Shang Chi: One of Marvel’s Best Recent Movies

SPOILER WARNING!

Released on September 3rd, 2021, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” broke theaters as an addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series. 

Simu Liu played Shang Chi in the film, followed by a mostly Asian cast, including Awkwafina (“Katy”), Tony Leund Chiu-wai (“Xu-Wenwu”), and Fala Chen (“Leiko Wu”). 

The film opens with Shaun (later revealed to be Shang Chi) and Katy, the typical millennial slackers who work at a valet parking and enjoy singing karaoke together. Although they have been best friends for a while, Shaun continues to hide a secret from Katy: his deceased mother was a martial artist from another dimension. Alongside her, Shaun’s dad is a fearless conqueror with a massive army and ten magical rings. The ten rings remain an important element to the film, allowing Shaun’s dad to maintain his dominance through the rings’ power. The origin of the rings also remains a mystery throughout the movie for MCU fans to think about. In addition, Shaun’s sister is a powerful fighter who owns an underground “Fight Club”. 

In the film, Shaun receives a cryptic message where he is forced to confront his family after a decade in order to stop his father from destroying his mother’s native village. Although his father’s motives are technically pure since he was under the impression that his dead wife’s soul was calling him for help, it is actually an evil dragon luring the father to break him out of an enclosed wall. Shang Chi and his mother’s village face demonic monsters, ninja warriors, and a stubborn conqueror until they eventually make peace and defeat the evil dragon. The scene where this takes place involves a fiery mix of Chinese culture represented through incredible visuals.

Throughout the film, Shang Chi’s cultural identity is explored through his Asian roots. Although this was the intention, many fans claim it was done poorly and superficially, especially as the MCU fails to diversify its roster and since there is no real unique take on the tradition that is trying to be represented. Personally, I think it was a very visually pleasing film, using hints of Chinese culture to try and show a modern take on tradition. In addition, I think it was a smart decision to make a portion of the film in Mandarin Chinese, helping to further represent Chinese culture. However, it was still a little too superficial due to the Americanization of their culture to appeal to an American audience.

Lastly, fans actually called out Marvel for their lack of marketing, claiming it was “racially motivated”. This claim was made after fans noticed that it was mostly the lead actor, Simu Liu, who took it on himself to promote the film on his social media platforms.

Overall, this movie is inspiring and uplifting, the beautiful nature of the hidden village adds magical elements that balance out the violent scenes very well. The most popular scene remains the iconic bus fighting scene, when Shang Chi confronts the fighters sent by his father. The scene got popular because it is the first real action scene in the movie, and it involves rapid fire martial arts that many other MCU movies lack. 

The costumes are also decently well rated, although many critiqued the simplicity of Shang Chi’s warrior outfit, with the simple red pattern top and black bottoms. The MCU did not do Shang Chi justice with his outfit, since his extreme fighting scenes do not exactly line up with his warrior outfit. Although this was the case with some of the main characters, the villagers had beautiful traditional Asian robes and dresses.

Due to the modern take on this tale with traditional Asian aspects, Shang Chi has become a very successful movie, with a high rating of 92% from Rotten Tomatoes, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Rotten Tomatoes, 2021, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shang_chi_and_the_legend_of_the_ten_rings. 

Because of its inspiring message, visually pleasing elements, and satisfying martial art scenes, Shang Chi could be considered one of the best recent MCU movies and I definitely recommend it to everyone.

by BERTA CASANOVA