Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is the debut of the latest Marvel superhero, Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi has spent years of his life hiding from his father, the powerful leader of criminal group: The Ten Rings. However, a dark influence has drawn Shang-Chi's past back into his life and forces him to confront the legacy that has been passed to him from his parents. This movie is a great example of why Marvel is dominating blockbuster cinema. These films are presented through unique visual styles, a blending of genres and a range of settings. In Shang-Chi we see a carefully constructed love letter to the world of martial arts in Hollywood cinema, and I'm not merely talking stunts. Action blockbusters have seen a spike in creative, intensive fight sequences in recent years but what is on display here is far superior. You see styles like wing chun or tai chi carefully woven into scenes as a means of communication or defining character, penning strong comparisons to classics such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. More than a martial arts film, what Shang Chi presents is yet another complex and charismatic protagonist with a journey that is thrilling to be invited upon. Seeing how Shang's dark childhood being trained as an assassin both contrasts and connects to the heroic champion he grows into is brilliantly done. The cinematography is masterfully captured, with very grand shots throughout but also a real eye for variety when capturing fight sequences that you wouldn't get from most action films. The special effects look phenomenal; the designs for the dragon, Morris and especially Dweller-In-Darkness are mindblowingly good. The score for the film sets a quick and lively tone, while the soundtrack often lends itself strongly to the hilarious comedic elements of the film.

 

Tony Leung, who played Xu Wenwu, is a really great antagonist to counter our lead; Leung presents Wenwu as incredibly seasoned and confident both as a fighter and a leader. Awkwafina, who played Katy, is exceptionally funny throughout the film and has some excellent chemistry with Liu; I also thought seeing this role become so involved that she winds up joining the struggle for Ta Lo was a nice character journey. Ben Kingsley, who played Trevor Slattery, is such a welcome figure to see back in a Marvel film; Kingsley has always been so funny whenever he has appeared in a Marvel project and this stays true to form. Meng'er Zhang, who played Xialing, is a very battle-hardened and disgruntled figure; I thought Zhang really played this cold lonely sibling and daughter extremely well. Fala Chen, who played Li, is such an elegant performer; I liked her gentle presence and it is very clear that the good we see in Shang comes from her character. Michelle Yeoh, who played Ying Nan, presents a very wise mentor figure in this feature; watching Yeoh play a guide to the main character's internal conflict was a masterclass of acting. Jayden Zhang, Elodie Fong, Arnold Sun and Harmonie He, who played Young Shang-Chi, Young Xialing, Teen Shang-Chi and Teen Xialing respectively, are a group of extremely talented young performers; each of these young stars plays to the truth of some very tough character defining scenes. Ronny Chieng, who played Jon Jon, is quite a fun presence as the manager of Xialing's underground fight club; Chieng really drives the leads through the scene and comedically dominates the setting. Benedict Wong, who played Wong, is a minor appearance that the film really benefits from; his overtly stoic tone is nicely contrasted with the karaoke post credit scene.

However, the best performance came from Simu Liu, who played the title character: Shang-Chi. This is a very multi-faceted role who goes through such a fascinating arc that I loved watching. When first we see Liu as Shang we get a very laidback figure who doesn't seem driven by ambition; he's content with a very simple quiet life. Yet there are small things scattered to show us the heart behind the character, the immediate charm and charisma. Liu has a serious strength when it comes to very relatable comedy, I thought his comedic style paired with Awkwafina's brilliantly. Once we learn the truth of Shang's past Liu brings out this very heavy chip to put on his character's shoulder; our protagonist is really weighed by the severity of growing up under his criminal father's instruction. Yet he isn't just driven by this resentment towards his father, Shang is constantly pushed by a need to defend his sister, or his best friend or the village Ta Lo. The film becomes an internal struggle for Shang, he is torn between the violent path his father lead him down and the gentle protector his mother taught him to be. Seeing Liu play so strongly to the aggressive need for revenge against his father is well done. Even better is seeing him claim both sides of his character to become the wielder of the Ten Rings and defender of Ta Lo.

The major problems I had with this film all occurred in the first half an hour. I think opening the film by showcasing three different narrative strands that we would revisit throughout the feature was quite involved. It asked you to pick up on a lot of plot threads very quickly without really connecting you to any one point strongly yet. I also thinking establishing a film that constantly leapt back into flashbacks made this a little slow paced at times. The final fight sequence against Dweller In Darkness looked impressive but I think the further along it got the faster the visuals really hit you; making it quite busy at times. I loved what I was seeing but there could have been some time taken to really absorb everything being presented.

Florian Munteanu, who played Razor Fist, is one of the many henchmen antagonist types in the film that are easily dwarfed by Leung; the problem with Munteanu however is that he is incapable of range of delivery leading to some poor dialogue moments.

Not only is this a beautiful love letter to martial arts in Hollywood, it is the debut of a new Marvel hero I hope to see for a long time to come. I would give Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings an 8/10.