The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
A certain energy
While not all it could have been, Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ an entertaining, Asian-influenced action-adventure
Now the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a martial arts movie. ¶ It’s unfair, of course, to boil the newest MCU offering — exclusively theatrical release “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — down to that. Ultimately, it plays like a cross between the acclaimed 2000 film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” with its levitation-based sequences, and any number of big-budget hero-origin stories in Disney-owned Marvel Studio’s impressive stable. And as you watch “Shang-Chi,” you can’t help but think about 2018’s “Black Panther,” which told the story of the fictional spectacular African country of Wakanda and its compelling leader, T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman), who also is the movie’s namesake masked hero. Showered with Academy Awards nominations, “Black Panther” was hailed by many as a tremendous celebration of Black culture. With the vast majority of its cast being Asian or of Asian descent, “Shang-Chi” has the chance to become deeply meaningful to a great number of people, as well. However, while largely entertaining — the film’s big serving of action is balanced by a good bit of comedy — “Shang-Chi” isn’t quite on the level of “Black Panther.” It is weighed down by too much exposition early on and then bogs down in the middle before its climactic third act.
That said, there’s a lot to like here.
After its opening bombardment of backstory, “ShangChi” introduces us to its would-be hero, Shaun (Simu Liu), who lives a simple life in San Francisco working as a parking valet with platonic pal Katy (Awkwafina). Katy convinces a reluctant Shaun they should go for a joyride in a hotel guest’s flashy sportscar and, after promising him she won’t drive wildly, pronounces herself “the Asian Jeff Gordon” and puts pedal to metal.
Like everyone else around him, Katy doesn’t know that Shaun’s real name is Shang-Li and that his estranged father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung, “Internal Affairs”), centuries ago harnessed a great magical power and lived as the conquering, power-hungry leader of a mysterious organization known as the Ten Rings. After all, they spend their nights engaging in drunken karaoke sessions when they should be resting for work the next day.
However, Katy discovers there’s more to her friend than meets the eye when, while riding on a city bus, they are attacked by a group of assassins led by Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu, “Creed II”). These vicious men want a pendant Shaun wears around his neck that was given to him when he was a boy by his now-deceased mother, Li (Fala Chen). This inventively constructed, well-executed sequence — during which Shaun displays fighting skills Katie had no idea he possessed — is a thrilling high point for “Shang-Chi.”
“Holy (expletive),” Katy manages as her friend goes about the business of saving the day.
Shaun knows these killers have been dispatched by his father — and he no longer can resist embracing his destiny as Shang-Li. He decides to follow a trail leading to another part of the world and his estranged sister, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang, in her big-screen debut). And Katy — despite his objections — decides to go along for the ride.
The adventure to follow is uneven if fairly wondrous, and it features appearances by a minor but fun recent MCU regular as well as acclaimed actor Ben Kingsley, reprising his humorous role from 2013’s “Iron Man 3.” And speaking of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” one of its co-stars, Michelle Yeoh, portrays a significant supporting character.
Asian-American filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton (“Just Mercy”) directs from a screenplay co-written by Dave Callaham, himself and Andrew Lanham, with story credits going to the first two-thirds of the trio. Given that his credits include other dramas such as “Short Term 12” and “The Glass Castle,” does a laudable job at the helm of this action-heavy ship. Yes, things can get a bit snoozy at times, but “Shang-Chi” boasts plenty of crowdpleasing moments.
Perhaps more importantly, Liu — probably best known for starring in the Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience” — rises to the challenge of this major Marvel role. He is completely engaging throughout the affair, hitting different notes along the way.
Plus, the much more wellknown Awkwafina proves to have been a smart choice for Katy, the talented performer bringing not only comic relief to “Shang-Chi” but also serving as an audience surrogate. (Katy’s reactions to all the fantastical goings-on that surround her feel like those we would have in her place.)
We must note that as good as “Shang-Chi” looks most of the time, thanks to the work of those including photography Bill Pope (“The Matrix Trilogy,” “Spider-Man 2”) and production designer Sue Chan (“Shirley,” “The Congress”), the movie relies so heavily on computer-generated effects that it can be hard to lose yourself in this world of make-believe, even with all it has going for it.
As this is an MCU offering, you probably don’t need us to remind you to stay into the credits for a couple of sequences — a fun one and another teasing a potential sequel.
More “Shang-Chi”? Despite a few nitpicks with this one, we’ll sign up for that.