SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
★★★★ OUT NOW CERT 12A / 132 MINS
DIRECTOR Destin Daniel Cretton CAST Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng’er Zhang
PLOT Living the slacker life in San Francisco, Shangchi (Liu) is suddenly confronted by his dark past. Forced to return to his father Wenwu’s (Leung) dangerous organisation, The Ten Rings, Shang-chi unites with bestie Katy (Awkwafina) and estranged sister Xialing (Zhang) to stop Wenwu for good.
BEING THE first of anything comes with a lot of pressure and responsibility. Black Panther was the first film in the MCU to celebrate Black and African culture. Captain Marvel became the first female-led film in the franchise. Now, Shang-chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings marks the MCU’S first Asian-led superhero film. Of course, there have been characters of Asian descent in the MCU before, but they’ve always been the main hero’s sidekick, a flunkey, or comic relief. Shang-chi features not only the first Asian protagonist but also a predominantly Asian cast. Happily, Asians can collectively breathe a sigh of relief — because the movie is really good.
Co-writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton, best known for indie darling Short Term 12, understands family dynamics and beautifully sets the tone for a heart-warming story syringed with humour. But despite this humanity, it’s the innovative martial arts that are the USP. The action is fantastic, thanks to fight coordinator Andy Cheng and supervising stunt coordinator, the late Brad Allan, to whom the film is dedicated, the choreography the best yet in the MCU (witness a bruising bus battle, a cage fight, a skirmish on the side of a building). The action doesn’t rely excessively on digital trickery; but even the CG set-pieces within the magical city of Ta Lo don’t diminish the beauty of the diverse fighting styles.
The cast is stellar. Simu Liu knocks it out of the park as Shang-chi, adding a touch of levity to the known-to-be-serious comic book character. As expected, Awkwafina, as his best friend Katy, hits all the comedic cues while remaining Shang-chi’s anchor — the chemistry between Liu and Awkwafina is palpable, exuding a real sense of a found family. Perhaps the most intriguing character is Meng’er Zhang’s Xialing, Shangchi’s sister, who has the most compelling backstory; even if she at times feels like setdressing for the main hero. A dashing Tony Leung as Wenwu provides depths of character in what could be a one-dimensional bad guy. However, the film’s real villain is grief. Grief drives Wenwu to perform nefarious acts, and Leung’s performance is filled with tangible anger and anguish.
In the debit column, Shang-chi has some pacing issues, and it’s a bit tiring to see another dragon trope in an Asian-led film. It’s a shame, as there are subtle nods for the Asian diaspora to relish — Shang-chi taking off his shoes before entering Katy’s home, Katy’s grandmother asking Shang-chi when he and Katy are getting married, and Ronny Chieng’s mystery character telling Katy that he speaks “ABC” (American-born Chinese). It’s a winning blend of Chinese culture and the successful Marvel formula, avoiding the usual Asian stereotypes of accents and bad drivers, while calling out some of the racial errors from Marvel’s past. Given what’s on show here, the future for both Shang-chi and Asian representation in the MCU looks bright.