Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is the latest entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also co-wrote the film with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham. It follows Shaun (Simu Liu), a young man living life as an unambitious slacker with his best friend, Katy (Awkwafina). They live in San Francisco, working as valet attendants, taking things easy, going on joyride, and going out for karaoke. However, things change when one day, they suddenly find themselves under attack on a bus, which leads her to discover that Shaun is not quite the guy she always thought he was.
It turns out Shaun is actually Shung-Chi, the son of Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), the immortal head of the ruthless Ten Rings organization. Shaun has been trained since childhood to become a killer, following the death of his mother, but ran away when sent on his first assignment as a teenager, leaving behind his little sister, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). Still grieving his wife’s death, Xu comes up with a new plan to not only gain more power, but potentially bring his love back, whether Shaun wants to help or not. If it sounds like I’m being vague it’s because the marketing has done a pretty good job at keeping a lot hidden.
Marvel and Kevin Feige have basically nailed down the B+ superhero crowd pleaser formula to a science, so surprising absolutely no one, Shang-Chi is a very fun and enjoyable movie. But beyond that, what I really liked about this particular entry was how it brought us into a whole new corner of this universe that feels genuinely different and fresh from the stuff we’ve seen before. Plus, you know, I love me some martial arts action, and there is plenty of that, as well as some wuxia influenced sequences, which is always a nice change of pace for these kinds of movies.
Unfortunately, this film has a pretty big problem, and it’s one that’s rare for the Marvel movies in particular: the lead is not very good. Apologies for being so uncharacteristically blunt about it, I’m sure Simu Liu is a nice guy in person, maybe he’s just that good in Kim’s Convenience – I haven’t seen it. And to be fair, he’s clearly giving it his all, especially in the stunts and action. However, outside of the set-pieces, I’m baffled as to what the powers that be in Marvel saw in this guy.
Although, in his defense, he is forced to act opposite with the likes of Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh, two all-time great actors who do so much with so little, but even outside of them, Awkwafina and Meng’er Zhang, who is making her acting debut here, both easily outshine this guy. There are scenes where the film tries to get emotional, and it has moments where Liu has to convey a lot of complex feelings with just a few words and a glance, but as much as the camera closes in on his face, I get nothing out of him. Even his chemistry with Awkwafina is passable at best, I buy that they’re work buddies, but not “we’ve known each other for ten years, and we just happen to work together” buddies.
I’ve really liked Cretton’s previous films. I think Short Term 12 is one of the finest indies to come out this century, and a real showcase for a number of young actors right before they blew up. And while his two follow-ups, The Glass Castle and Just Mercy, didn’t reach the heights of his debut, they still showed what an intimate and compelling perspective he has, especially with the latter. Obviously, the Marvel house style overwhelms any vision that Cretton might have brought to the project, but oddly enough, the exploration of complicated family dynamics and troubled relationships with a father figure makes this a weirdly appropriate companion piece with The Glass Castle. It’s probably the only really interesting thing going on beyond surface level thrills.
So, yeah, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, I’m sure some of my words sounded harsh here, but I did have a pretty good time for most of the film. There’s a lot to like here, from the action, to the supporting players, to unexpected cameos, to Morris, who is to die for. I won’t say who or what Morris is, but let’s just say Disney already has their big moneymaker for the holiday season, good lord. It is unfortunate that I found little appealing about its lead, which is strange because that’s typically been Marvel Studio’s biggest strengths, but it didn’t ruin the whole experience for me once it was all said and done, it’s not like he was an actively irritating presence, though your mileage may vary. I still look forward to seeing this space of the Marvel universe explored further in the future.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is now out in theaters.