‘Shang-Chi’ (2021) Review: A Triumph for East Asians and Asian Americans

“You are a product of all who came before you.”

  • The first Marvel movie headed by Asian leads
  • A Martial Arts triumph for Hollywood
  • Likeable leads and a heartfelt story
  • ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ is exclusively in theaters September 3, 2021
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

The long-awaited martial arts Marvel Phase 4 movie has finally hit theaters, and it is well worth the wait. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is heralded as the first true entry to the MCU’s Phase 4 due to the fact that Black Widow (2021) takes place in the past, before the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019). Headed by Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience), Awkwafina (Ocean’s 8, Crazy Rich Asians), and Hong Kong legend Tony Leung (The Grandmaster, Infernal Affairs), the film boasts exciting action sequences, eye-popping visual spectacles, and a heartwrenching tale of family and lost love that will enthrall both MCU fans and newcomers alike. 

Read on for a more in-depth analysis of the movie, but fair warning that there will be minor spoilers below.

Fantastic MCU Phase 4 Entry

Shang-Chi is an exemplary model of a cornerstone MCU movie: it balances the comedic and heartfelt moments perfectly while peppering in spectacular action sequences in between. The film pays homage to plenty of martial arts films that have come before it, and I can only imagine the amount of manpower and work that went into the martial arts scenes here. There are minimal camera cuts and shaking, putting the work of the actors and stunt doubles on full display. Even the CGI-heavy action sequences showcase excellent fighting choreography, probably the best I’ve ever seen in any Marvel movie (and I have watched all of them).

Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021.
The movie very clearly establishes itself in the MCU timeline with characters discussing events such as the Blip and appearances of Avengers that appear, especially in the mid-credits scene. Overall, however, Shang-Chi keeps the cameos to a minimum and does best when seen as a standalone film; every main character is new to the MCU and develops its own mythology, particularly in regard to Ta Lo, the magical pocket dimension based off of East Asian mythology, as the Ten Rings themselves become a greater mystery that’s set to become the new Infinity Stones of the MCU, so to speak.
When it comes to the story and the characters, the weakest link is probably the slight inconsistency when it comes to the writing and pacing. While the acting is mostly great, especially Tony Leung as Wenwu aka The Mandarin and Fala Chen as Jiang Li, there were definitely moments in the movie where I felt that the story could have focused more clearly, especially when it comes to the titular character himself and his personal journey; in a way, the movie’s greatest plotline has nothing to do with him, and instead dealing more with the tragic love story between his parents. Shang-Chi’s personal struggle felt somewhat sidelined, his growth in the movie muted by the filmmakers’ not fully committing its attention to its main character. This is at no fault to Simu Liu’s portrayal of the superhero, who brings the character to life in the most relatable way. And finally, while I appreciated that the film’s antagonist was completely 3-dimensional and perhaps my favorite character in the movie, I did groan a little bit at the Marvel-esque “demon from another dimension going to destroy the universe” plot that was kind of shoved into the story in the third act, giving us the more traditional CGI magic army vs army slugfest that we have come to know from Marvel. It worked in movies like Black Panther (2018) which was about a country and the fight for its future, or Avengers: Endgame which teamed up all of Marvel’s known superheroes for an epic final showdown, but Shang-Chi shouldn’t have been this kind of movie. If Shang-Chi had kept the story closer to the characters and their struggles, a la the very first Iron Man movie and its 1-on-1 type of finale, rather than taking on so much at the end, I think this movie would have had a deeper connection to its themes and its main character.

Fala Chen as Jiang Li comforting young Shang-Chi (played by Jayden Tianyi Zhang)

The Heart of the Film

Even as the film lauds Shang-Chi as the “heart of the dragon”, the heart of the film actually goes to the superhero’s mother, Jiang Li. Though she is only in a number of scenes, her story, presence, and absence is what drives the entire plot. She is the reason why nearly every main character is doing what they are doing, and she is both the root of their problems as well as the inspiration for the solution.

Going into any more detail than that would be riddled with spoilers, but kudos to Fala Chen for making us love and root for her so much when she had such limited screentime to do so. Her relationship with her children, as well as with her husband Wenwu, pulls at the heartstrings and makes you wish that this family had found its happy ending, even though that would have negated the purpose of this entire movie. But this is a Marvel universe, after all; we can only imagine another timeline in the multiverse where this comes true.

Tony Leung is Phenomenal

And speaking of Shang-Chi’s parents, I wanted to make special mention of Tony Leung’s character. Disney/Marvel couldn’t have done better in their casting. His love, his hate, and his heartache all shine through in this performance, not to mention the undeniable swagger, that dangerous, masculine coolness that the thousand-year-old conqueror embodies.

In a world where Asian Americans are being attacked and scapegoated for Covid-19, where Asian men are still emasculated when it comes to Hollywood and the mainstream media, it was exciting to see so much power emanating from this character. And by power, I don’t mean just the Ten Rings; in every scene, he commanded attention, and he embodied presence and eloquence even despite his slightly-accented English. One of the best scenes that demonstrate this is one where Wenwu is simply walking down a hallway holding young Shang-Chi’s hand while his other hand is in his pocket, cool and collected, but with murder on his mind. Danger emanated from him even though he was walking with a child, and his complete confidence completely gripped you, leaving you breathless.

Tony Leung as the Mandarin looking so darn cool in his character poster.

 

Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

 

Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

A Double Origin Story

In the end, Shang-Chi is supposed to be about the titular character coming to terms with his past and rising to become a hero in his own right, but there was another character who developed into her own during this movie, and I’m not talking about Awkwafina’s sidekick character Katy. Sort of like how Loki became such a massive part of the MCU even though he started off as simply Thor’s chaotic brother, Shang-Chi’s sister Xialing comes into her own here as well, and we can only expect to see more of her in the MCU, especially taking into account what happens in the post-credits scene.

Xialing is played by newcomer Meng-er Zhang, and she is an underdog constantly overshadowed by her elder brother in her father’s eyes, despite the talent and prowess that she demonstrates in both martial arts and doing business. In a way, the movie itself hides her away to push Shang-Chi into the spotlight; there are times where I felt that certain characters in a couple of scenes should have acknowledged both siblings instead of just Shang-Chi (aside from their father, whose overlooking of her is a theme in the film), but she does have her moments. I feel somewhat particular towards her because so much of what she goes through echoes my own life and relationship with my brother, and our differing treatment in the eyes of our parents. In any case, there is definitely more to her story, and one can only hope that she grows into her own the way Loki has alongside Thor, or Nebula with Gamora. The MCU does seem to have a pretty good track record of portraying siblings, such as the relationship between Yelena and Natasha in Black Widow. I’m looking forward to what Xialing will do, either for good or evil (or something in between).

Shang-Chi With The Avengers

After this movie, I can’t wait to see Shang-Chi team up with the other Avengers. The magical, other-dimensional aspects of the Shang-Chi lore ties in very well with Doctor Strange, and since the movie is set in San Francisco, perhaps he will run into Ant-Man and the Wasp, or cross paths with any of the Black Panther characters at the Wakandan outreach center in Oakland, not too far away. I’m also very interested in seeing Katy meet Hawkeye owing to her newfound shared interest in archery.

Shang-Chi deserves to be seen on the big screen, and it is deeply unfortunate that it is being released as Covid-19 is spiking again around the world. If you can safely do so, I highly recommend checking it out, whether that means getting tickets at a responsible movie theater or renting out a time at your local cinema with your friends and family. You will not be disappointed in this spectacular addition to the Marvel Universe.

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