Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

 

Marvel keeps going and going. Then again, they have got a library comprised of a gazillion characters, so there's that. And you know what? As long as their output (for the most part) remains good, then why on Earth not? 

This one is not going to do for Eastern Asian culture what 'Black Panther' did for African-American culture, but it's a very, very decent try. And on the whole, this one is fun, colourful and should have enough for the martial arts' aficionados out there. 

So yes, I happen to like it quite a bit. 

To get the elephant immediately out of the room: yes, they correct that bizarre twist about the Mandarin character from 'Iron Man 3'. One could argue that this was a bit shoehorned in, but fair enough. 

Shang-Chi is an unassuming guy who enjoys life with his best friend Katy and nothing much happens in his life. That is, until some thugs show up hellbent on grabbing his pendant and then it turns out Shang-Chi has been keeping quite a lot of secrets. 

Which ones?

That he's insanely good at martial arts and was trained to be a killer from the age of seven and that his father is in essence thousands of years old and has magical fighting rings. Minor details, to be sure.

He and Katy head out to Macau to find his sister, who now has a club where fights are organized for money. It transpires that their father is looking for them in order to find the mystical place of Ta Lo, birthplace of their mother who sadly passed away when they were young. Their father claims he hears his deceased wife calling for him and he plans to raze the village to the ground to free her, once he can get through a magical labyrinth. 

Shang-Chi, his sister and Katy head to the village in order to stop their father and meet up with their aunt, who tells them that behind the gate where their mother supposedly lies, there is a monster yearning to be freed and this creature is using their father's grief to achieve its goal... 

It feels like the plot is a little too goofy for its own good, but watching this, the goofiness never detracts from the film proper. Heck, we've had weirder plots concerning superhero stories. This film is charming, which is probably the best way to describe it. Simu Liu is excellent as an unassuming Shang-Chi and Tony Leung is wonderful as the father. Here's a villain of sorts whose motivations are actually clear to understand and make some sense. 

Go figure: another decent villain after Thanos. Who says you only need clichés?

Much of the comic relief comes from Awkwafina as Katy and your enjoyment will probably also depend on your tolerance for her antics. She is a bit more restrained than usual here and I found her fun, but I can imagine some people might be put off by her frantic nature. 

Oh, and Michelle Yeoh is in this and that is always, àlways a win. 

The martial arts are for the most part very well done wire-fu (you know: wuxia?) and the sets are bright and full if vibrant colours, especially those in China and beyond. The scene where Shang-Chi's father and mother meet, is pure eyecandy and poetry. So props for translating the aesthetic of ancient China rather well. 

The only downside is the final battle, which is a muddled mess of CG chaos and really detracts from the fun experience the rest of the film is. But all in all: a very decent addition to the expanding Marvel universe.