We Agree: Shang-Chi

2021, Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) -- Disney+

I have always appreciated Asian Americans (as a label, including Canadians) who skip right past the choosing of an Anglicized name. Sure, there are going to be some that our English tongues will trip over, but your name is your name, so stick with it. And people will always give shortisms or nicknames they can be comfortable with. I am David, not Dave, when asked.

My favourite bit in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (just Shang-Chi from now on) is Shang revealing to Katy his San Francisco best-bud, what his real name is. Her Mandarin sucks so she keeps hearing "Shaun" when he is saying "Shang". And once she catches on, she is affronted that he hid his real name by removing one letter. That is so Awkwafina.

But it says something to the place of Asian American identities in this movie. As Kent mentioned, very few of us know much about the actual Marvel character, a Kung-Fu master who was probably just the comic book's desire to have Bruce Lee as a superhero. But the movie blows past all the challenging bits of comic book legacy and connects a new character to the existing MCU, by having Shang-Chi the son of the magically immortal warlord in charge of the Ten Rings, the actual evil crime organization that Trevor Slattery coopted in Iron Man 3. As a teen Shang-Chi runs from his legacy, to hide in America. But it finds him, or we wouldn't have a movie. So, the movie not only deals with an Asian American hiding from his heritage (to a degree), but also with the challenges of them in the world of comic book superheroes.

The challenge Marvel has in creating the second wave of Marvel movies, the ones that liberally disconnect from the flashy, familiar characters of the prime comic books, is keeping our attention. Marvel movies are well crafted, but that doesn't make them Good Movies. So much of the fun comes from combining the craftmanship, as in a well implemented use of formula, with the nostalgic familiarity of our favourite (or at least recognizable) characters on the screen. But take away the latter bit, and I wondered whether the craft would have sufficient weight.

At least, for me, it did. I really liked this movie, but I admit that it probably won't warrant as many rewatches as others. Then again, I said that about Ant Man and we often returned to it when in the mood for Marvel-lite. But what I liked about this movie was, as Kent said, how it was Disney in Live Action, but also because it drew upon familiar Asian cinematic elements, and connected them to a world I am comfortable in.

I have never really deep-dived into Asian cinema, but being a Once Movie Buff, I have dabbled rather heavily. I loved the Wuxia elements of this movie, especially that romantic, melodramatic, ballet of combat between warlord Xu Wenwu and Ting Li. He is seeking more magic to add to his already powerful "ten rings", and she is protecting the way to the magical land of Ta Lo. She effortlessly rebuffs his brash and aggressive attacks, moving like water away from him. And not long after, in true Disney fashion, he is not attacking, so much as he is dancing with her. This scene was utterly lovely, the wire work and CGI incredibly seamless.

And then the two more traditional Marvel combat scenes. One was so familiar, we could have been rewatching one of the Spider-man movies, even bringing back vlogger Klev, last seen in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Marvel cinematic combat has always drawn upon the feel of Hong Kong action flicks, so the fight in Macau, between Shang-Chi, his sister Xialing and the forces of the Ten Rings... well, it was spectacular. BTW, who builds scaffolding up around an ENTIRE building, and OUT OF BAMBOO !?! 

And then we eventually end up in Ta Lo with its magical CGI Chinese mythos monsters - was that a Foo Dog or a Pixiu? Ooo a Qilin !! And the Hundun, and of course, Trevor Slattery -- they made him seem so life like. I said out loud, "This is when the movie feels more like a Marvel movie" as this was a very traditional setup for the third act combat scene, with bright lights and big baddies, some losses and some humour. 

All the while, the movie is bringing Katy along for the ride. But not in an extraneous, only for comic relief sort of way. Katy plays an integral part to Shang-Chi's journey, often as much advisor and voice of wisdom, as she is quippy. Is there a romantic connection? Not likely. But there is a deep rooted loyalty, as she was the centre of his new family in America. But she is not just background, not that Awkwafina could ever just be in the background, as she steps up at every moment, despite having no powers, no super-duper combat training, just perseverance and strength of character.

I need to watch the movie again, so it is not just a jumble of memorable disparate parts. But the good sign is that all these parts felt good to me, and very little, if none, of the movie felt wrong. The only issue will come in the watching for that whole; if it is not there, then maybe the Marvel formula DOES need more to make it win through.