Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Written by: Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Tony Leung, Florian Munteanu
Rating: [4/5]
Living up to or separating from a family legacy either through an infamous or storied manner puts plenty of pressure on the recent descendants. This could look as innocuous as a family of doctors, or in the case of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it just so happens to revolve around a father with the ability to topple governments and regimes through some magical powers. This familial bond and strength ultimately allow this film to thrive amongst everything else this studio has released.
Working as a valet in San Fransico, Shaun (Simu Liu) gets attacked by the 10 Rings organization led by his father Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung). As he learns of his father’s most recent intentions, he travels to visit his sister Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) where they reunite. With their connection they learn of their mournful father getting pulled into attacking the ancient village of Ta Lo in order to retrieve what he believes is their deceased mother.
After over a dozen of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to have come out starting in 2008, a pattern has certainly emerged in the films and how they tell stories. Each has a different skin in the characters and the stories they encounter, but a troubling common thread amongst all of them comes to the inevitable CGI fest at the end of them where these characters get thrown into world-ending circumstances where they need to act. Something I so wished this feature did not result to, even if it did, because of the genuinely touching and invigorating story this feature has to tell. If not for what happens at the very end this feature bordered on an even higher score, but it must be said. However, with all of the negatives out of the way, the main reason this feature works comes from the complex villain, Xu Wenwu.
Nearly immortal because of the mystical 10 Rings he wields, he has the power, as mentioned before, to destroy armies singlehandedly. He has his way against anyone except for one person, his wife who died, Yi Li (Fala Chen). Their initial scene reaches the absolute zenith of this feature and embodies the best romantic moment this entire multi-film franchise has displayed. Something with very minimal words but with actions displaying so much between these two characters. It displays what makes Wenwu change his entire approach to life to be with her until her untimely and unfortunate death. It also informs exactly why he becomes so desperate to free her as he gets lured by a much darker force into this delusion. This relationship and love Wenwu has for Li sits as the foundation of the feature and ultimately overshadows everything else, including the lead character.
It also certainly helps Tony Leung decide to dip his toe into the Marvel pool in portraying this character and unsurprisingly the man acts in circles around everyone around him. What he manages to convey through a simple smile, a menacing look, and a cry for despair makes for the very best this feature has to offer. Through this performance, it gives me hope those who watch him through this film would realize they need to check out his entire filmography and give him even more notoriety in this side of this world in the mainstream.
Shaun or Shang-Chi’s journey then becomes one that reflects his father along with his sister. Everything revolves around them and this entire family unit in the way they clash with each other historically and how it could impact the entire world. This runs throughout the entire film and ultimately dictates what makes the feature so emotionally powerful as compared to most films from this studio. It has a definitive soul and characters with genuine motivations driven by pure emotions and not necessarily with the basic need to take over the world or revenge. Wenwu represents a man who dearly loved his wife and will do whatever is necessary to get to her even if it means he causes the end of the world.
Along with the emotion of the feature, this action set pieces allows for an infusion of different styles of fighting. From the aforementioned initial encounter between Wenwu and Li, their fighting styles elegant and brutish demonstrates plenty about each of them. Then you have the modern style of Shang-Chi and Xialing as they brawl with their enemies in the modern day. Several sequences show the very best action this franchise has offered because they utilize actual fight choreography to add some dynamism to what we see on-screen. So many of these sequences show the detail and care put into it in order to ensure every blow dealt is felt.
Thriving through its emotional story and action sequences, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings reaches the zenith of Marvel films for the majority until it seeks to bring on a huge CGI monster fest that becomes completely unhinged in a negative way making for quite the downgrade. Even with these deficiencies, what it does well, it absolutely soars making for characters worth caring for and a villain portrayed by the legendary Tony Leung giving the best performance these series of films have put forward to its audience.
Films with Josh 