Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

There isn’t much reason to go into a big long backstory on my feelings about comic book movies, but suffice to say I have gone from someone who enjoys comic book movies to someone who is largely ambivalent to them. In particular, the Marvel Cinematic Universe gradually went from something I found fresh and exciting to something I find rather dull in its internal homogeneity and external domination of the ever-shrinking theatrical release market.

I had pretty much decided that I was done with the MCU and, while I don’t begrudge the people who still enjoy the films, after my disappointment with Spiderman: Far From Home I decided I was taking an extended hiatus from anything comic book movie related. That was, at least, until I kept hearing people hype up Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

What mainly got me interested in seeing the movie was the way people were talking about its action. Most attractively, the discussion was not of its numerous, over-the-top set pieces but about its grounded realism and reverence for Hong Kong action cinema of old. This aspect of the hype is dead-on… with some caveats.

This is the first Marvel movie that really impressed me as a piece of action cinema since probably Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This isn’t to say it is as good as Winter Soldier, but it does come awfully close. This was the first movie in a while that feels like a good movie first and a Marvel movie second, which is a welcome relief for someone like me who is growing tired of the Disney machine.

The action of most of the movie absolutely takes cues from Asian filmmakers, especially but not exclusively Hong Kong cinema, and it shows. The choreography makes inventive use of setting and props in a way unlike most Hollywood films and there are plenty of beats of flourish or comedy in the fights that seem reminiscent of Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee, to varying degrees. Little moments, like fighting among bamboo scaffolding or using a letterman jacket as a weapon, only to effortlessly slide it back on as the fight comes to an end, just add that extra spice that often feels missing from so much of the ever bigger, ever grander action spectacle that marks modern cinema. Despite having some elements of it spoiled for me by the film’s promotional campaign, the bus scene in San Francisco, from its Bullitt-esque careening about the city to the kung-fu fight taking place inside the vehicle, is still a stand out sequence that totally lives up the hype.

Where the movie comes off the rails is in its ending. While the character introductions and inciting action all take place in the United States, the story moves to China and then, ultimately, into a land of Chinese folktale and legend. This is where the action begins to shift. Quickly gone are the grounded martial arts of the film’s beginning and what replaces it are big set pieces loaded up with wild CGI and fights that are increasingly detached from a grounded reality. Flying demons battle an ancient magic dragon while our hero is along for the ride. Credit where credit is due, the byakhee demon creatures are super cool in their design and the dragon looks surprisingly realistic as long as the camera doesn’t get too close. I cannot deny that there is absolutely an audience for this moment but I will also be the first to say I am no longer part of it. I actually rolled my eyes when I realized what the big finale was shaping up to be. As it played out, my heart sank when I realized that they had taken something that was so close to Winter Soldier’s level of quality and ruined it with this ending.

One might easily blame this on the transcendence of Shang-Chi to herodom and what power the antagonist(s) must have to match, but the best fight in the finale is not the one with the computer generated creatures but when he faces another strong, human fighter. This section actually mirrors an earlier sequence of the movie, and while both that interaction and this one draw heavily on the less-than-realistic tradition of Wuxia films (a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or House of Flying Daggers) it actually works because the fight is still anchored both to real martial arts, albeit pushed to fanciful limits, and to a narratively resonant moment where two characters with clear and opposing desires are forced to confront one another.

Beyond the action, the movie is OK. Bordering on good, but not really great. The story of family drama and the magic intrigue at the center of it is a compelling one. However, I often felt the movie could be a tad predictable. I would catch myself saying “I bet X is about to happen,” only for it to happen. This could mean the story is a tad too simplistic but it could also mean the movie doesn’t hold your attention well enough that you aren’t thinking about what might be coming next. I suspect it is actually a mixture of both.

I like that, while the film aims to be funny, it doesn’t fall into the current Marvel tone of overusing bathos: having comedy as a way to undercut or break the tension of a dramatic moment. This use of bathos has become somewhat endemic in the MCU, thanks to the success of Guardians of the Galaxy, which does it fairly well, and the first Avengers films, where Joss Whedon employs it with much more mixed results. The jokes here are their own thing, used to keep the overall tone light but not necessarily to break tension during the dramatic scenes themself. Awkwafina’s gimmick doesn’t always work but when it does it’s very funny. For example, her quips on the airplane on their way to China got a good laugh out of me.

In the end, I am as pleased as I am disappointed. On the one hand, it’s the first Marvel movie in ages that made me feel close to the way I feel about my favorites like Iron Man or Winter Soldier. On the other hand, it ends with a big dumb cartoon dragon fight that left an extremely sour taste in my mouth that colored my whole opinion of the film, as endings often do. Your mileage may vary.

Would Recommend: If you are looking for the a Marvel movie with the most consistently badass fights, other than maybe Winter Soldier.

Would Not Recommend: If the Marvel machine bores you. Try as it might, even this movie can’t escape the formula.