Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Written by: Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung
Runtime: 132 min
Synopsis: Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
There was barely any publicity to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in my country, which is surprising, to say the least, having in mind this is a Marvel movie. Without making the smallest of efforts to avoid trailers or short clips, I was able to enter the theater as blind as I ever did. I had no knowledge about the story and its characters in the comics, so this was an unusual experience for me regarding MCU content. Despite having close to zero expectations, Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) blew me away with one of my favorites films of the entire cinematic universe!
Action-driven fans only love this Marvel saga not because of its stories or heroes but due to its successful formula that often contains an action-heavy third act that helps finish that huge bucket of popcorn. The more action the movie has, the more these viewers will leave satisfied, independently of the generic screenplay, cliche villain, or repetitive plot points. Fortunately, this film pleases fans with some of the best - if not the best - action of the MCU, without undermining its protagonist's arc nor the impressive world-building surrounding this story.
First of all, it's impossible not to address the award-worthy stunt work. This movie is dedicated to Brad Allan, supervising stunt coordinator, who sadly passed away last month. The work he left behind is simply jaw-dropping. Boasting a phenomenal stunt team, Shang-Chi delivers memorable fighting sequences, all filmed through unbelievably long takes, incredibly fast martial arts choreography, and minimal use of CGI. In all honesty, this might very well be the best (non-CGI-driven) action seen in the MCU so far. For Dragon Ball fans, it gives us hope that a good live-action flick is indeed possible.
The night sequences are as riveting as the scenes in bright daylight, which goes to show the care that DP William Pope and Cretton had in making the darker set pieces easy to follow. I find it genuinely hard to remember a single fighting sequence edited too abruptly or excessive CGI ruining a particular moment. All the VFX are top-notch, demonstrating that big studios are getting better and better at producing visually stunning blockbusters.
Technically, I can't help but show even more appreciation for Pope's cinematography. Action-wise, it's as perfect as it could be, but even outside of combat situations, I can vividly remember some breathtaking wide shots that left me in awe. Cretton grabs inspiration from the energetic Jackie Chan films, and Pope's The Matrix experience fits the world of Shang-Chi like a glove. Joel P. West's score beautifully accompanies the whole movie, elevating the action set pieces with epic background music. The powerful sound work of this film is strongly felt on an IMAX screen.
The screenwriters Dave Callaham (Mortal Kombat), Cretton, and Andrew Lanham (The Kid) deeply explore almost every storytelling element they bring to the table. From the legend of the Ten Rings to the village of Ta Lo and its culture, passing through the dozens of myths, tales, creatures, and prophecies, Shang-Chi carries more background to its main narrative than any other MCU installment. While it's all quite interesting, there's an excessive and unnecessary reliance on narration, flashbacks, and foreshadowing. With so much to explain to the viewers, the heavy exposition does carry a tiresome toll.
Narration and flashbacks take hold of the helm several times across all of the acts. In the beginning, it surprisingly works rather well, introducing an emotionally compelling antagonist, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) - Marvel keeps delivering well-developed villains with understandable motivations. Love and grief have been two of the most significant themes in Phase Four, so it's no wonder that Shang-Chi also approaches them through its "villain". Leung (Hero) offers a brilliant performance, seamlessly balancing the loving father figure with the angry, revenge-driven assassin.
Nevertheless, the never-ending voice-over and visits to the past of each character prove to be gradually inefficient. The continuous foreshadowing of every single story component also leaves no room for surprises - not everything needs to be hinted at. In addition to this, the first half of the movie is definitely action-packed, with several sequences separated by short periods of time, offering an entertainment-heavy hour. However, the second half takes a while to get to another action scene, which having in mind the issues raised above, it feels longer than what it should feel.
Jumping over to the main actors, Simu Liu (Women is Losers) and Awkwafina (Raya and the Last Dragon) make an excellent duo as Shang-Chi and Katy, respectively. The actress is the primary source of that Marvel humor that surprisingly doesn't overshadow dramatic moments this time around, much due to Awkwafina's ability to perfectly navigate that line between comedy and drama. Liu has his massive breakthrough, delivering a convincing interpretation of the new superhero that every fan will love to watch fighting - extra praise to the actor for doing most of his stunts.
I also love the fact that the relationship between these two characters doesn't follow the cliche route. The shared arc about life goals and responsibility plays more as a joke throughout the film, but the identity issues that Shang-Chi goes through are undoubtedly the main arc of the movie and one that speaks a lot to Asian-Americans. Honestly, I find no reason for this film to be less important to the Asian community than Black Panther is for Black people. In fact, I must praise the commitment to the Asian language, which has more screentime than any other non-English language in a Marvel flick.
Shang-Chi breaks so many stereotypes about Asian culture and its community that even non-Asian viewers will be able to recognize them as being straight-up stupid. One, in particular, will stand out as it's probably the most common one. I can't imagine Asian fans of the MCU not feeling proud of - finally - having a worthy Asian superhero on the big screen for millions to witness. It might follow some of the Marvel storytelling formulas, but Cretton definitely tries to deliver something different, and I believe he did.
Final Thoughts
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings just became one of my absolute favorites of the entire MCU! Destin Daniel Cretton delivers an entertainment-heavy movie with arguably the best action ever seen in the cinematic universe. Through the outstanding mix of long takes, impressive fighting choreography, and jaw-dropping stunt work, Simu Liu shines with his martial arts skills, but also in tackling the identity issues of the protagonist. Marvel gains yet another emotionally compelling antagonist, as well as a relatable female character that embodies many elements of the Asian-American culture. Despite an overreliance on unnecessary, excessive exposition devices (narration, flashbacks, foreshadowing), the story behind all the tales and legends never loses interest. From the breaking of stereotypes to a remarkable depiction of their culture, most Asian viewers will certainly love this film, even more than I do. Phase Four is off to a remarkable start…
