Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, 2021.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
Starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung.
SYNOPSIS:
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is available now in digital version at Movies Anywhere and other services. (The UltraHD 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD versions are due out on November 30th.) It follows the same basic template as other MCU movies, but it does so with a lot of humor and heart, and Disney should be lauded for committing to an Asian director and a mostly Asian cast.
Before I kick off this review, I wanted to note that Disney is now sending codes for digital copies of movies in lieu of physical discs, so this discussion is based on the movie and bonus features as found in Movies Anywhere. I’m pretty sure all the bonus content is the same as what’s found on the physical media that’s due for release on November 30th, but if there are any discrepancies, you’ll know why.
So now let’s get to the movie at hand: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe moves into its next phase, it’s nice to see lesser-known characters getting their due. And in the case of a movie like this one, I’m glad they went with an Asian director and mostly Asian cast.
Based on a Marvel character who debuted in 1973, when martial arts were spiking in popularity due to Bruce Lee’s fame, Shang-Chi is the son Xu Wenwu, who discovered the powerful ten rings thousands of years ago and created the Ten Rings organization. Imbued with immortality thanks to the rings, Wenwu has two children, Shang-Chi and Xialing, with Ying Li, the guardian of a mysterious village called Ta Lo. When Shang-Chi was seven, his mother was killed by members of the Iron Gang.
After running away from his overbearing father at the age of 14, Shang-Chi changes his name to Shaun and becomes a valet in San Francisco. He’s mostly interested in working and hanging out with his friend Katy, but when members of Ten Rings attack them and take a pendant that Li gave to Shang-Chi when he was a child, Shang-Chi and Katy are pulled into Wenwu’s plan to find Ta Lo and rescue Li, who he believes isn’t really dead and is being held captive in the village.
Most MCU movies follow a fairly predictable template these days, and Shang-Chi is no exception. Katy provides some comic relief while bringing along some skills that turn out to be useful, some minor characters from other movies show up, there’s a big battle at the end, and there’s a mid-credits scene that helps set up a bigger storyline that will likely carry through other MCU films. That’s not to say this is a bad film. In fact, Shang-Chi is comparable to movies like The Black Panther in its use of humor and heart to tell an engaging story about family. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t watch an MCU movie expecting the filmmakers to break any cinematic barriers, other than the fact that this film truly honors its Asian roots.
As star Simu Liu points out in the nine-minute “Building a Legacy” featurette, the Hands of Shang Chi: Master of Kung Fu comic books that the character starred in during the 1970s weren’t exactly the most progressive when it came to depicting Chinese culture, so it’s nice to see a film adaptation that wasn’t solely created by and starring white people. An accompanying 7.5-minute featurette, “Family Ties,” digs into the film character’s back story.
There’s also a two-minute “Costumes of Shang-Chi” featurette that’s a repeat of the same content from “Building a Legacy.” A gag reel and a batch of deleted scenes round out the video extras. The excised content is mostly stuff that added little bits of characterization to the story. Given the film’s 132-minute running time, it’s understandable why those things were cut, but it would be interesting to see a longer version that incorporates some of that content.
Finally, there’s a commentary track with director Destin Daniel Cretton and co-writer Dave Callaham. Cretton notes that this is his first commentary track and seems to begin talking off the top of his head, rather than talking from prepared comments, but he quickly settles down and he and Callaham feed off each other as they discuss what’s on screen. Unfortunately, they do commit the commentary track sin of lapsing into silence while watching the movie, but it’s still a worthwhile discussion for those who want to learn more about the movie. In retrospect, maybe Disney should have brought in a moderator to lead a discussion with the two of them.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★★★ / Movie: ★★★★
Brad Cook
Originally published November 19, 2021. Updated December 10, 2022.
