In late 1972, Marvel Comics tried acquiring the rights to the TV series Kung Fu for a comic book adaptation. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the rights since Warner Communications owned the show, so they created the kung-fu master Shang-Chi. The character made his debut in Special Marvel Edition #15 in 1973 by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin. Stephen Norrington, fresh off the success of Blade, was signed on to direct a live-action adaptation in 2001. Unfortunately, those plans fell through until Avi Arad announced that the newly formed Marvel Studios would be developing the property. In 2019, Marvel hired Destin Daniel Cretton to direct since the studio wanted to explore Asian themes and cultures. Shooting commenced in February 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and finally wrapped in October. After some delays, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hit theaters in September 2021.
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Synopsis
Xu “Shaun” Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) works as a hotel valet driver with his childhood friend Katy (Awkwafina). He leads a relatively everyday life, but things change when he and Katy are attacked on their bus to work. A gang called The Ten Rings attacks them and ends up stealing a jade pendant Shaun wears. Shaun tries to recruit his sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) to help, which she does despite her resentment towards him. Unfortunately, they’re captured and brought to Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), who insists their mother, Ying Li (Fala Chen), is alive. It turns out Xu Wenwu is their father and the leader of The Ten Rings, named after his ancient weapons. He believes that their mother is being held captive in the old village of Ta Lo behind a large gate. However, upon arrival, our heroes learn that something more sinister lies in wait behind the gate.
Review
Going into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, I knew nothing of the property nor what to expect. That might be the optimal way to go into this, as I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. While this film reuses some story tropes from other MCU movies, it adds plenty of twists to stand apart. For one, our hero has a dark past they’ve tried running away from, only to have to go back. Admittedly, Iron Man used a similar trope, but Tony was more oblivious of what happened than trying to escape it. Also, without going into spoilers, Xu Wenwu isn’t necessarily evil but more so misguided in his intentions. Like many other MCU movies, the climax involves a giant battle with otherworldly creatures, but that’s par for the course. Thankfully, you’re so invested by then that it doesn’t affect the overall quality.
Simu Liu makes a likable lead for a relatively unknown actor, riding that balance between humorous and serious. Given Liu’s background as a stuntman, it’s no surprise that his fight scenes are excellently choreographed and well-staged. Much like in Crazy Rich Asians, Awkwafina is the comic relief, but thankfully she knows when to play it straight. She and Liu have great chemistry together, and it’s refreshing that she isn’t thrown in as some generic love interest. Meng’er Zhang is excellent in her debut role as the younger sister trying to prove herself as a skilled warrior. Tony Leung is both intense yet oddly tragic as the former warlord who’ll go to any extreme for his beloved. The film goes by relatively quickly at just slightly over two hours despite some exposition-heavy scenes dragging it behind. Overall, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings breathes new life into the MCU.
Buy tickets to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in theaters: https://fandan.co/2WxHAy6.
