Rating of
3/4
A Mystical, Magical, Martial Arts Mystery Tour
Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/25/21
About 40 minutes into Shang-Chi, we get the story of how the Ten Rings tyrant Xu Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) tried to uncover a secret, mystical village of Ta Lo and instead met future wife Ying Li (Fala Chen) who easily disarmed the supposed legendary warrior in a poetic dance/battle set in a picturesque bamboo forest complete with a waterfall and a casually-winding creek. It's graceful with a touch of fun and a hint of romance to come - and it's a big part of what makes Shang-Chi stand out from a typical MCU film.
Marvel films tend to be big and bombastic - heavy on the action and CGI - entertaining, but not always much more than one eye-candy scene after the other. Shang-Chi plays things a bit different. We are introduced to our hero "Shaun" (Simu Liu) as a typical San Francisco young adult who has a job as a valet with his bestie Katy (Awkwafina), hangs out with friends at a local bar and both are constantly berated by friends and family for not making the most of their potential. Everything changes, however, when a morning commute turns into a fight for survival on an out-of-control bus. It seems someone is very interested in getting their hands on Shaun's necklace - given to him by his mother - so much so that a dude named Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) is on the job and ready to throw down. Despite displaying some wicket martial arts skills (to the absolute dumbstruck Katy), Shaun isn't able to hold onto the necklace in the end.
With nothing left to lose, he tells Katy that Shaun is just a name it adapted from Shang-Chi and the reason he is a martial arts master is that he was raised by his father to be a literal killing machine shortly after his mother was killed. But he is not the only child, his estranged sister, Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) has apparently reached out to him and he must save her from becoming the next victim. But, it turns out, she has done just find for herself after being left behind years ago - she now runs a lucrative underground fight club in Macau. It doesn't take long for things to go south, as it is soon revealed that Wenwu is indeed behind the attacks and the necklaces are needed to find the path to the fabled lost village of Ta Lo where he is convinced his long-dead wife is calling out to him for rescue. After a terribly awkward family reunion, the two find themselves in the Ten Rings dungeon where we also find Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the actor who played "The Mandarin", leader of the Ten Rings, way back in the original Iron Man. Thanks to a furry friend, the trio have their own way to get into Ta Lo before Wenwu - provided they can survive the somewhat treacherous journey.
It turns out our heroes are just in time. Ling's sister, Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh), explains that the village exists to prevent a great evil from escaping. A soul-sucking nightmare called the Dweller-in-Darkness - one that has pretended to be Li in order to tempt Wenwu into breaking down the barrier thanks to the power of the Ten Rings. Thus we are treated to a short training montage and a battle royale, complete with an actual dragon and other Chinese-inspired creatures brought to life. This is where the typical CG comes into play, but it wouldn't be an MCU film without it, right?
Shang-Chi distinguished itself by having actual fight scenes - the best in the series as far as I'm concerned. And it also benefits from the presence of Leung in his first English-language film (despite a long and storied career outside the U.S.) - he brings depth and, yes, even compassion, into a multi-faceted villain who yet has compassion. He is the anchor of this film by far. While Liu has the action skills required, he comes off somewhat soft as the hero - though he does have some excellent banter with Awkwafina. While some may find her a bit grating, I think she works well as the comic relief while also being the everyperson who finds themselves way over their heads. And it's also nice to catch up with Sir Ben Kingsley - who didn't have to return, but provides a nice bit of comic relief himself as the semi-mad but at least alive actor.
Shang-Chi also presents us with the first Asian lead - as well as an excellent ensemble cast. From Ronny Chieng to Wah Yuen to Tsai Chin, both major and minor parts are extended to Asian actors and it certainly works out in the film's favor. We even get a fun little bit featuring Wong (Benedict Wong) from Dr. Strange (as well as a post-credits scene) in the fight club. It's a far cry from the troublesome original comic the film is based on, which was steeped deep into racial stereotypes.
Shang-Chi does a good job of mixing action with heart and humor. It isn't without its flaws - some of the exposition, especially when it focused on the past, could have been more streamlined and I wish Liu has just a bit more personality but, in the end, Shang-Chi turned out to be a fun ride and certainly up there with the better MCU offerings.
