'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Review
PG-13: Sequences of violence and action, and language
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 12 Minutes
Production Companies: Marvel Studios
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writer: Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung
Release Date: September 3, 2021
Theaters Only
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is a late 20-something man who spends his life working with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina) as a valet in San Francisco. When they are unexpectedly attacked by his father Wenwu’s (Tony Leung) terrorist organization Ten Rings, which is on the hunt for a pendant that he and his estranged sister Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) possess, he returns to his roots, confronting his past, and the childhood trauma he tried so desperately to leave behind.
Within the past year, we’ve had to suffer through an ample amount of Asian-led studio action flicks directed by unqualified white filmmakers who are dim-witted in the realm of action, which resulted in movies like Snake Eyes, Mulan (2020), and Mortal Kombat feeling like stale bread. With Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, director Destin Daniel Cretton shows Hollywood that a studio action flick with an Asian ensemble is not a white person’s job. Cretton continues Marvel Studios’ trend of indie darling filmmakers bringing specific Marvel heroes to life and into the cinematic universe with a significantly large budget. By God, Cretton delivers some of the coolest choreographed action sequences I’ve seen this year… and in most of Marvel’s recent entries. This is the director’s first action flick and you can feel his Hong Kong and Wuxia-styled influences in all of the set pieces. After 15 years, we finally got some martial arts action in the MCU (don’t enter my DMs to bring up Netflix’s Iron Fist to me, I swear to God) and all of those set pieces are phenomenal in terms of crafting, editing, and execution. It’s so good it makes you wanna stand up and shout, “See, Hollywood? This is what happens when you finally let an Asian filmmaker direct an Asian-led action flick!”
Much like how Ryan Coogler made Black Panther a beautiful love letter to Black culture, Cretton created something great for Asian representation with Shang-Chi. From the action to the stunning costume design of the citizens in the mystical city to the titular character’s dual Asian-American identity, the film is rooted in a deep love for Chinese culture, making the MCU more rich and diverse with representation.
The MCU roster of heroes shares a common thing that makes up either their angst or motivation to heroism: daddy issues. Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, Tony Stark, Thor, Loki… the list goes on. There are a ton of daddy issues rounding out this cinematic universe and Shang-Chi is now welcomed to the board like a Super Smash Bros. character. While it might feel played out in the grand scheme of things, especially since this is the 25th film in the MCU and yet another superhero movie where the lead must go up against their dad, Shang-Chi’s storytelling delves into this familiar theme with well-earned depth and nuance.
The narrative isn’t that far off from the premise of Black Widow, where Natasha had to return to her past and reunite with her once-family, but this film delivers that very same notion more effectively through the writing and characterization of Shang-Chi and his family. Throughout Shang-Chi’s journey of self-identity, the film implants well-timed flashbacks of his traumatic childhood with honesty and earned emotion. While showcasing Shang-Chi’s trauma, the film details where and how his actions affected the people around him. The family drama is rooted in complexity where everyone gets a great amount of development, especially Wenwu.
I don’t know what it is about antagonistic dads in the MCU that carry a lot of heft lately, but Tony Leung’s remarkable performance as Wenwu helps elevate the character he portrays. There’s so much focus on him reeling from a tragic loss and how rage overtook him as a result, his kids being on the receiving end of that. While he’s the baddie, he’s depicted to be so human in his actions and emotions. Shang-Chi and Nebula would definitely hit it off because they were severely abused psychologically and the film doesn’t shy away from that. As far as daddy issues go, this is the most emotionally captivating of them all. MCU villains have oftentimes sucked but Wenwu easily cracks the top five in the franchise to date due to how realistically he’s written and how cold his actions are.
Simu Liu is decent as the titular lead. He proves to be a charismatic, badass action star in his own right, but the film positions Shang-Chi to be more broody where he’s not as proactive as far as character goes. He certainly kicks ass and looks cool doing so (as a superhero does), but because of Shang-Chi being so emotionally ho-hum about reuniting with his daddy and going on a mystical quest, it hampers his abilities to showcase more of his talents. I will say this though: he shares amazing comedic chemistry with Awkwafina, who portrays his platonic, supportive best friend. I’m a sucker for platonic bestie relationships and due to how well they depicted Katy and Shang-Chi’s relationship, there were moments of peril that had me more anxious for her than any Marvel hero’s romantic interest. Maybe because the romantic interests got too formulaic, but seeing your bestie in peril is genuinely scary, and seeing how their friendship is established makes you care for them.
Remember in 2018 when we criticized Black Panther for its egregiously bad use of greenscreen in several scenes? That CGI in Black Panther is now having a field day with Shang-Chi. Like, “Oh, you talked shit about me? Well, check this new movie out.” For some reason, in 2021, Marvel’s CGI is lessening in quality to the point where it makes you cringe. As the film progresses, it transports you to a mystical city full of beautiful Chinese culture, from architecture to weapons, but once you get to the creatures who inhabit the area and how they play into the latter action sequences… oh boy, is it bad. I know it has been a rather long pandemmy and doing the VFX on these movies remotely must've been hard work, but man, the quality shows and at times it looks a little bit unfinished. The entire third act could’ve done with a few more render passes to give the CG-heavy battles, creatures, and the rings themselves (which look like PS3-era Sonic rings) a lot more weight. How come Loki and WandaVision, out of all MCU projects this past year, had more visual spectacle and great CGI work than the movies themselves? This is why Chloe Zhao shot on location for Eternals. Bruh, you’re Marvel Studios. Your CGI should not look as unpolished as it does. Did y’all just give up after Endgame?! Why are you trying to make all your solo hero movies look so bland?
Like all MCU movies, Shang-Chi is a little over two hours long and there’s a severe lull that occurs in the second act when it tries to expand its world to mystical realms. There’s a lot of great talent introduced here, from new faces to veteran players, that either spout exposition or are used as a comedic catalyst to further the plot. Michelle Yeoh feels completely wasted in this film as Shang-Chi’s aunt who does nothing but spout exposition to foreshadow the third act. Then, you have the comedic catalyst of an old character that is related to the Ten Rings organization who makes their welcoming return. As delightful as it is to see this character return to the MCU after a seven-year absence, his presence feels completely forced. He serves as a comedic relief when you already have Awkwafina, whose ad-libbing works with the Marvel-branded quips. While he’s funny… he doesn’t do much. He has one great joke and that’s it, but the actor has a blast returning to that role, and honestly… good for him.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a stylish superhero flick with amazing action direction that is fun and breathtaking. Though the first half outpaces the second in terms of CGI quality, story, and set pieces, the film manages to keep you engaged with its nuanced approach to a familiar narrative theme. There’s great Asian representation and culture brought to the forefront of this predominantly white-led cinematic universe to inspire a new generation of superhero-loving kids and this is the perfect solo film for that demographic. It’s not one of the best MCU solo features, but it's a damn good one that is sure to be a fun time for everyone. Plus, it’s Marvel. You were gonna see this regardless of this review.
