Whether they come from a Wuxia novel set in a distant past or a contemporary kung fu film, the heroes of Chinese martial arts — with their commitment to a moral code, not to mention their incredible skills — offer a counterpart to Western superheroes. In 1973, Marvel Comics combined the two archetypes with the introduction of Shang-Chi, a character whose powers came from a lifetime of training in martial arts. Now, the industry is poised for another convergence, as Marvel releases its first Asian-directed superhero film, Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings, a project that combines Chinese and American storytelling with the power of the stars.
The MCU is extraordinarily popular in China, which helps explain why much of this new film takes place there. That said, deep down, Shang-Chi is a story of Asian American superheroes. The themes of the return home, the legacy and the balance between cultures and identities are executed throughout the film. The soundtrack is multicultural, with traditional Chinese music and southern hip-hop. The screenplay, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and co-writers Andrew Lanham and Dave Callaham, reconsiders some of the most insensitive representations of Marvel’s Asian culture, while eliciting an inspiring message about creating your own destiny and embracing it. of the things they do to you you.
For Shang-Chi (Canadian television actor and cascading Simu Liu) and his sister, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), it is a loaded proposition, given that his father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), is a supervillain. millennial who has used the mystical ten rings of the title to build his reputation as a fearsome underworld dock. After the death of the matriarch of the Jiang Li family (Fala Chen), a successful martial artist from a secluded and fantastic village, Wenwu devoted himself and his son to revenge, while neglecting his daughter. (Leung’s heavyweight is an original character, a composite of two troubled Marvel Comics opponents, including one whose previous and divisive appearance on the MCU is addressed through a callback and a revisionist plot).
Ten years after a Shang-Chi teenager was sent abroad to hunt down his mother’s killer, his name will be Sean and he will work as a valet in San Francisco alongside his best friend Katy (Awkwafina). But, as is often the case in these films, fate has bigger plans. Mad with grief, Wenwu has retreated in a delirious quest to save his wife by destroying his sacred ancestral home, which will unleash unstoppable forces of darkness in the process. So Shang-Chi, Xialing and Katy embark on a journey between kingdoms, with the mission of saving their family – and the world – with the help of their aunt, Jiang Nan (Michelle Yeoh), and a menagerie of magic. animals.
Somehow, Shang-Chi is a mix of martial arts film genres: a first scene pays homage to Zhang Yimou’s ballet and elegant films, while a dramatic bus later chases the apes to the defeat of Jackie’s first vehicle Chan. Shang-Chi’s reunion with his sister takes place in an underground wrestling ring with a 90’s raver, mortal Kombat kind of atmosphere and later father and son will enter a gangster meeting place, bright and fluorescent, straight from an 80s John Woo movie. But where these movies (mortal Kombat (except, of course) emphasized the practical effects and incredible skills of highly trained people, Shang-Chi insists on interrupting or burying the work of tricks, led by Chan’s protégé Brad Allan, who he died tragically earlier this month, with mountains of blatant CGI.
This is not always the case. Although Shang-Chi moves away from a punch as often as it lands, an extended fighting sequence set in a half-built skyscraper observes Liu and Zhang from above in longer shots that allow for at least a few seconds of uninterrupted fighting choreography. And while the climax of this movie is as chaotic and unintelligible as any other MCU movie, at least Shang-Chi has benevolent dragons and brave lions instead of the ugly metal detritus of Black widow. The first half of the film is more fun and practical than the second, which transitions from modern action to mythical fantasy with an emphasis on Chinese folklore, some real, some imagined.
But while Shang-Chi he has a little fear — and other “impressive” ones, in the case of a winged, faceless, strange, and mimosa creature called Morris, of his fantastic elements, in the end his greatest resources are human. This refers to the tricks, yes, but more often to Tony Leung, who exudes the kind of charisma of movie stars that critics sometimes complain is declining. Leung is not exactly challenged, but he brings his soul to the shallow emotional depth of his character, a classic Marvel villain in the sense that he is likeable until he is not. Among the youngest actors, Awkwafina stands out thanks to her natural gift for comedy. Yeoh’s talents, on the other hand, are mostly wasted. Cretton, making his first blockbuster after a series of human-scale dramas like Short term 12 i The glass castle, knows how to leave the comic funny. So why hire a mythical action star and dedicate most of your screen time to exposure?
Living up to the expectations of Asian American Marvel fans eager for their own MCU movie must have weighed Shang-Chiwriters and director. This anxiety is reflected in the story itself: after receiving extraordinary power, Shang-Chi’s first instinct is to run away from it. This moment of human vulnerability suggests that there is a point of view somewhere within this gigantic slab, spread out and tightly controlled, of box office product. However, for every serious emotion, there is a concession to the demands made by gender and study. Shang-ChiThe hero is on a journey to become himself, but the film is lost inside the machine.