Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review
Two years ago, I sat at a table at Brown’s Social House, constantly checking my Twitter timeline. San Diego Comic-Con was taking place, and Marvel news was flooding in. Sure, there was a Blade announcement, and the slate of Disney+ shows were revealed, but what got me the most excited was Shang-Chi. Asian Americans, or Asian Canadians in the case of lead Simu Liu, are a demographic that isn’t on the blockbuster screen enough, in my opinion. Even if they appear on screen, they’re never in the lead protagonist role. Go on, name one blockbuster, other than Crazy Rich Asians. It’s a culture that needed to shine through, and I was pumped that Marvel, arguably the biggest franchise in the world, was pushing the demographic front and center.
Fast forward two years, and my excitement is tempered a bit. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a great first half of a film, with a fairly messy last half that brings it down from being spectacular. We follow the titular Shang-Chi as he runs from his past and his father, played by Tony Leung, until eventually both his past and his father catch up with him. Throw in some mystical elements and some fantastically choreographed fight sequences, and you get this movie in a nutshell. Simu is great as a lead role, playing a character archetype that we don’t get a lot of in the MCU. He’s not in the film to make quips every five seconds like Tony, or Peter Parker. Instead, he’s more subdued, opting to learn from others and to listen rather than to rush in with no plan. It’s a nice change of pace, and helps him stand out from the same-y protagonists of the rest of the universe.
But of course, there has to be humor. That’s where Awkwafina’s character, Katey, comes in. She does fine in the role, filling the dead air with humor, but a lot of her jokes and quips just didn’t hit for me. I was surprised when the film got a chuckle out of me, which is far from the course of a typical MCU film. What I would have appreciated a bit more would have been to focus on a singular tone, with hints of humor if necessary, rather than trying to hit both serious family drama and comedy at the same time. Based on the trailers, that’s why I’m excited for Eternals, as it seems to have a somber tone. That’s not to say that this movie doesn’t succeed at some of it’s humor, as a returning character did get a lot of laughs out of me later in the film.
I do want to keep this fairly positive, as I did enjoy myself watching this film, so I need to praise the choreography. Free-running and fights are the name of the game, and this film excels at them. Fights are frenetic, fast, and fun, with creative set-piece locations giving the film an adrenaline boost anytime a sequence would start. A fight on a bus in the San-Francisco hills, followed by a superb scaffolding scuffle left the film with stand-out moments. Anytime Shang dodged and weaved his way around enemies while fluidly using his environment to move around left me jaw agape at how well executed each fight was. Honestly, my favorite parts of the film. It’s when we get to the final act that those well choreographed fights are thrown to the side in favor of giant CGI battles, leaving me a little disappointed leaving the theater.
Tony Leung plays a sympathetic villain, and I enjoyed his backstory quite a bit. He can be ruthless, but he isn’t without his motivations. His goal isn’t to destroy the world “because he’s bad”, he simply cares about his family and his wife. I appreciated this different style of villain, as it adds nuance to the dynamic between protagonist and antagonist.
On a final note, I found the score and soundtrack to be a highlight. You can hear Asian culture in the score, but it’s mixed with a soundtrack of modern-day hip-hop, blending the two cultures into one throughout. Honestly, it will be a soundtrack that I want to find on Spotify later.
Overall, Shang-Chi is an average film that left me satisfied enough. Had the film focused up in it’s last act, I feel it would have risen to be one of the MCU’s greats, but the bonkers CGI fights leave me wanting something a bit more akin to the first two acts. I’m excited to see where Shang will go in the future, and the further implementation of the ten rings, because they’re simply the coolest and unique weapons we’ve seen so far. Good time, but I was hoping for a great time is all I’ll end on.
Also, Landmark Cinemas, if you’re reading this, your Laser Ultra theater promised me power recliner seats. So imagine my horror when there WERE NONE.
Fast forward two years, and my excitement is tempered a bit. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a great first half of a film, with a fairly messy last half that brings it down from being spectacular. We follow the titular Shang-Chi as he runs from his past and his father, played by Tony Leung, until eventually both his past and his father catch up with him. Throw in some mystical elements and some fantastically choreographed fight sequences, and you get this movie in a nutshell. Simu is great as a lead role, playing a character archetype that we don’t get a lot of in the MCU. He’s not in the film to make quips every five seconds like Tony, or Peter Parker. Instead, he’s more subdued, opting to learn from others and to listen rather than to rush in with no plan. It’s a nice change of pace, and helps him stand out from the same-y protagonists of the rest of the universe.
But of course, there has to be humor. That’s where Awkwafina’s character, Katey, comes in. She does fine in the role, filling the dead air with humor, but a lot of her jokes and quips just didn’t hit for me. I was surprised when the film got a chuckle out of me, which is far from the course of a typical MCU film. What I would have appreciated a bit more would have been to focus on a singular tone, with hints of humor if necessary, rather than trying to hit both serious family drama and comedy at the same time. Based on the trailers, that’s why I’m excited for Eternals, as it seems to have a somber tone. That’s not to say that this movie doesn’t succeed at some of it’s humor, as a returning character did get a lot of laughs out of me later in the film.
I do want to keep this fairly positive, as I did enjoy myself watching this film, so I need to praise the choreography. Free-running and fights are the name of the game, and this film excels at them. Fights are frenetic, fast, and fun, with creative set-piece locations giving the film an adrenaline boost anytime a sequence would start. A fight on a bus in the San-Francisco hills, followed by a superb scaffolding scuffle left the film with stand-out moments. Anytime Shang dodged and weaved his way around enemies while fluidly using his environment to move around left me jaw agape at how well executed each fight was. Honestly, my favorite parts of the film. It’s when we get to the final act that those well choreographed fights are thrown to the side in favor of giant CGI battles, leaving me a little disappointed leaving the theater.
Tony Leung plays a sympathetic villain, and I enjoyed his backstory quite a bit. He can be ruthless, but he isn’t without his motivations. His goal isn’t to destroy the world “because he’s bad”, he simply cares about his family and his wife. I appreciated this different style of villain, as it adds nuance to the dynamic between protagonist and antagonist.
On a final note, I found the score and soundtrack to be a highlight. You can hear Asian culture in the score, but it’s mixed with a soundtrack of modern-day hip-hop, blending the two cultures into one throughout. Honestly, it will be a soundtrack that I want to find on Spotify later.
Overall, Shang-Chi is an average film that left me satisfied enough. Had the film focused up in it’s last act, I feel it would have risen to be one of the MCU’s greats, but the bonkers CGI fights leave me wanting something a bit more akin to the first two acts. I’m excited to see where Shang will go in the future, and the further implementation of the ten rings, because they’re simply the coolest and unique weapons we’ve seen so far. Good time, but I was hoping for a great time is all I’ll end on.
Also, Landmark Cinemas, if you’re reading this, your Laser Ultra theater promised me power recliner seats. So imagine my horror when there WERE NONE.
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