Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
During the awards season, I will be covering films that are a part of the discussion that have been out for a while.
I didn’t realize how repetitive covering Marvel origin stories would feel, but here we are. We either have someone with established powers or capabilities being tested against their limits, or a fish-out-of-water experience of someone realizing they now have access to powers beyond their previous means. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is kind of both, with Shaun (the titular Shang-Chi) having been brought up as an assassin that escaped the life laid out before him at a young age. He’s called back to his birthplace to reconnect with his family, including his father full of hidden and blatant motives (Xu Wenwu) and the sister that feels he abandoned her (Xu Xialing). Shaun was staying in San Francisco and has become close friends with Katy, who learns about his fighting capabilities and strength only mere moments before he has to head back home (an unforgettable combat sequence where Shaun fights off numerous assailants on the bus).
I could keep going on about the plot, but it all sounds so familiar by now, even if you replace names, locations, and powers. What I will comment on is that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of the more exciting Marvel films to watch from an action standpoint in recent memory. The blending of a number of high-octane styles and genres (blockbuster action, wuxia, mixed martial arts and kung-fu, and even near-fantasy mythological battles) renders Shang-Chi a real treat to experience, especially if you’re watching it just to cure that action itch. Oh, this will be your fix for sure. Instead of the same styles of combat happening time and time again, you get a smorgasbord of just the right amounts of everything. It’s nice, especially when you are watching patiently for two hours; those hours will just burn up quickly.
It sounds typical to say, but the action and effects in Shang-Chi are all the reason to watch it.
Furthermore, the visual effects, which have been nominated for an Academy Award this season, are actually quite phenomenal. The superpowers (mostly through the titular ten rings) and action effects are great enough, but that’s what we have come to expect from Marvel at this point (it’s a by-the-numbers studio, yes, but they have this recipe down in some areas for sure). When the film goes the extra mile — particularly the Ta Lo scenes — Shang-Chi becomes a massive feast for the eyes. The little (or gigantic) creatures that roam around, the storms that brew, and so many other treats actually floored me in a way that I thought wasn’t possible the umpteenth time around with Marvel. I suppose the stories get old, but the spectacles just keep coming, and that’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in a nutshell: more of the familiar, with enough extra to keep interested. It’s the blueprint Marvel is sticking with — for better or for worse — and that is just fine for Marvel fans, I’m sure. For outsiders, Shang-Chi is unique enough to warrant a watch if you haven’t already; it will at least be quite fun and with a lot of intense and well-choreographed action that you may be in the mood for.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.