Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 9/15/2021
In Theaters: “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Yes, you will have to go to theaters to see this film as at least for the time being, it is not being offered as part of the Disney+ streaming service.
Of course, I prefer to see movies in theaters, as many do.
This latest offering as part of the second wave of movies based on Marvel comic books, is a ground-breaker as it has a nearly all-Asian cast and an Asian director. Like “The Black Panther,” the film is designed to broaden the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I certainly welcome the diversity.
I will admit that I had never read the comic book on which the film was based – “Master of Kung Fu” by Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart – so I came to the movie cold.
While my comic book reading did not include that title, I am quite proficient in Chinese films, especially those made in Hong Kong. Perhaps that viewing experience was better preparation.
Just as “Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon” introduced many Americans to the “wuxia” genre of movies – adventure films set in ancient China and involving heroes that are righteous and chivalrous – this film acts as an updated 2021 version with similar conventions.
Simu Liu is Shaun, a Chinese immigrant who is working as a car valet at a swanky San Francisco hotel. To his friend Katy (Awkwafina) he is in the same boat that she is: he doesn’t seem to have much of a career path and seems a little lost. What she doesn’t know, though, is Shaun is actually the son of the legendary criminal Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), a thousand-year-old man who has survived through centuries because of 10 metal rings he wears on his arms.
These mysterious rings give him enormous powers, which he set aside when he married Shaun’s mother. When Shaun’s mother died, Xu Wenwu returned to a life of crime and Shaun, at age 14, disappeared to the United States to escape his father, leaving his younger sister behind.
Now, his father is back in his life and Shaun must return to China to stop his father from doing something that could negatively affect the planet.
This is the most fantasy/supernatural-oriented Marvel movie in a long time. While most of the Marvel films could be described as action films with science fiction elements, this film has a spiritual aspect the others lack.
By having an experienced Asian cast as well as an Asian director, “The Legend of the Ten Rings” has a different feel than many other films that have dealt with Asian themes. I was heartened to see one of my favorite performers, Michelle Yeoh, as Shaun’s aunt and was pleasantly surprised to see veteran Hong Kong actor Wah Yeun in a supporting role.
Liu is spot-on as Shaun, a man whose past has certainly clouded his life. He plays the role with great humanity and appropriate humor. Awkwafina is also dead-on as Katy, who discovers something about herself through this adventure. Leung is a superstar in Chinese cinema.
The action sequences are very well done with a fight on scaffolding outside of a skyscraper as a highlight.
Frankly I was a bit guilty watching this film in light of the ongoing criticism of how Disney/Marvel treats the creators of the original comic book material and it may be the last Marvel film I see for a while, as well as the lawsuit Scarlett Johansson is bringing over how Disney violated her contract for the “Black Widow” movie.
That being said, I can heartily recommend this film to people who enjoy an expertly made action film
If this film intrigued you about Hong Kong/Chinese cinema, here are some recommendations of films you might want to see: “Peking Opera Blues;” “The Once Upon a Time in China” series; “Dragon Inn;” “Kung Fu Hustle;” “A Chinese Ghost Story;” the classic Jackie Chan films; and the “Ip Man” series.