Review: 'Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings' (2021)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) never sank its teeth into me. Its movies are by no means a monolith, and they can be tremendously valuable. In fact, there are aspects in which Marvel Universe films may have more merit than any other franchise. I suppose the things I look for in a movie are generally found, or best found, in universes elsewhere. But a film like Shang Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings (2021) will make anybody respect the hell out of it. Apart from what, by my lights, are a few minor missteps, the MCU puts something new on the menu with this one. It’s an action packed film that challenges the superhero formula, with a plot line that has its roots deep in a relatably fertile soil; family.

It’s an action movie with moments of funny, moments of solemnity, and moments of romance. Marvel movies cast a wide net. This is a $200 million film, so it is no question that a broad appeal is the aim here. You may want to run a few yellows on your way to the theater, Shang Chi (2021) gets down to business pretty quick. My favorite action-sequence of the film happens on a city bus, and early on. There is a weak bit of CGI preceding this, but the film swiftly makes it up to us with its fight choreography. Imaginative, and impressively gritty; at one point, the antagonist in this battle slams a female passengers head into the window in an attempt to get to protagonist Shang (Simu Liu). It is a brutal detail that really screws us into our own resentment for this villain. Director Destin Daniel Cretton has us on a leash already, immediately taking us in a comedic direction. One of the patrons on the bus is live-streaming this brawl, and it is A ridiculous, playful tip-of-the-cap to our own universe. Something like this can make it through the cutting room and into the film on its comedic value alone - but when it later becomes important to the story that the clip went viral, that is what makes it gold.

I want to point out a fairly significant way in which Shang Chi (2021) distinguishes itself from other superhero films. Sure, we have the underdog protagonist, full of self doubt, and destined for greatness. And sure, his family is not what most would call ‘typical’. But there is no love interest for this character. In an interview, when asked about this, Cretton said that a plutonic male-female relationship “was something that we don’t see very much of in movies. It felt very real to me, and I just didn’t feel like we needed to push it beyond that.” This felt very wise, especially given the effort that Shang Chi (2021) makes to empower its female characters. Shang’s sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) is the most impressive character that the film has to offer and Awkwafina plays the brazen best friend, Katy. This is one of the best performances in the film. Awkwafina steals almost every scene she is in. Second only to Ben Kingsley’s Trevor, which is not saying much, given how undeniable Kingsley usually is.

A wide net indeed, as there is a lot to like here. I do think, though, that there can be a utility in taking a more specific aim at something. When it comes to super natural films, the reason I’m partial to movies like Avatar (2009) or Star Wars is because they avoid the kind of mistakes that Marvel films seem to love making. Shang wakes up, for instance, and the very 1st thing he does is sit on the edge of his bed and stare longingly at a postcard that he picks up from his nightstand. Things like this always strike me as undercooked - ya know? Let the postcard stop him dead in his tracks from the refrigerator door as he makes breakfast. Perhaps it falls out of a stack of papers or hell, maybe he uses it as a bookmark — It can be as intentional or serendipitous as Cretton wants to make it, but nobody behaves in the way that Shang was introduced. Nobody at all. Perhaps a sharper example comes when a big, evil monster escapes captivity and becomes an imminent threat; the cutback to our protagonist only to hear him say “Shit”. For me, that clotheslines the whole scene. It deflates the moment, and for what? A metaphorical look-and-shrug at the camera? This is not the only time it happens in Shang Chi (2021). It is sometimes as though they don’t believe in these moments themselves, being so quick to throw them away. Let the camera sit on the monster, trust in the special effects and the plot line thus far to be enough for the viewer.

With some of the shots that make up this film - like the astounding wide-shot of our protagonist standing on a cliffside - and those slick, spellbinding fight sequences, there is certainly a ‘rewatchability factor’. There are some seriously cool special effects in there that I would happily sit through again very soon. I’m talking giant lions, water suspended in mid-air, and a whole lot more. While it isn’t completely formulaic, its not entirely different from your classic hero flick either, and you may find yourself a step ahead of it or outside of it at times. But this time, as far as the MCU is concerned, the teeth may have broken the skin.