by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
Marvel and Disney are back at it again with their 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although we did get Black Widow just two months ago to mark the return of the MCU since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, that film was a prequel. Now, for the first time since Spider-Man: Far from Home two years ago, we mark the continuation of the greater overarching storyline. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings follows in the standard Marvel tradition you’ve grown accustomed to, but it still delivers enough transfixing action, unique charm, and rewarding cultural elements to keep the formula feeling fresh.
After The Blip has brought back half of all life in the universe in the wake of Avengers: Endgame, a young man named Shaun is living his best life… by not doing anything. Content to perpetually underachieve and fly under the radar, one day Shaun’s world is turned upside down when strangers assault him and his friend Katy, on a bus. This takes our hero down a path of self reflection as he grapples with his past, his family, and his true identity: Master of Kung Fu, Shang-Chi.
Simu Liu stars as our titular character. He brings an intriguing level of tenacity and vulnerability to the role. On one hand you can praise him for his willingness to showcase compassion and mercy. On the other hand you can see he is a master of his physical prowess and a deadly force that would instill fear in most people. He adds a level of charm and charisma to the role which cements him instantly as one of the most interesting characters in the MCU. I can already feel myself becoming a big fan. Liu is supported by Awkwafina, who plays his best friend Katy. She is definitely playing up the best friend comic relief role that you would anticipate going into the film. However, I did find her character to be fun and engaging, and I’m normally not a fan of her performances as they’re often over-the-top. Here, she finds a level of restraint that makes her comedic moments shine while supplementing the narrative story more than you would expect. The chemistry between Liu and Awkwafina is terrific throughout the film.
We also have Meng’er Zhang as Xialing, Shang-Chi’s sister. She is crafty, mischievous, and just as captivating as her brother. You can tell there is a lot to her story we still don’t yet understand with more to possibly unpack in future films. As well, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung plays Xu Wenwu, Shang-Chi and Xialing’s father. A menacing figure guided by a lust for power and an overwhelming sense of grief. He goes by another name that MCU fans will really enjoy getting to the bottom of discovering. Shang-Chi is rounded out with talent, including Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, and Wag Yuen. Throughout the film, there’s a bevy of great performances to make these characters feel grounded and relatable, even through all of the theatrics.
The action in this movie is also a sight to behold. Honestly, this ended up being the main selling point for me. Destin Daniel Cretton displays great patience and control of the camera while directing to get more out of these action sequences than we’ve maybe ever seen before in any MCU film. There are minimal smash cuts and choppy editing to distract us from the actual fight on screen. Instead, Cretton pulls back and gives us distance from the fight so that we can understand the geography of the scene and comprehend the action. You don’t see this level of insane fight choreography very often. There are terrific sequences of the camera tracing the action while we fly around a bus, or travel down the bamboo scaffolding of a skyscraper. The quick-paced martial arts action will take your breath away. It comes across as more authentic and hard-hitting than the vast majority of action films you see being produced today. The movie integrates elements of the Wuxia genre and wire fu action to elevate the action. What would normally look like a standard Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee martial arts film rises to the believable level of superheroes that could stand alongside Thor or Doctor Strange. It is gripping, and pulse-pounding. There were several moments that I sat in my theater chair with my white knuckles clenching the edge of my armrest. I genuinely can’t recall the last time I enjoyed the action in a Marvel movie this much, let alone an origin story for a brand new character that I’m unfamiliar with and not something as epic and grand in scale as an Avengers movie where I’m already emotionally invested in the characters.
Directly entwined with the action comes a heavy hand in visual effects. I have to say that there were some shortcomings in this area. The first and second act of the movie suffer a bit from poor green screen visuals and outright bad computer animation, even to the point where generic things like a rectangular metal bus that should not be hard to animate looked incredibly fake. However, a lot of that criticism does fade away by the climax of the film. It’s very clear to me that the studio spent the majority of its visual effects budget in this segment. It’s full of fantastic and mythical creatures and showcases tremendous supernatural powers. The ending of this movie shines on a visual level, but the path to get there was a bit rough at times.
It helps that there is a terrific score to set the tone and mood throughout the entire film. This serves as a great supporting element to the action, the narrative, and the fleshing out of the tone for the environments. You will hear distinct themes and tones from traditional Chinese instruments that will evoke a powerful feeling of rich culture and history throughout the film. In fact, I imagine it will generate a lot of comparisons to Black Panther for its exploration of culture that American audiences traditionally do not see. I wouldn’t say it goes as far as Black Panther did for the Black community, but I do feel that this has the ability to open the eyes of many to the Asian American community, and China as a whole. It’s all here from art direction, to set design, costumes, and make up. It feels like significant effort was made to highlight a lot of aspects from a beautiful and vibrant culture that we should take more time to explore.
However, some people might not appreciate this cultural exploration, as some have expressed online. Unfortunately, in our current political paradigm there is contention between America and China. This has not been helped by China’s treatment of Hong Kong, and the containment camps of the Uyghur Muslims. Disney drew ire just last year for its live action reimagining of Mulan that sparked criticism due to these real world issues. All I can say is that I would encourage people that have reservations about Shang-Chi and Chinese culture to keep an open mind. Please know that the world is not black and white. Not everyone in China stands for these atrocities. While we can condemn the Chinese state government for these actions, we can still appreciate the Chinese people and their culture for all the beauty that they bring to the world.
As much as I enjoyed this film, and I’ll be quick to sing its praises, it is worth noting that you have likely already seen this movie. What I mean by that is that if you have seen a Marvel origin movie before, you have virtually seen the same overarching narrative already. This is a formula for Disney and Marvel that they have whittled down to perfection. There’s nothing here that will surprise you. The stakes do not feel genuine, as you will be able to predict every twist and turn throughout the movie. You will know who is actually in peril and who has perfect plot armor. All of the character growth and story beats will be ones you can anticipate. Even the ending of the film once again falls back on the tried and true Marvel stereotype of having the “same versus same:” one character with the same superpowers and abilities of the other character just physically beating each other to a pulp until almost 15 years ago. I will say that there’s at least some empathy to be drawn from the villain in Shang-Chi as we can understand his motivations, and that is appreciated. You will definitely be more invested in the storyline because of this compared to other earlier entries in the MCU where you probably couldn’t even name the main villain or discern what they wanted to achieve beyond destroying the world.
We also have to point out that there is a massive issue with the pacing and exposition. It was the one thing that took me out of the picture more than anything else by far. There are so many flashbacks and cutaways that it becomes incredibly distracting. Just when you feel like you can finally get in sync with the film and see some great action as the characters move forward, it stops for a five minute backstory. The exposition is dumped on you very abruptly, and it sometimes doesn’t even structurally connect to the previous scene that it cut away from. It definitely feels like the script could’ve used another rework to eliminate these bumps in the road. I say this with no exaggeration or hyperbole, but somewhere between 20 and 25 minutes of runtime from this movie is nothing but flashbacks, or a narrator, or some character explaining something to the audience. That’s way too much exposition.
Are expositional dumps and pacing bumps enough to derail this picture? Not with characters and mythology this captivating. Does the tried-and-true Marvel formula make the movie too predictable and boring to enjoy? Not when the action is this visceral and enchanting. Plus, this film even weaves together a lot of great thematic work around grief and the acceptance of loss. It explores the age-old question of influence in the battle of nature versus nurture. More than anything, the movie speaks to self-worth, personal identity, and fulfilling your potential in an approachable and wholesome fashion.
Shang-Chi overcomes its shortcomings and winds up being one of the most fun and entertaining experiences the MCU has to offer. As of right now it instantly made my top 10 films in the series, and over almost 15 years and 25 films, that says a lot. I even suspect that upon re-watch, it might climb even higher. If you’re already a Marvel fanatic, there’s no need to sell you on this. You know you’re going to see Shang-Chi regardless of what I have to say, and you’ll likely love it. But for those on the fence about this adventure, I would encourage you to give this a try. If you’re a fan of martial arts action, superhero stories, or films that investigate unique and fascinating cultures, this could be your cup of tea. This feels like a fresh film that you can sink your teeth into, and I fully recommend it.
Grade: A-
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