Score: B
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Tony Leung
Running time: 132 minutes
Rated PG-13
Long Story Short: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the last blockbuster release of the summer, and an entertaining note to end the season on. Like Captain Marvel, it's too preoccupied with the extraordinary elements at the expense of the more important characters. Still, the kung-fu action is great and there are plenty of interesting elements introduced - and hopefully more fully developed later. Recommended for a trip to the movies.
Shaun (Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) are best friends, valets by day and partiers at night, who seem content with their day-to-day lives. When Liu is attacked by a gang seeking a pendant, however, Liu is snapped out of his carefree life and back to his Chinese upbringing. His father, Wenwu (Leung) is the leader of this gang and so he goes to his sister, with Katy in tow, to warn her. Wenwu is after much more than a typical gang's bounty, and only his children know the dark history behind it - a history that also created their family. Liu, his sister and Katy must work together to prevent this darkness from being unleashed on the world at large.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (I'll go with Shang-Chi from here) is a top-quality production as is expected from Marvel; its closest kin is Captain Marvel, and is similarly one of the lesser films in the MCU. Make no mistake, Shang-Chi is a very entertaining film and because its plot is less dependent on other Marvel films, it is probably all the more so for non-MCU fanatics. With the financial muscle and influence of Disney behind it, Shang-Chi has great sets, costumes, performers, and special effects. Shang-Chi, beyond being a Marvel superhero movie, is at heart a kung-fu film. Liu did much of the martial arts himself, and the very first fight, set on a moving bus, is my favorite for its intensity and creativity. The final battle leaves behind the raw physicality in favor of more effects and super powers, but it is among the better of its style; it's still relatively contained and therefore more focused than expected, and the film actually finds some of its most effective emotional moments here.
The characters in a Marvel movie, as I've been insisting for years, are both underrated and pivotal to their success. Simu Liu, portraying the title character, is a rare non-star in a leading Marvel role. He is clearly talented - not just in his athletic fighting scenes, but also in conveying a haunted, capable yet unsure hero in the making. Yet it's not a home run, as so many of Marvel's heroes have been; like in Captain Marvel, I blame this almost entirely on the script, not the performer. Liu (like Larson before him) doesn't get as much focus in the quieter moments as Downey, Jr., Evans, and Hemsworth did. Awkwafina could have added a shot of energy and (good) crazy, but she's disappointingly subdued here; though there are other prominent female characters, they are largely vanilla, too, unfortunately. The brightest spot is the villain - a surprise for a Marvel film, whose villains are often passable at best, preferring to focus on the hero. But Leung is excellent; very menacing and dangerous in a smooth and quiet way; yet also affecting and even sympathetic in other scenes. A few minor characters give Shang-Chi some extra flavor, including The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng, Benedict Wong's sorcerer, and another returning character who I don't want to spoil if you have yet to see it.
A significant reason for the uneven quality of Shang-Chi's characters is that, like Captain Marvel, the movie places too much emphasis on the background mythology of the story. As much as the aliens in Captain Marvel or the traditional/mythical world of the Ta Lo in Shang-Chi are neat and add something new to the Marvel universe, the filmmakers (and probably the studio) liked it too much; there's just not enough time for the characters in "normal" scenes. The script, I'd also note, doesn't have the zippiness that characterizes MCU movies; its too-short introductory scenes of Shang-Chi and Katy are where this was missed most. Unlike Captain Marvel, it must be said, Shang-Chi does benefit from an interesting family web of characters; even if individually they don't pop as they should have, the film takes time to explore its history (in sometimes confusing, but mostly good, reverse-order flashbacks). And it leaves plenty of room to further develop these potentially-interesting characters and settings, as well as how they may fit into the wider MCU (apart from a few cool teases). I'm up for more!
***
Shang-Chi is the second Marvel theatrical release since the pandemic closures, and the first to introduce new characters to the MCU. It is certainly quite a bit different from Black Widow, not to mention the steady stream of other action movies released in the last few months. While I don't feel that Shang-Chi quite met the MCU's typical high standards, it was at least an interesting start to a whole new part of this superhero world; this is not a repeat by any means. It does also follow in the MCU's tradition of incorporating other genres into its world and overall style. And in a crazy, pandemic-influenced year, this is probably the first and last time a major blockbuster will be released on Labor Day weekend! I recommend Shang-Chi for a trip to the theater, Marvel fan or not.
* By http://www.impawards.com/2021/shangchi_and_the_legend_of_the_ten_rings_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67440841
