Woohoo Wu Shu - Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, Reviewed

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opened this past weekend. It represented a number of things: the first Asian-led superhero tentpole movie, Marvel Studio’s first cinematic release since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, increased inclusion behind and in front of the cameras, and the first real opportunity for Kevin Feige and Co. at Marvel to move the Phase 4 story forward, since Black Widow was a prequel.

That is a lot to carry for a lesser-known comics property! Luckily it is also a very enjoyable time, with wonderful performances and solid ties to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Overall, the Shang Chi cocktail feels like one part classic kung fu (Shaw Bros, 36 Chambers, et al), one part Jackie Chan and one part Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Shake well with ice (so it's cool), strain, and garnish with a thick slice of Harry Potter.

Shang Chi is also the Marvel Comics property that takes the most liberties with its source material, but I think that is for the best, given the racist subtext of those early “Master of Kung Fu” comics and the problematic nature of having the character’s father be the literal Fu Manchu.

Casting Tony Leung as Shang Chi’s ruthless and grieving father, Wenwu, was not only a masterstroke but also a coup for the studio – Leung (perhaps best known in North America for starring in John Woo’s Hard Boiled) has had an American agent since 2005, but Shang Chi is his first Hollywood movie.

Leung brings a tremendous depth and moments of stirring stillness to his role, who is probably the best-written Marvel villain since Killmonger in 2018’s Black Panther. Watching him evolve from warlord to family man and wrestle with his duties as husband, father and ruthless leader showcases an immense talent.

The lead, Canada’s Simu Liu, brings a lot to the table as well, blending the humour he displayed on Kim’s Convenience with both the pathos needed for a hero born of tragedy and the sheer physicality of playing a martial arts master. 

Despite the fact that Shang Chi in the comics was a barely disguised analogue of Bruce Lee, his debut fight in the film draws far more from Jackie Chan classics like Supercop than Enter the Dragon. It also takes place in (and on, and around) a moving bus, and took an astonishing four weeks to film. Yes, they crutch on a lot of CGI, primarily for camera placement, but there is little to no uncanny valley in these fight scenes.

Liu has charisma and comic timing to spare, and he takes what could have been a cardboard caricature and makes Shang Chi into a fulsome and compelling character. His grief, guilt, anger and love make him far more accessible than his perhaps cooler comics counterpart, whose dramatic dialogue can sometimes sound like cookie fortunes.

The supporting cast is tremendous as well, from Awkafina through Meng’er Zheng and to the exquisite Michelle Yeoh. Best of all (for me at least, we are made privy to the fate of thespian Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) who we last saw imprisoned for impersonating the leader of the Ten Rings (in Iron Man 3) and facing stern judgement from the genuine article in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King (now available on Disney+).

In addition to seeing “The Mandarin” again, there is connective tissue linking Shang Chi to the MCU even before the mid and end-credit scenes: cameos from The Incredible Hulk’s Emil Blonsky (The Abomination) and Wong from Doctor Strange, references to The Blip, and of course, the Ten Rings organization itself from the very first Iron Man.

If there is a criticism of the movie, the proven Marvel formula is beginning to feel a bit, well formulaic. Similar to Bond, it is not too hard to anticipate where the story is going and the final set-piece feels a bit too long. But like Bond, if the steps getting to that point are well done and enjoyable, it is hard to complain about a lack of surprise.

This movie also features the best fight scenes since Winter Soldier, some of them flowing and majestic, like a ballroom dance, and set in a mystical forest, while others are kinetic and brutal in a streaming fight club in Macau. Small wonder that they look so good, when they were choreographed by Andy Cheng and the stunt coordinator is the only westerner to have worked on Jackie Chan's stunt team, the late, great Brad Allen.

Box office-wise, Shang Chi also represents a bit of a showdown between Phase 4 and the 4^th wave, as it was originally hoped the pandemic would be winding down by now instead of the delta variant spiking case numbers in so many jurisdictions. Bearing that in mind, a global opening weekend of $140 looks pretty good (they were projected to reach $50-60M domestically and did over $90M!), as does the fact that their production had no cases or work stoppages due to Covid. 

In many ways, the real test for Marvel will be their next release, The Eternals (Nov 5). An even lesser-known property than Shang Chi, without the convenient hook of “kung fu, but Marvel” to grab filmgoers’ attention. Hopefully a diverse and imaginative cast coupled with an Oscar-winning director in Chloe Zhao will help the MCU maintain its unparalleled streak of cinematic successes.

If you are at a point where you are comfortable seeing a movie in a theatre again and you have a taste for comedic action or adventure films, or maybe you just want to see some stylishly thrown fists (and feet, and rope darts, etc.), I can heartily recommend Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.