Review of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) by Gasti12345 — 07 Sep 2021

Shang-Chi is a movie that nobody expected. An exemplar with which we were not familiar that, not only knew how to exploit their low expectations to the maximum extent, but also developed a structured and dynamic narrative immersed in a MCU that does not leave much room for new heroes.

Shang-Chi made its first appearance in Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin's “Special Marvel Edition # 15” (December 1973). A Kung-Fu master created in the middle of the genre's boom in the US in the 1970s, Shang-Chi is quite a quirky character.

Played by Simu Liu, the protagonist is embarked on an adventure after being intercepted by ghosts from his past. Full of action, martial arts and a very own and attractive aesthetic, the film unfolds without delay. The scenes are punctual and always add something new. Even with a sense of humor that can get heavy on certain occasions (such as when Katy makes jokes in the middle of life and death situations), Shang-Chi finds its essence, exploits it and ends with a gold ribbon leaving the door open for future aftermath.

Marvel and its production team never cease to amaze me with their new films. In a difficult transition period, given the conclusion of the Infinity Saga and the beginning of this new phase, the studio keeps its feet on the ground and continues a coherent thread of its interconnected universe. Regardless of the obvious mentions to the events of "Avengers Endgame", Marvel returns to do what it does best: including thousands of references, cameos and winks that leave the geeks like me open-mouthed and with the greed for more.

The cast is incredible. I did not know any of the actors beforehand and they all dazzled me with their distinctive personalities and professional interpretations. The studio made a great work in synthetizing the oriental culture´s mythology and beliefs. However, it is true that Shang-Chi continues to be a westernized vision of Asian cultures due to its falls into stereotypes of martial arts and frequent characterizations of the Eastern world in Hollywood. Despite this and to my surprise, Shang-Chi knows how to combine the best of both worlds, using humor as its best tool and taking its time to tell the story, avoiding the rush to get to the action sequences that movies of this kind have suffered.

The protagonist's arc is round and fulfilling. It has cohesion and is true to its ideals from beginning to end. Thus, the villain (excellently played by Tony Leung) only contributes to the plot and does not fall into the corner of un-memorable Marvel villains. We send you a greeting, Fake Mandarin. If it hadn't been for the blessing acting skills of RDJ, no one would remember your existence.

Furthermore, the film interprets the concept of "grays" very well. In a franchise that is "infantilized" at times, Shang-Chi does not stutter in telling the hard truths of reality such as unsatisfactory employment, unreal family expectations, childhood trauma, the dilemma about murder, among others. Heroes are not pure white. They have their shortcomings, they fight with their demons and that makes them more credible, more human.

With a stellar sound-track, Shang-Chi is one of Marvel's most unexpected gems. It is amazing to feel and denote the love with which these films are made and the fidelity to the source materials. For example, the main character's leitmotif is a work of art and a composition that immerses us even more in the plot. Kevin Feige deserves all the praise, he is truly a man who knows how to sell his product very well and, at the same time, sell us something with great qualitative value.

After the post-credits scenes, fans only crave more and rejoice in the near future for what remains of this phase. Now with the recent release of the trailer for the new Spiderman movie, one only has to cross out the days for its premiere and admire the attention to detail that they put into the making of the films, not only as individual creations, but as a large adjoining and a special set of films. Bravo Marvel.

Postscript: I really love Benedict Wong.