Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

Image credit: Disney Australia

After the entertaining, yet unimpressive Black Widow I’ve developed a bit of scepticism towards the movies making up the next phase in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Maybe because Endgame was so final on a number of levels, in some strange way the next string of movies are a sort of grieving or adapting period: it certainly feels that way.

Regardless I’m happy to report that Marvel’s latest film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings brings us back to a comfortable and happy time in the MCU. This film worked beautifully as a stand alone, as well as seamlessly getting audiences to take the next step in moving on with their Marvel lives.

Shang-Chi, aka Shaun, (Simu Liu) has built a comfortable life for himself away from the traumas of his past. He’s got a paying job and his best friend Katy is always there for him. But when the two of them are attacked on the bus to work, Shawn is forced to reveal that he’s more than a nice-mannered valet: he’s a kung-fu master and trained assassin. When their attackers steal a pendant that was given to him by his mother, Shaun and Katy travel to find his sister, which snowballs into a family reunion with their tyrannical father who’s got plans to destroy their mother’s legendary home village. Suddenly Shaun and Katy’s lives become all kinds of complicated as they discover the existence of magic, lost martial arts, and monsters of darkness that threaten to destroy the world. 

Like Spider-Man: Homecoming or Thor: Ragnarok, Shang-Chi is a fun, stand-alone chapter in the MCU tome, this time paying homage to celebrated mainstream Kung-Fu movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Split between English and Chinese it’s a visually stunning blend of action and fantasy with plenty of well-timed humour thrown in as well as some fantastic cameos and character-resurrections. 

Image credit: IMDb

The movie delivers on all aspects: intriguing plot, character arcs, action sequences, set and costume design,  and dazzling CGI magic, all still having the feel of a Marvel movie as well as delivering those satisfactory titbits of the bigger adventure yet to come. And while there are some places where it could have been better, places that felt like they were being micromanaged to uphold the glossy Hollywood sheen of the Marvel movies, ultimately I can’t really think of anything truly negative to say about it. 

As the first movie to watch in a cinema since coming out of lockdown, the whole experience of Shang-Chi was completely wonderful, it made me feel great, and this movie is definitely the one that reignites the excitement of the MCU post-Avengers. It’s a perfect movie to move on with!

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton, 2021

Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Michelle Yeoh, & Ben Kingsley

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