Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review

The Marvel Cinematic Universe enters the world of martial arts fantasy with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Shaun (Simu Liu) is a valet in San Francisco whose friends think isn’t living up to his potential. Yet he harbours a deep dark secret because his real name is Shang-Chi and his father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) trained to be an assassin since he was a child. When his father sends assassins to take Shang-Chi’s pendant the young man must go to Macau to warn his sister.

The biggest criticism levelled at the MCU is their films are formulaic. They often have the same look, style of humour, and similar story structure. The MCU can be seen as an amorphous blob of films.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings does have some of these issues. The plot was cookie-cutter despite it featuring a hidden martial arts village and monsters from another dimension. Shang-Chi and Katy (Awkwafina) have a comedic back-and-forth, fitting in the Marvel mould. And the film ends with a big CGI battle.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings followed in Black Widow’s footsteps because both were demented family dramas. This theme was even blatant in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings because the villain was the protagonist’s father and the plot revolves around Shang-Chi’s mother’s village.

The connections within the family were fractured. Xu Wenwu trained his son from the age of seven to be an assassin whilst ignoring his daughter, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). Xialing felt abandoned by her brother and she had to go out on her own. The flashbacks brought back memories of Ninja Assassin where the main character was trained as a child and had to abandon a girl he was close to.

Wuxia films were also an influence on Shang-Chi. Most of the characters were from an Asian background and a lot of the action takes place in Macau, Wenwu’s compound, a bamboo forest, and a Chinese-style fantasy village. One of the first fight scenes in the film was when Wenwu met Ying Li (Fala Chen). It was more like a seductive dance where the characters dodge their blows and float in the air. It made me want to rewatch films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and House of Flying Daggers.

Wenwu was The Mandarin in all but name. This version of the character has lived for a thousand years and craved nothing but power. He worked in the shadows and used his Ten Rings organisation to influence events around the world. Invading Ta Lo would bring him ultimate power. But the film made a smart move by changing Wenwu’s motivation to being about love and grief. He became a misguided character and Leung does make the character sympathetic. Leung is a legend of Hong Kong cinema and convinces in the role.

Simi Liu made for a strong lead. He was lean and fit, and he was convincing in the action sequence. His first fight scene was like a ramped-up version of the bus fight from Nobody. Shang-Chi’s action sequence in Macau was impressive because it felt physical. After that, the action turned into more of a CGI, fantasy affair.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was an origins story and Marvel have a template for them. Marvel was able to shake up its formula because unlike characters like Tony Stark, Thor, and Doctor Strange, Shang-Chi was a modest character. Nor did Shang-Chi have to learn to use equipment or develop skills like Tony Stark, Scott Lang, or Doctor Strange because he was already proficient in martial arts. Shang-Chi’s journey was facing his father, his past, and self-acceptance.

Liu and Awkwafina did have excellent chemistry together. They felt like long-time friends and a potential couple. Awkwafina’s Katy was one of the better love interests in the MCU because she had a character arc. She was a smart, yet aimless character and slowly gains a purpose as the film ran.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings did have a surprise return of one character. The film does deserve praise for doing something so unexpected.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a standard offering from the MCU. It had enough action and character work to keep audiences interested.