Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings review

 An efficient new entry to the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is thankfully not nearly as impenetrably mythic as its title suggests. In a sharp two hours it manages to stay grounded while at the same time providing plenty of mystical material plus some tub thumping action sequences. While there is a pattern to Marvel’s introductory films that this one sticks to, there is enough new ground to make it worthwhile even if the subject area is not as fresh as, say Black Panther or even Iron Man. Like the latter non  Marvel enthusiasts may never have heard of Shang Chi (I hadn’t) but just as we were all that time ago with Tony Stark we’re glad to have shared his story.

SPOILERS AFTER THE BREAK!

Xi Wenwu is thousands of years old thanks to ten rings that give him both eternal life and extraordinary powers. He uses this for criminal activities until one day in an attempt to conquer the magical land of Ta Lo he meets his match in the form of Ying Li. She has almost equal powers and soon they fall in love and have two children whom Wenwu devotes his life to, turning his back on violence until Ying Li is killed in an attack. He then trains his son Shang Chi to become a fighter so strong he can avenge his mother’s death. This backstory is unfurled in a series of flashbacks while we also meet present day Shang Chi- or Shaun as he is known- who works as a valet parker at a hotel keeping his past a secret even from best friend Katy. When he is attacked on a bus by a motely crew out to steal a pendant given to him by his father his secret is out and before long he – with Katy tagging along- head for where he thinks his sister Xialing is, knowing she is in danger.

If you can overlook the curious question of why someone with limitless power couldn’t just avenge his wife without taking years training his son to do so when the boy has less chance of succeeding this is a joyride. The script has exactly the right balance between fun and serious moments, never getting too bogged down in the latter. There are three excellent early action sequences including the bus attack which ingeniously manages to gradually carve up the whole vehicle. Then Shang Chi, Katy and Xiailing take on their opponents along the side of a skyscraper. Meanwhile in flashback we witness Wenwu’s initial encounter with Ying Li; a beautifully balletic battle that’s almost a dance juxtaposed against Japanese fauna and tall trees. There is a real  visual inventiveness to this first section of the film.

Mostly avoiding either Eastern or Western cliches the legend is lightly described and thanks to the presence of Katy, played with a delightful comedic touch by Awkafina, things don’t get too heavy. Wenwu is a pleasingly ambiguous character who clearly loves his children but has never recovered from the personal tragedy. Interestingly in the original comics this character was the notorious Fu Manchu but the filmmakers changed the name and character and Tony Leung is perfect casting. As Shang Chi, Simu Liu makes a disarming reluctant, jokey hero of the type Marvel has done before but he has real screen presence and when it comes to the more serious stuff later on he is up to facing the more experienced Tony Leung.  Shang Chi  does need more material though to truly establish a persona that is different from other Marvel heroes. As a character Xu Xialing is not really given as much time  as the others but enough to establish her loneliness as she taught herself to fight ignored by her father. I found this a bit unlikely too but luckily Meng’er Zhang is able to give the character more than is on the page.

Like most Marvel movies there comes a point when the character stuff and quirky asides give way to big action and though there is nothing in the last half hour that can match the verve of those early action scenes you can’t argue too much about the scale of the final confrontation. What doesn’t really work for me though is the idea that Wenwu would really be so easily fooled as to believe what he does. Just as happens early on with the idea of training his son, he seems to be used to progress the plot rather than have believable motivations. Little explanation is offered as to how the Ten Rings themselves came to be but knowing Marvel this is probably a reveal they’re saving for another film.

The film does contain a few nice surprises, which are worth seeing for yourself rather than reading about in reviews, and is an enjoyable addition to the Marvel machine. Its Asian cast and origins are visually distinctive but in plot terms it is closer to past Marvel big hitters lacking some of the originality that made Black Panther more distinctive. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings works best though when kept apart from the MCU mythology and is certainly a strand of this ever growing story worth returning to in future.