Shang-Chi is a character, about whom, I know absolutely nothing. I do not claim to be a comic aficionado, neither a Marvel enthusiast although I do enjoy the movies massively. As such, I had no idea what to expect when I was laying on the bed in a hotel room when the film appeared on Disney+.
It’s hard to explain just how much I enjoyed it!
Firstly, the actual story itself is beautifully presented. It is the tale of Shang Chi, the son of Xu Wenwu, who is pulled into the world of his fathers mysterious organisation along with his sister, Xialing. Xu Wenwu came to own the “Ten Rings”, gold-coloured bracelets that are accompanied by ancient powers that grant the wearer immortality and fearsome physical powers. He forms the “Ten Rings” organisation that, over hundreds of years, topples governments and kingdoms. At the height of his power, he seeks the village Ta Lo, a legendary and hidden place harbouring mythical beasts. It is protected by guardian Ying Li who is, seemingly easily, able to hold off Xu Wenwu despite the rings. The two fall in love and Shang Chi and Xialing are the result of their union.
Years later, Ying Li is murdered by the fearsome Iron Gang while trying to protect Shang Chi and Xialing. Xu Wenwu takes the young Shang Chi and summarily massacres the gang, aside from its leader. From that point on, father trains son in brutal fighting skills culminating seven years later when he sends the 14-year-old Shang Chi to kill the Iron Gang leader and take full revenge for his mothers death. Traumatised, Shang Chi flees to San Francisco. Meanwhile, Xialing is largely ignored by her father and secretly trains herself in the ways of the martial arts.
It transpires that Shang Chi and Xialing share pendents given to them by their mother. These can be used to locate Ta Lo. When Xu Wenwu learns of this, he embarks on a hunt for his children to retrieve the pendents and learn of the location so that he can take the village and the secret monsters it houses.
So begins a race to the village, culminating in the inevitable gigantic battle.
This is a totally different world to that the MCU normally exists in. This movie is, in part, an old-school Hong-Kong style martial arts movie. In other parts, it’s a treasure hunt on the scale of anything achieved by Indiana Jones. The two, distinct movie styles combine utterly beautifully. The fight scenes are balletic in their complexity, grace and styling. There are also elements of the mystical visuals used in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This is blended with a more Western-style quest that moves at a wonderful pace leaving the viewer utterly satisfied and never bored.
Simu Liu is perfectly cast as Shang Chi. His physical ability is tremendous but the physicality of the role never outshines the emotion, pain and anger that the character is carrying. Tony Leung is just a legend and his portrayal of Xu Wenwu is beautifully measured just one notch below OTT. However, the standout characters to me were Fala Chen as Ying Li and Meng’er Ziang as Xialing. Fala Chen’s prowess in movement was utterly beautiful and captivating. I was somewhat devastated by her characters death in the film, especially given how easily she held Xu Wenwu at bay despite the rings. The assumption was that a small army would be no match for her. Unfortunately her mortality was laid bare. Equally, the presence of Meng’er Ziang was so powerful that it could not be ignored whenever she was on screen. She was both a constant menace, walking the line between hero and villain perfectly.
In places, I feel the CGI elements unnecessarily overshadowed the physical abilities of the central characters. Without going into detail, I’m really talking about the climactic fight here where the mythical creatures come into play. Of course, it goes without saying that they were hinted at through the whole movie so they had to be spectacular. However, I was just enjoying the martial arts so much that I just wish the CG characters had been taken down a notch.
Ultimately, this movie is beautiful and genuine departure from the classic super-hero movie. I really hope that Shang Chi is kept distinct from the rest of the MCU ‘Avengers’ since I feel he could get lost somewhat in the noise.
But if you are a fan of the MCU and just wish to see something a bit different, this movie is it and it is an absolute treat.
