Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was worth the wait
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A new hero emerges in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with opponents both on the screen and in real life. Shang-Chi has endured pushback from China, a large market and a country understandably sceptical about a comic book with a history of disrespectful depictions of Asian people being adapted.
While work has been done to modernise the story, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is yet to get a release date in China, and the problems don’t stop there. There of accusations from fans about lack of promotion for the film, some controversies surrounding comments by the cast, and Disney CEO Bob Chapek reportedly referring to the film’s release as an “experiment”, drawing the ire of star Simu Liu online. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the movie business still recovering from the devastation of the Pandemic. There have been smoother roads to release, but now the 25th MCU adventure is here, is it worth the wait?
Liu plays Shaun, a listless young man living in San Francisco and happy underachieving in his job as a valet, alongside best friend Katy (Awkwafina). When the pair are set upon by highly powered thugs, Shaun reveals his true identity – Shang-Chi, a highly skilled warrior and son of Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), leader of the tyrannical organisation Ten Rings, named after the magical objects that give him power. Shang-Chi ran away from his father, who had trained him to be a killer after his wife’s death, but now Xu Wenwu has found him, along with his estranged sister Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). He wants them to attack Ta Lo, the mystical village that their mother came from, but Shang-Chi, Xu Xialing and Katy try to find a way to get to the village before he arrives. With some new friends and familiar faces, Shang-Chi must confront his past and fulfil his destiny.
The story has sporadic references from other parts of the MCU. One spoiler-free example is the reason Katy gives for her lack of ambition: the knowledge that she could be snapped out of existence at any moment. However, it’s a largely standalone adventure that has a lot of world building to do, but also offers moments of excitement. The opening fight, on a runaway bus through the streets of San Francisco, has elements of classic Marvel movies where fists and quips come from every direction. The dialogue is whip-smart, with Awkwafina becoming the film’s secret weapon as a non-super person enjoying her ride through a Marvel movie. Her friendship with Liu feels organic, with seeds of romance growing more subtly than most blockbusters. If he’s Iron Man, she’s Pepper Potts – there to support the hero, but also on her own path.
Insdeed, the most impressible aspect of the film is that it feels like an ensemble. Xu Xialing is independent to Shang-Chi, out to prove her own point about being overlooked by her father. Leung himself is no snarling baddie either. He’s a broken man driven mad by grief, willing to throw his own children into danger to get the love of his life back. While he’s undoubtedly in the wrong, it’s more textured than you might expect.
There’s a lot going on – some MCU characters from the past make a comeback, and there’s an adorable mythical creature named Morris that will win a lot of fans. As such, Liu isn’t quite as focused on as his predecessors, an inevitable consequence of a more rounded cast. Still, he’s a hero through and through, convincing both as a mild-mannered slacker and a ripped world saviour. He feels relatable which, in a world now crammed with special beings, will be helpful for future movies.
It’s not a perfect film, and it’s unlikely to turn superhero haters into believers. It does stick to a standard Marvel blueprint in terms of structure, and there is a lot of lore and exposition to work through. In the second act in particular, there are lengthy flash-backs that slow the film down. For those already struggling to remember all the different parts of the MCU phases, this big hulk of new names, histories, and information will feel a bit like homework at times.
The script’s mild barbs at America raise questions from a financial point of view. Xu Xialing sneers to her brother “has America made you soft?”, Xu Wenwu mockingly names Katy “American Girl”, while Shang-Chi and Katy’s Americanness is implied to be a draw back in many aspects. It’s not exactly offensive, but it will be interesting to gauge the reaction from US audiences, who are largely used to seeing themselves as heroes (the heart of the MCU is literally called Captain America).
Quibbles aside, on the whole Shang-Chi’s first movie is an enjoyable summer movie from a studio that knows how to deliver spectacle. The Marvel Universe is in a state of flux, with established heroes making way for new contenders. If every new arrival is as enjoyable as this, The Avengers should be just fine.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in cinemas now.