Beautiful fight choreography and a strong lead performance make Marvel’s first kung fu movie a success.
On Dec. 3, 2018, relative unknown stuntman Simu Liu tweeted “OK @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi.” Now more than two years later, Liu is taking his place among MCU greats like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris's Evans and Hemsworth by playing the titular hero in the MCU’s latest offering, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” While Kevin Feige may deny that Liu’s tweet had any effect on the casting process, one thing is clear: Marvel got the right man for the job.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Cretton, Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, Shang-Chi is Marvel’s first foray into the martial arts subgenre, and it goes down smoothly. The action is crisp and punchy - no pun intended - the fight choreography is a step up from a lot of MCU films and the visual effects are remarkable, which is saying something for a Marvel movie.
The cast of “Shang-Chi” carry a lot of weight here, and everyone does their share of lifting. Liu shines as the martial arts master, he fully embodies his role and once again proves Marvel’s knack for pitch-perfect casting. Liu puts his stuntman and martial arts background to great use. His martial arts prowess allows Cretton to place the focus clearly on his lead during all fight scenes, giving the audience an up close and personal experience with their hero, instead of resorting to wide shots of stunt doubles punching each other. Not since “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” have we seen such polished, intricate fights in the MCU, but “Shang-Chi” takes it to another level. The character is referred to as “the master of kung fu” in Marvel comics, and his film counterpart does not disappoint. This is a Kung Fu movie after all, and those who bought tickets to see kicks and punches will not leave disappointed. The fights are crisp and fluid, invoking a sense of true artistry when two characters come to blows. Cretton takes the kung fu genre seriously, flashing his affinity for such moments without getting us bogged down in the nitty-gritty of it all.
Clearly, Marvel knows the game they want to play, as well as the players they need. Casting kung fu movie legends like Tony Leung (The Grandmaster) and Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) along with hiring Destin Daniel Cretton to helm the project is all the evidence needed to know that Marvel is committed to the kung fu subgenre. All their players do the film justice, as Leung gives a wonderfully understated performance as the real “Mandarin” Xu Wenwu and Yeoh’s training sequence with Shang-Chi is one of the best choreographed and acted pieces of the entire picture.
Awkwafina as Katy provides some welcome, if expected comic relief. Her character is the most “Marvel” thing about the movie, providing that patented lighthearted tone while also hitting some impressive emotional beats. Her character is what feels most formulaic about “Shang-Chi” but is also what holds the whole thing together. The relationship between Katy and Shang-Chi feels real and immediately allows us to relate to both characters, despite knowing virtually nothing about them. That being said, her supposed archery skills are still a dubious proposition at best.
This latest MCU movie also had the job of casting/reintroducing the Mandarin after his faux introduction in Shane Black’s Iron Man 3. The villain is a legend of Marvel comics but the studio has been reluctant to try a direct translation from splash page to silver screen. Their ultimate decision to ignore the title proved to be the right choice. Xu Wenwu briefly mentions that some have used the moniker to refer to him, but he doesn’t go by that name. Marvel effectively sidestepped a potential controversy by updating the Mandarin for modern times, something that Marvel is known to do with some of their more outdated comics characters when giving them the big screen treatment.
The true stroke of genius however, was bringing back Ben Kingsley for another turn as Trevor Slattery, the fake Mandarin actor at the center of the infamous Iron Man 3 plot twist. Those unaware of his whereabouts since the final Iron Man solo film need only watch the MCU one-shot “All Hail the King” which follows Slattery after his arrest and imprisonment. During which he receives a message hinting that the real Mandarin is still out there and not too pleased with the actor’s interpretation of him. Slattery makes reference to exactly that, and reveals what happened to him after he left prison. Kingsley’s performance is as comedically whacky as ever, but without the slight sour taste he left in some comics fans mouths last time. Instead of taking the wind out of the film’s sails, Slattery is a rush of cool, salty air. Jolting knowing audiences to full attention, while quickly winning the hearts of those were yet not privy to his escapades.
“Shang-Chi” fits squarely into the MCU while still avoiding almost all the general pitfalls of the Marvel formula. It feels fresh without feeling out of place, and manages to keep building momentum until the finale. The third act battle is the only element that left more to be desired. The visual effects were spot on, but watching CGI monsters fight each other is a significant step down from everything that came before. Still, it’s a thrilling new direction for the MCU, one that they should continue to build upon as they continue to test new waters in phase four. Marvel is going to need new characters to lead the charge for its next grand scheme, post “Avengers: Endgame” and Simu Liu’s kung fu master is the perfect jumping off point. Judging from the end credits, Marvel has big plans for Shang-Chi going forward, and they’ve given him and fans a great starting point with his first solo outing.
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