Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

[Knight of Iron she/they]

I didn't see a thread for this, so I thought I'd make one. I don't know if it warrants its own thread or not but oh well.

So—what did you think of the movie?

Full disclosure: I haven't actually seen it yet. I am going to go see it in ten minutes, and then I will give my thoughts on it.

[Channelknight Fadran]

IT WAS AMAZE

That is all.

[+Slowswift]

IT IS SOOOO GOOOOOD. I went in with pretty much no expectations at all and came out with a contender for favorite movie of the year.

I was hooked from nearly the first moment: the fight dance between Xu Wenwu and Ying Li was absolutely breathtaking, visually and musically, and it just kept going. The architecture and scenery! The creatures! The choreography and score, the plot and the humor! Everything passed with flying colors, with only a few exceptions IMHO. The actors pretty much knocked it out of the park.

Please pardon the incoherent gushing. The post-movie high is strong with this one.  

Edited September 4, 2021 by Slowswift

[Mat he/him]

(Some spoilers, I guess) 

I thought it was really good as well- I liked how it didn’t go the direction I was expecting it to go. And I think it’s a Marvel joke to do Mephisto fakeouts at this point because I totally thought that was what was behind the gate and lowkey wish it was, that way Shang-Chi and co could have lost and then when the movie ended it would leave with some implications. That would have been cool.

That aside aside, both end credit scenes did leave some pretty big implications so that’s fun… overall a great movie and I liked it better than Black Widow :P.

Edited September 5, 2021 by Matrim's Dice

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

I want to watch this so much, I'm bugging my parents a bunch about it. The trailers look so cool.

[Knight of Iron she/they]

23 hours ago, Slowswift said:

IT IS SOOOO GOOOOOD. I went in with pretty much no expectations at all and came out with a contender for favorite movie of the year.

I was hooked from nearly the first moment: the fight dance between Xu Wenwu and Ying Li was absolutely breathtaking, visually and musically, and it just kept going. The architecture and scenery! The creatures! The choreography and score, the plot and the humor! Everything passed with flying colors, with only a few exceptions IMHO. The actors pretty much knocked it out of the park.

Please pardon the incoherent gushing. The post-movie high is strong with this one.  

I loved that scene, too! I was worried the movie might fall flat, but it turned out way better than I expected. The only thing I can think of to nitpick is the plot, a bit.

1 hour ago, Matrim's Dice said:

(Some spoilers, I guess) 

I thought it was really good as well- I liked how it didn’t go the direction I was expecting it to go. And I think it’s a Marvel joke to do Mephisto fakeouts at this point because I totally thought that was what was behind the gate and lowkey wish it was, that way Shang-Chi and co could have lost and then when the movie ended it would leave with some implications. That would have been cool.

That aside aside, both end credit scenes did leave some pretty big implications so that’s fun… overall a great movie and I liked it better than Black Widow :P.

I, too, liked it better than Black Widow. For me, I think, most of the plot or twists did end up going how I figured they would, which was my only main issue. I rolled my eyes at the beginning upon hearing of "another secret organization" that has been "pulling the strings all along" and "toppling nations" and "wow so powerful," and other than actual lore knowledge, I pretty much guessed the plot as I was going through it. And I totally called Xialing taking over the Ten Rings organization, I did not trust her for one moment throughout the entire movie lol.

[+Slowswift]

Oh, also Morris.

[Use the Falchion]

Saw it yesterday. My review and experience:

 

This has been an interesting experience. I always try to see MCU movies as soon as a can. That's usually Thursday nights, and on the very rare occasions I couldn't make the showing, I'd settle for Friday evenings. (Friday showings were usually reserved for parents, as the order has historically been: Friends, Parents, Extended Family that's in town.) This has been a tradition of mine since I watched Iron Man 1 in theaters, which I didn't see opening night, funnily enough. It's the sort of Event Movie mindset. Since then, I can count on one hand the movies that I haven't seen Opening Night: Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and maybe Cap 2. All of these were during my college days, and I didn't always have a car then.

Now, Shang-Chi has been added to the list. This wasn't for a lack of care or desire, but simply due to the lack of energy, trust in the movie theater I'd be going to, and time. Friday was off the table since I'm visiting my parents and it's a 4-5 hour drive to do so...and this time was a 5 hour drive. (Had Shang-Chi been on D+ I would have EASILY stayed up to watch it with my parents. But alas...)
But I wasn't NOT going to see it, so a Matinee showing in a small, empty theater was the compromise.

Anyways, onto the movie itself:

Part epic, part family drama, part Wuxia film, and all Marvel, Shang-Chi is the best Marvel movie I've seen since Endgame.* It's funny, well acted, and incredibly heartfelt. The action is well-paced, well done, and creatively shot. The CGI monsters look better than many other Marvel movies, and its final battle is slightly different. Overall, Shang-Chi is a win.
The movie does address Iron Man 3's Mandarin character and plot in surprising but authentic ways, as well as the Ten Rings organization itself. However, it doesn't really address the use of the Ten Rings in Iron Man 1, which was one of the things I was really hoping for.

Simu Liu shines as the titular character, giving off a air of charming authenticity with Millennial humor and mindset. Awkwafina - who is always a treat - does the same with Shang's love interest and best friend Katy, a third-gen Chinese high-school friend of Shang. The two have undeniable chemistry as solid buddies and the best of friends, while also showing how much they deeply care - some might say love - each other. It's more organic than many of the other MCU loves, but also not nearly as explicit, which feels weird. The role of Shang's father is incredibly authentic and convincing as well - and to say any more would be a spoiler.

The set pieces were GORGEOUS, and both the score and the soundtrack were really well done. This makes it a nice tie to Black Panther (Rest In Power, Chadwick) in a way.

Overall, despite the "stakes" of this movie, and how it plays into other parts of the MCU, Shang-Chi stays very intimate and isolated, which lets its story and character shine. The characters weren't always used to their fullest potential, but they were used far better than most, and I look forward to seeing where they go next. I hope Shang-Chi inspires the Asian and Asian American community and brings forth new and previously unknown superheroes of that nature like how Black Panther has done for the Black community.


YOU MAY LIKE THIS MOVIE IF YOU LIKE (in descending order of "liked the most" to "liked the least):
Avatar: The Last Airbender (there were scenes where I legitimately thought "Aang, you're not alone!")
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; House of Flying Daggers, and possibly Curse of the Golden Flower (I haven't seen the last one yet)
All things Marvel and MCU
Crazy Rich Asians
Star Wars
Arrow Seasons 1-3, and many things Batman, weirdly enough

Spoilers for Why:

Spoiler

The Ten Rings and Wuwan function a LOT like Ras Al Ghul and the League of Shadows/Assassins. 

Other notes:

THERE ARE TWO POST-MOVIE SCENES. ONE IS MID-CREDITS AND THE OTHER IS POST-CREDITS.

This movie makes me sad that T'Challa will never meet Shang-Chi. The two would probably get along hilariously well, and I can imagine them having really interesting talks about their fathers, their younger sisters, the nature of their destinies, and what their roles are in life. I say this as someone still saddened by Chadwick's passing as well as someone annoyed at Marvel for not recasting the role. (Or a three-way crossover between Shang-Chi, Black Panther, and Aquaman, if Marvel/Disney and DC/Warner Bros were game.)

There's an easy potential connection between this movie, Falcon & the Winter Soldier, and Black Widow. It's not the one you think it'll be, but it's one that can be made pretty easily as well.

I didn't rank this movie since I'm not sure what to rank it just yet. It's currently a step below my Tier 1 MCU movie list, but it doesn't really fit into the Tier 2 ones either. Give me time to see it a second time, and I should know by then.

This year has also been REALLY good to superhero stuff. We've gotten three D+ shows, the Black Widow movie, Zack Snyder's Justice League, The Suicide Squad movie, and Shang-Chi. And there's so much more stuff to come!

 

 

*Which is saying a LOT because I loved Far From Home, and Spider-Man is easily my favorite superhero.

Edited September 5, 2021 by Use the Falchion

[Use the Falchion]

Saw it again last night, and I've been listening to the soundtrack nonstop since the drive to the theater. It's the first MCU soundtrack I've listened to since Endgame, and the only one I've done extensively since Black Panther. 

[Mulk he/him]

My wife and I saw this Sunday after opening night and man were we blown away.   Shang-Chi wasn't someone I was familiar with in the marvelverse so I went in with really no idea what to expect.  It's hard to pick any one thing, too, because what really made it work I think was the confluence of all of it.

Soundtrack was eclectic and sticky. The sort of doubled five note phrase theme that played at certain points really stuck in my brain.  Visuals were stunning, a sort of hyper-real fantasy look at points.  I love Morris and Ben Kingsley.  Really, just about all the acting was on point.  Fights were breath taking.  Kudos to Marvel for not giving anything away in the trailer.  I read Shang-Chi and Katy to be best friends, not lovers.  Maybe they'll eventually become that, but they aren't right now, and that was fine. This movie didn't need a romance thrown on top of everything else.  It had a good amount of laughter thrown in, some incredible fight sequences, a couple of classic rock songs, and of course Michelle Yeoh. Any quibbles I may have are truly minor.  I'm pondering going to see it again.

[Use the Falchion]

On 9/20/2021 at 8:29 AM, Mulk said:

I read Shang-Chi and Katy to be best friends, not lovers.  Maybe they'll eventually become that, but they aren't right now, and that was fine. This movie didn't need a romance thrown on top of everything else.

Interesting! My thoughts on seeing it was that they were lovers by the end. Their actions at the beginning of the movie such as finishing each other's sentences and stories, resting heads on each other/snuggling unconsciously (aka while drunk and/or passed out drunk) felt like passive movements - like showing the audience the love was there, but not in full bloom. This is contrasted with the at the end, where they repeat similar actions (resting head on the other's shoulders), but with increased and active intentions and more intimate physical touch (hand holding, arm-in-arm). And of course, the song playing as they leave arm-in-arm is a love song. It felt couple-y and intimate without being super PDA or out-of-world romantic. It felt real and in-line with the characters while still marking a Relationship Upgrade. At least, that's how it read to me. 

[Philomath she/her]

Okay. Not to necro a thread, but I only now just got around to seeing this. I’ll admit I was a little nervous about introducing new characters after Endgame. But if Marvel makes content like this forever I will be so happy. This movie was fantastic. It was stunningly beautiful. I loved the new characters. Loved the lore. Loved the relationships. It was just such a fun watch. 

[King_Javascript101; he/him]

it was good

[Use the Falchion]

Not exactly Shang-Chi news, but the director of Shang-Chi, Destin Daniel Cretton, will be directing Avengers: Kang Dynasty.