an indication of how the rest of Phase 4 will play out, then I have very little worry about the future of this historic franchise.
RATING: 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉.25 / 5
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