Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten rings has finally released worldwide and after seeing
the movie twice, I have many thoughts on the MCU's latest Kung-Fu superhero film.
There were things I really loved and appreciated here and also some things that made me question
whether Marvel would take more risks with their universe based properties.
There's, of course, many angles to this conversation and I realise that everyone has their own
perspective on these types of films, but I'm going to be raising the points on why I believe
the film displays the best and worst tendencies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This video essay will contain brief spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film yet then I
would recommend watching this video after you've seen it.
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But without further ado, let's dive into my thoughts on why Shang Chi is the
best and worst MCU movie.
So when it comes to MCU, I'm someone who has a mixed relationship with their films.
The phase 1 films, along with Guardians, Infinity War and The Winter Soldier are projects
that I personally love and they are films that I find myself rewatching ever so often.
They each contain something that stands out and the story and characters all work hand
in hand in delivering a well-made film.
Then there are films like Black Panther which I really enjoyed, but in particular, there
are elements to the film that work better than
others, such as the costume, production, soundtrack and an emotionally driven villain.
But there are also problems like the shoddy visual effects in a crucial third act,
making the film go from an emotionally driven story into an almost video game-esque representation
of the characters.
And there's dialogue and humour that almost takes you out of the whole experience during
certain scenes.
For me, Shang-Chi gave me a similar vibe.
And I fully understand that these universe building movies are ones that people really
enjoy for the most part and will constantly support because they are fans of the ever-growing
story that Marvel has created or it's just a particular type of movie that they enjoy.
I do get it.
But for me personally, coming into Shang-Chi and a good way through phase 4 of the MCU,
I can't help but constantly leave these films by thinking, what if the MCU took more risks.
There are brilliant elements to Shang-Chi like a majority of the visuals, the soundtrack
and the performance of Tony Leong's villain Wenwu.
But at times we lose the emotional pull between his character and Shang-Chi, as Marvel would
rather intercut a sequence of comedy or the traditional shoddy action fare.
Now again, I get it, they want to satisfy the traditional comic book viewer and fans
of this universe by staying to the formula, but when judging this as a so-called film,
which as a medium is supposed to be art, how can we not be aware of some of these narrative
flaws and pieces of decision-making while watching them.
I know people love them but there are glaring problems when it comes to looking at a movie
and its tone as it tries to tell a compelling story.
So what did I think about Shang-Chi and what were the best and worst tendencies of the
MCU that shine through?
Well, to begin with, this is the first Marvel film to introduce a
new hero since Captain Marvel, the first Marvel film with an Asian lead, and one of the first,
with a new origin story, to hit theatres since the pandemic began in March of last year.
And it's key to note that the film is doing incredibly well in theatres on its opening
weekend without the baggage of Disney Plus and this is something that I'm really happy
about.
It shows the impact that a film can have theatrically and we should all be supporting that kind
of distribution.
But although Shang-Chi introduces what could’ve been one of Marvel’s most compelling villains
ever, even the magic of Tony Leung can’t save the film from its flaws thanks to an
uninspired script and an incompetent third act.
Starring Simu Liu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings follows the son of an ancient
warlord Wenwu, who has held the secret to eternal life and commanded a
secret army of mercenaries through the use of the mystical ten rings.
Shang-Chi or Shaun, to his best friend Katy, is trying to live a normal, hidden life in
San Francisco when he receives a mysterious postcard that draws him back into the brutal,
combat-driven life he fled from years ago.
Together with his estranged sister Xialing and Katy,
Shang-Chi races against time to stop his father from unleashing a planet-destroying evil.
You can check out my ending explained video where I go deeper into the plot, but for
now, let's return to this review.
As far as hero origin stories go, Shang-Chi’s is perhaps the most interesting and complicated
in the MCU, involving a hidden village full of magical creatures and mystical powers,
a centuries-old warlord that trained him to be a violent killer from birth, a soul-eating
monster destined to consume his mother’s village, and the ten rings themselves, which
grant the wearer all sorts of powers including immortality.
As such, the first act of The Legend of the Ten Rings is fast-paced and lore-heavy, making
good use of flashbacks and convenient expository devices to through in as much information
as possible.
Despite having quite a bit to get through, the first hour of
Shang-Chi really works with the first two big action setpieces presented in a slick,
well-choreographed way that make interesting use of the setting and fighting styles.
They combine typical MCU combat with classic martial arts film techniques.
The unique fight scenes, at least in comparison to those in the MCU, combined with a heavier
emphasis on humour, which doesn't always land, still injects the first act with more than
enough energy and promise to set the film up for a satisfying second half.
But once the plot kicks into gear, that’s where in my opinion, things take a turn for
the uninspired.
This is something I find with most of my least favourite entries in the MCU.
They cover up some bad plot development with humour
and action and it can clearly be seen.
Once Shang-Chi, Xialing, and Katy arrive at Wenwu’s compound, everything from that point
begins to just feel like an arbitrary goose chase that creates a significant disservice
to both the characters and the narrative itself.
The central idea of Shang-Chi‘s dramatic tension is that it’s a family affair.
This is something that again I loved in Black Panther, but it seems that
Shang Chi doesn't quite hone in on that as I would have liked.
Both Shang-Chi and Xialing care deeply about villain Wenwu and vice versa, and even if
he’s a mass-murdering immortal warlord with a secret army of elite warriors, he’s still
their father, and the one thing he wants more than anything else is for their family to
be happily reunited.
He’s willing to go to any means necessary to make sure he, his children, and his dead
wife can come back together again.
It’s a deeply personal connection between hero and
villain heritage and all three major characters care deeply about each other and their wellbeing,
even if they’re on opposite sides.
This is something I've desperately wanted from Marvel and I was happy to see that be
developed from the movie's outset.
But Shang-Chi mishandles this concept entirely, instead, making Wenwu a cartoonishly single-minded
villain, despite Tony Leung’s many attempts to bring depth to the role, and dodging every
opportunity to explore the rich tension between father, son, and daughter.
What’s worse is that after two acts of grounded and well-directed scenes that easily ranks
among the best of the MCU's work, Shang-Chi tosses its tone out the window and the third
act is a CGI-heavy mess of a fight that’s more interested in ginormous flying dragons
and Awkwafina learning how to be an archer than Shang-Chi or Xialing having any particularly
interesting confrontation with their father.
Though the aforementioned Tony Leung is without a doubt the high point of the film in the
first two acts, the leading character, Shang Chi, doesn't get
enough sole development as the film doesn't really try to inject him with any sort of
unique personality.
His backstory, while incredibly dark, doesn’t seem to impact him as an adult beyond surface
trappings, and Shang-Chi instead attempts to deliver most character beats through humour,
usually playing off of Awkwafina’s Katy.
Unfortunately though, for me, a vast majority of the comedy, apart from about 2 jokes, fall
flat, and Awkafina’s one-note comedy lines gets really old as the movie progresses.
They of course make a passable duo, but when your leading man’s only real moments of
charisma come when playing second fiddle to comedic relief, it’s difficult to feel invested
in that character.
And let's not forget they made her character literally save the day with an arrow to the
neck of the dweller in the darkness after a brief few shots of her apparently
training.
And I understand that they were trying to make her character look like it had evolved
after she said that her parents want her to achieve something more.
But if you going to make the screenwriting decision of her defeating the big bad with
a single arrow after 10 seconds of training screen time, then there's clearly a problem
with the way the plot was written.
That's how I felt and I just think it was a missed opportunity to really bring us something
that focuses in on the emotional resonance a lot more with maybe some better comedy in
there that wasn't used in moments that could have been highlighting the emotion.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings certainly isn’t bad, nor is it even terrible,
but it’s also not confidence-inspiring when it comes to the MCU’s ability to craft a
new, engaging generation of heroes to fill the shoes left by the original avengers.
While an interesting villain and creative fight scenes help set Shang-Chi and the Legend
of the Ten Rings apart from the typical genre fare, a poor third act, and confused character
beats leave much to be desired for a superhero origin story.
It's got everything there to create something special.
I just think the formula of the MCU which is constantly being injected into these films
kind of hold them down as individual works of art.
When it comes to the recent MCU movies, after I've seen them once or twice, I don't feel
an urge to rewatch them because it's all just product setting up the next one.
I can say that with Shang Chi, they at least focus
more on the story, characters and emotional beats to a better degree, but I do think that
they could have done it more and a lot more convincingly.
I'm giving Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings a 6.5 out of 10.
But what do you think of Marvel's latest film, and do you agree that it would be nice to
see more risks taken by the studio when it comes to their universe crafted films.
Again, it's all subjective and I appreciate a range of reactions and reviews that address
both positive and negative aspects, so let me know down below in the comments section
what you thought.
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