Oh Marvel, how I missed you. I know 2020 wasn’t good for your movie machine. However, I’m glad you took that time for some introspection, and came back with a bang! Shang-Chi might seem a strange choice for Marvel to return to Avengers storytelling with (you’d think they’d start with someone audiences are familiar with), but it’s a perfect choice for their MCU cinematic formula: the legend of the 10 rings is filled with action, jokes, amazing special effects, solid storytelling, and a welcome dose of Asian representation. Plus more Michelle Yeoh on camera makes everything a little better. That woman is a treasure.
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is the son of two powerful people in history: Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), the current possessor of the 10 rings, accruing power over centuries of life, and Ying Li (Fala Chen), Shang-Chi’s mom who possesses the power of the magical city of Ta Lo that put Xu’s ten rings in check…and on her finger (ZING!). Now going by Shaun, Shang-Chi is content to be a valet and karaoke with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina) in San Francisco, clearly hiding from something terrible that happens in his past. But that past meets “Shaun’s” present, when Xu’s henchmen including Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) comes looking for Shang-Chi and his sister Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang).
I’ve been a fan of martial arts epics for some time now; when they’re done right, they’re about as eye popping as any great movie out there. That level of scope fits nicely with Marvel’s infinite budget. After a delightful 10 minutes chilling with Shang-Chi and Katy making us love them immediately, we plunge right into martial arts heaven, as Director Destin Daniel Cretton gives this probably newer audience a crash course in what makes martial arts so exciting. Each sequence is an athletic ballet, but filled with violence and adrenaline in which any man, woman, or creature can win any battle. Cretton amps up the stakes as well, staging these well choreographed fights in luscious living forestscapes, on buses careening out of control, mirror backed building construction hundreds of feet/meters in the air, a visual and heart stopping feast of athletic artistic battle. The third act is of course filled with a gigantic battle as Marvel has made us aware is coming, but that battle is steeped in Chinese lore, filled with all sorts of weapons/creatures the MCU has not shown before, nor has the world seen much of but for myself at least was a joy to behold and witness.
But through it all Cretton’s story is grounded in something tangible but powerful. Shang-Chi first and foremost is a story about a broken family, and how those broken pieces try to fix themselves. And who better to tell tales of heartbreak than Tony Leung? For those who don’t know, Leung is a Hong Kong cinema legend, starring in Wong Kar Wai’s greatest films. His big American breakthrough here does not disappoint; Xu is that perfect character for an Asian martial arts epic: a man lusting for power, blinded to everything else. Because Leung is playing Xu, that character isn’t a one note power drunk psychopath: he’s a much more nuanced antagonist more akin to Killmonger from Black Panther. Also on hand to elevate the Ten Rings is Michelle Yeoh, playing Shang-Chi’s relative. Yeoh’s screen presence reminds you of Meryl Streep or Judi Dench, just oozing elegance and wisdom you can’t help but be riveted when she speaks. The minute she shows up, the movie gets a little more important, a little more epic, and a little more culturally rich in its storytelling, a testament to her power. But for Shang-Chi to succeed, the kids Simu Liu and Meng’er Zhang (with an Awkwafina assist) have to carry the story. Liu, a stuntman with a few TV credits to his name, is electric onscreen as Shang-Chi. Dude has to be equally compelling singing Disney songs with Awkwafina, fighting gigantic creatures with CGI arm movements, be a master martial artist in the grounded hand to hand combat, AND hold his own as a dramatic actor against Leung, one of the greatest actors of all time. And somehow, Marvel wins again, because Liu almost impossibly pulls all of this off. He’s magnetic onscreen, and should make for a spectacular Avenger when they call his name. Meng’er Zhang has the most underwritten role in the movie, but she makes the most of it as Shang-Chi’s sister left to fend for herself but succeeding in spite of people not taking her seriously. Zhang will get a bigger role in the hopefully inevitable sequel to this movie, and leaves good vibes at where this Marvel story can go in the future.
With Endgame leaving the Avengers in flux, it was important for Marvel to build new heroes for the fans to root for, and I think Shang-Chi is going to be a winner, as we see from the end credits scenes (don’t worry I won’t spoil). Shang-Chi also shows how Marvel can learn from its past sins. The MCU machine is so good some of those sins they head off before the movie even starts. Did you know for some racist reason, Shang-Chi’s dad in the comics is named, *chokes on own vomit* Fu Manchu? YIKES! Can you imagine the legendary Tony Leung having to play someone named “Fu Manchu”? I’m pretty sure that’s how international incidents start.