REVIEW #83 Shang-Chi (2021)

Shang-Chi is the latest Marvel instalment, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and introduces the martial arts specialist Shang-Chi as he is forced to confront his past and stop his father, the leader of the criminal organisation The Ten Rings.

CAST & THE ACTING 

Simu Liu leads the cast as Shang-Chi and he really surprised me, I haven’t seen much of Liu’s work previously and went into the film expecting a serious, sort of macho performance of this martial arts specialist. This couldn’t have been further from what was delivered, Liu was charismatic and joyful, who injected a lot of comedy into the film. Yes he had the more serious emotional moments, as you could expect with a character that has the family issues Shang-Chi has but even in those moments he done very well, showing his vulnerability allowing the audience to connect with his character. The combat choreography was fantastic as well and definitely one of the stand out elements in the film, reminding me of the classic martial arts movies, it flowed really well and it was very entertaining. 

Awkwafina played Katy, close friend and potential love interest of Shang-Chi and like most Marvel films she was the one character who always delivered the comedy, creating so many funny moments that had the cinema laughing. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai played Shang-Chi’s father and leader of The Ten Rings and was a great antagonist. He really brought the character to life, showing the vindictive, cruel side as well as the caring vulnerable side, during that period with his wife and kids. Fala Chen played Shang-Chi’s mother Leiko Wu and Michelle Yeoah played his auntie Jiang Nan, both delivering strong performances. 

PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

Shang-Chi run away from his father at the age of 14 and moved to America where he lived a relatively normal life until The Ten Ring’s warriors come hunting him. Forced to reunite with his sister in an attempt to stop his fathers forces they realise his intentions and flee to their late mother’s mystical homeland to protect the village and defeat their father.

What I think every Marvel fan enjoyed was their redemption of the Mandarin, after Iron Man 3’s gimmick attempt at introducing the criminal organisation, Shang Chi really done them justice. Providing a strong leader and some great warriors which created brilliant action sequences throughout the film. Shang-Chi himself is a great addition to the Marvel universe and the character really surprised me by just how fun and charismatic he is, Liu really delivered such a likeable character. I was disappointed by the Abominations brief appearance, Marvel seem to like making characters such as him and the Hulk less scary and more comical which I don’t rate. I think the film has a nice balance between the current day and flashback scenes which provides the audience with the necessary information on why Shang-Chi is how he is and what he has gone through leading up to the current point in his life. It also shows real conflict within Shang-Chi, whether or not he should kill, be his own man or be like his father and this conflict, as I mentioned earlier, offers a sense of vulnerability to the character which almost makes him relatable to audience and they can get really invested in the character as a result. The final element of the plot I want to touch upon is the Chinese culture, it was nice to see how much was included from explaining how sacred a name can be to that community, to the mythical Chinese creatures that are found in Ta Lo, it was something I really enjoyed about the film.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

Marvel Studios absolutely smashed it out of the park with the cinematography and special effects for Shang-Chi! Everything from how well the combat sequences flowed to the beautiful visuals with the mystical creatures in Ta Lo, looked so good. The first bit of action we’re introduced to is the fight scene on the tram, that also features in the trailer. The camerawork for that scene is so nicely done and is so smooth that it really compliments the martial arts style of fighting that Shang-Chi specialises in. The same can be said for the huge fight scene on the side of the skyscraper and pretty much every fight scene after that really. The final part of the film in Ta Lo, Shang-Chi’s mother’s mystical homeland includes some fantastic visuals. That battle on the water involving the dragon looked amazing, seeing it in the cinema is a must, so definitely try to get out to one to watch it if you can. The pacing of the film was good, there wasn’t any boring moments where I felt like I was losing interest at all. I’m not surprised at how good the cinematography and special effects were, it’s become the norm for pretty much every MCU project and it’s why it still shocks me how some critics can say it’s not true cinema! 

OVERALL (8.3/10)

I really enjoyed Shang-Chi, Simu Liu is a great addition to the Marvel universe and I can’t wait to see him in future projects. The film was a lot funnier then I expected, with the cast delivering very strong performances across the board. The film included a great antagonist and finally done justice to the Mandarin. The combat choreography is probably up there with some of the best in the entire MCU, I really enjoyed the traditional martial arts style. The storyline was engaging and I felt like it done enough to flesh out Shang-Chi’s origins, whilst also creating a really conflicting battle between him and his father. There were elements that I feel were chucked in for the sake of it, such as the Abomination vs Wong scene, they managed to make the abomination as soft as the modern Hulk. Maybe we will see why that scene happened in future projects but there wasn’t much reasoning for it in this film. The cinematography and effects were outstanding, creating some really memorable visuals that complimented the Chinese mythology that was really present in the film. Would definitely recommend Shang-Chi, especially if you can get to a cinema to watch it!

Thanks for reading.

Callan