Directed by:
Destin Daniel CrettonCinematography:
Bill PopeComposer:
Joel P. WestCast:
Simu Liu, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Michelle Yeoh, Wah Yuen, Florian Munteanu, Ben Kingsley, Jayden Zhang, Stephanie Hsu (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. (Walt Disney Nordic Fin.)
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Reviews (12)
A likeable and easily digestible advertisement for the East and all that is good about it. A philosophically and artistically easier to grasp version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Smart, unpretentious, with a focus on family values until the final few minutes, when it becomes another one of Marvel’s CGI fests about saving the world. The humour is alright and some of the action scenes are fantastic. The visual effects are a bit weaker, but it’s still watchable entertainment that, unlike other “secondary” Marvel flicks, can be sipped like good lemonade.
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I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Sometimes it really pays off to go in with no expectations and come out impressed. Shang-Chi almost feels like it doesn’t quite belong in the Marvel universe — it introduces new worlds, new characters, even new flora and fauna. The colors are more vibrant, the atmosphere feels different, yet familiar Marvel faces still make an appearance. Awkwafina’s quick wit, Tony Leung’s commanding presence, and the brilliant, off-the-wall performance from Ben Kingsley all stand out. Sure, it’s all heavily digital, but the action scenes are so creatively done that it’s easy to overlook. This is how you introduce a new world; Marvel definitely nailed it here, even more so than with Wakanda in Black Panther. The blend of Asian culture and martial arts really hooked me.
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Shang-Chi mixes in a mostly artful way the audience-appealing elements typical of the MCU (spectacular battles, action laced with humour, the importance of team/family, etc.) and as an added value offers (in the context of Marvel movies) an unfamiliar Asian setting. The Hollywood-style action is interspersed with fight scenes that are more typical of Asian films, all wrapped up in almost "magical" clashes (like in Doctor Strange), which I really enjoyed. Visiting Ta Lo and seeing all those creatures made me feel like I was watching an Asian version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. My only major criticism would be the sometimes weaker visual effects (compared to other MCU-movies), like, for instance, the forest maze or the water scenes in general. Of the new characters, Ying Nan, Xu Wenwu and partly Katy won me over the most; the main character was rather bland. It was also nice to see a smaller role for Ben Kingsley (a.k.a. the Mandarin). I didn't even mind that a good part of the plot was a kind of family drama, as in this case the motivations and actions of the characters were understandable and this line didn't interfere with the film’s fantasy-action level.
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During the final battle, Shang-Chi lost most of the trump cards I had enjoyed so much for the previous hour and a half, and it's a shame. Amazing choreography of fights, which I have not seen since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, beautiful design including music, brand new characters, but at the same time characters so nicely and naturally fitting into the world of Marvel, interesting and impressive story - family drama, of course humor... All this together makes an absolutely excellent adventure and simply set the bar so high that the mentioned finale had nowhere to take it. But four stars would simply be too few, because it's a very honest film that the creators cared about, and it's so much better than last year's Black Widow.
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It's a surprisingly coherent extravaganza that, while it loses a bit of pace in places and relies on the element of coincidence (Ben Kingsley's talking ass-pet), holds together as a whole both with its connection to the overarching cinematic universe and its own family storyline with an interesting villain. It's not so much the likeable Shang-Chi, with whom today's younger generation in particular will readily relate to, as his conflicted father that drives the narrative, which is well consolidated especially in the action scenes, each of which moves the story somewhere, and moreover are themselves good and varied – and when the visual brouhaha kicks in, as in the dragon slayer ending, at least the carefully developed family line works. I didn't have high expectations and I'm not jumping with enthusiasm either, but Marvel still keeps the bar high and I find it admirable that they're not afraid to experiment with cultural formulas like this and send an almost purely Asian fantasy to the cinemas, which of course will earn them a cool profit. 75
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