Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 2021, d. Destin Daniel Cretton - drive-in/Disney+

I saw Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. at the drive-in theatre the weekend after it was released. I haven't been to a drive-in in over 20 years, and it will probably take another 20 to forget how darkly projected drive in movies are, how the lights of cars keep making it even harder to make out what's going on, how spiders walking across windshields are totally distracting, how the light from the projector for the other screen seemed to be shining right in my eye the whole time, how even an immaculately clean window still is yet another barrier to seeing the screen, how cars keep coming and going, how the backdrop of a moonlit night is pleasant except for when you're trying to watch a movie, how everyone starts leaving during the credits so mid and post-credit scenes are that much harder to watch, how the glow of your dashboard or GPS can't be turned off, how the echo of the sound is something "you have to get used to" (the whole movie sounded like the announcer over the loudspeaker at a baseball game), how to get rid of that echo you can close your windows meaning the car gets too warm with three bodies in it, how because you're in your own space your kid thinks they can just start talking or chanting "dragon, dragon"... it was not a good movie-watching experience (the actual experience of being at a drive in is kind of fun)

My impression of the film -- what little I actually saw of it -- was, basically, this was the most Disney a live action film has ever been (not the most Disneyfied live-action Marvel, just the most Disney-like a live action Disney has ever been, full-stop).  The only way it could get more Disney would be if Shang-chi were actually a princess. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I effectively was waiting to see the film again on Disney+, to actually see what was happening, before forming any true opinion on it.

I have no history with Shang-Chi as a comic book hero.  Like any comic book character who wasn't straight, white and male that was created before the late 90's, the character has a problematic history that is rooted in stereotypes (not all of them negative, but even "positive" stereotypes can be harmful).  The trick for the film, in bringing this Chinese/Chinese-American superhero to the screen, was how to do so in a way that is more faithful to the people he represents rather than to the comic book version (which was basically just a riff on Bruce Lee). Like Black Panther and Captain Marvel before it, Shang-Chi had the weight of being more than just a superhero action movie, it had to represent, and prove that an Asian superhero was just as viable as any other. 

Rather than stick to the tokenist "Master of Kung-Fu" angle of the comic book character, the film's trajectory was to build a superhero, one that could stand up against the major players in the Avengers should need be.  At the same time, it presented a sweeping epic of a fractured family, and a connection to a fantastical realm that one might find common in Chinese fantasy cinema.

It's almost starting from scratch with Shang-Chi, going through a few exercises to try and make Shang-Chi's father, Wenwu (Tony Leung) a more complex character in the mold of Killmonger or Thanos rather than a thin shadow of an adversary like Malikili (who?) or Aldrich Killian (whatsthis?), while also avoiding the mustache-twirling stereotype of Fu-Manchu, upon who the comics character was originally based.  They succeed in doing this by way of a sweeping opening sequence that recalls the beautiful wuxia ballet films of Zhang Yimou like Hero and House of Flying Daggers.   It traces Wenwu's history through thousands of years as he obtains his rings of power, only to become a conqueror bored without challenge, until he learns of a fantastical realm beyond his reach with even more power that's out of his grasp. In searching for it, he finds love and family, and gives up his evil ways and eternal life.  But tragedy strikes which fractures his family when his children were young. He raises his son, Shang-Chi, to be an assassin, and he disregards his daughter completely for she reminds him too painfully of his lost wife.

Cut to current day. As a teen Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) had run away and lived in San Francisco for ten years.  He has a best friend, Katy (Awkwafina), who he works with as valets.  They seem content but perhaps unfulfilled.  They are attacked on a bus by goons of the Ten Rings, Wenwu's international crime syndicate, which leads Shang-Chi and Katy to Macau, to find his sister Xialing (Meng'er Zhang)  at an underground (well, waaay above ground) fighting ring before they are caught and brought home by Wenwu.  

The family reunion is tense, and doesn't go well. Wenwu is convinced his departed wife is calling to him from the mystical realm of Ta Lo she had left behind, the realm that had turned him away years before.  He plans to invade the realm and rescue her, if not, then destroy it in trying.  His kids (and Katy, and surprise Trevor Slattery returning from Iron Man 3 - the last in-MCU use of the Ten Rings) plan to stop them by traversing into Ta Lo ahead of him.

Their journey leads them to lost family, including an aunt (Michelle Yeoh), who fills them in on Ta Lo's history and helps provide them a new sense of skill and purpose... which isn't just to stop their father but to prevent him from unknowingly releasing a great evil entity loose unto the world.

Part-fantasy, part-adventure, part-martial arts action, part-family drama, with a wisecracking sidekick and a bumbling hanger-on and a cute, stuffed animal-ready furry companion for the kids to "aww over" (that's Morris, a hundun from Chinese legend, with six legs, four wings and no face... then how does it smell? Terrible!) it truly feels more of a new Disney franchise than a specifically Marvel one.  Its "fit" with Marvel comes in the form of a brief sequence at the underground fighting ring where it would seem Wong from Doctor Strange is training the Abomination (last seen in Incredible Hulk... with this, the return of Ross in Civil War and Black Widow and one particular episode of What If...? it's evident that film is very much in MCU canon, if it was ever in doubt).  But other than that brief appearance and Wong's reappearance at the very end of the film, and the acknowledgement of The Ten Ring's brief history in the MCU, this film is very focused on its key cast of characters and forging their path.

If I wasn't exactly excited for the character making its way to the big screen, I was actually excited for the film because of Simu Liu.  A relatively unknown actor until he was cast as Shang-Chi, suddenly he's rocketed up in profile, a Canadian boy making good, which is a story we love in this country.  His newfound Marvel status no doubt drew eyes to Kim's Convenience, and for as troubled as that show's history has been revealed to be, it was still a massive talent spotlight for Liu and cast.  His online personality, his seemingly boundless positivity and enthusiasm have made him a star, which hopefully persists past just Shang-Chi (fingers crossed for an exceptional hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live next weekend).

As Shang-Chi, Liu is solid, bringing both the necessary physicality and emotionality the role requires, but he's also sympathetic, charming, and, yeah, handsome.  If he doesn't own the screen outright, you're certainly not going to turn away..  The film cast Awkwafina as Katy before they chose their Shang-Chi but Liu and Awkwafina's chemistry is fantastic.  There is a hint of a will-they/wont-they, but whether friends or something more these two work, and what's more it seems like Shang-Chi needs Katy in his corner. I'm not certain this film works the same without her.  Of course, Awkwafina brings much of the humour to screen, with Liu, and Ben Kingsley backing her up (this film avoids some of that "everyone's quippy" Marvelism).  Cinema legend Tony Leung brings the screen presence that Wenwu needs, but also the emotional depth to make him something more than just the adversary, he's flawed and even a little sympathetic, but also a defining influence for Shang-Chi and Xialing.

Ta Lo is a literal marvel, with a coterie of cgi creatures pulled from Chinese mythology, brought to life on screen with Marvel's massive budget.  I've seen some of Chinese cinema's efforts to bring mythological creatures to life and the effects are frequently dodgy.  Here, they look absolutely stunning.  And then they reveal the Great Protector, an envisioning of a traditional Chinese dragon, which is a pretty "wow" moment.

The film is a vibrant, well crafted and even more beautifully realized adventure that doesn't worry too much about the future, but sticking with what's present.  As much as Marvel always sets up something else in the post-credits chase, the film itself is very, very focused on its singular story.  At the end, it's not immediately evident how Shang-Chi fits in with the Marvel Universe going forward, and in a way that makes it worth anticipating his return wherever or however they may use him (and Katy and Xialing) next.