Now this is more like it! After how underwhelming Black Widow turned out, I was fully prepared for the MCU to be stuck in another middling point re: Phase Two, but I’m happy to report that this film turned out pretty damn well. Where that assessment gets a little odd is with how there’s a weird level of similarity between Black Widow and Shang-Chi. Like Black Widow, Shang-Chi was trained at an early age to be an assassin, and he has also been spending all the time since trying to separate himself from his past. Except here, it manages to correct the lack of personality that held back Black Widow, and it’s not just in the acting where that effect takes place.
The action scenes maintain the standard I (and hopefully everyone else) have come to expect from Marvel by this point, only this carves out its own niche within that standard through how well it serves the larger story being told. For a Hollywood production that takes hefty influence from East Asian culture for its visual aesthetic, its brushes with mysticism, and yes, its approach to fight scenes, it’d be a bit much to expect this to hold up to what Chinese and Hong Kong cinema is capable of regarding throw-downs.
So instead, rather than copying the direct levels of high-flash and frequently uncompromising choreography that makes that sector of world cinema stand out, stunt coordinator Brad Allan (better known for the Kingsman movies and The World’s End) sticks to one of the real secrets of that style: Fight scenes as more than just fight scenes. It’s the same approach that has made David Leitch and Chad Stahelski into modern action titans, where combat is used as an extension of the characters taking part and, in particular for this feature, their relationship to each other. Whether it’s courtship, regret, reconciliation, or even reminding the other what they’re fighting for in the first place, the stunt work turns the action into more than mere spectacle, which for a film that embraces kung-fu was definitely the right call to make.
There’s also how the East Asian influence shows through in the story, specifically in its depiction of family. Writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton has shown ample ability in depicting murky and complicated family dynamics with The Glass Castle (and unintentionally with The Shack way back when), and while there are a lot more mids here compared to Glass Castle, it also doesn’t have as many of the neck-breaking tonal issues. There’s still a bit of an issue with balancing the humour with the drama, but in showing Shang-Chi’s character arc, his relationship with his father, and how the past seems to be chasing both of them throughout, it has enough weight to work.
As for its place within the larger MCU canon, it’s in-line with Doctor Strange in how it explores the more magical side of the universe (right down to Benedict Wong showing up in a couple of key scenes), and even harkens back to Iron Man 3 in how that film kinda-sorta introduced the concept of the Ten Rings (albeit as a smokescreen that only gets sillier as more time passes, something this film appears more than aware of). This means that we get Ben Kingsley returning as Trevor Slattery, basically playing the fool of Xu Wenwu’s court, and he and along with my main girl Awkwafina add quite a bit to the comedy value, along with helping put this seemingly-street-level character on the right rung of the larger Marvel universe.
We learn quite a bit about Shang-Chi himself, and Simu Liu certainly makes him engaging, but there’s just as much left mysterious concerning the Ten Rings, both the organisation and the actual equipment itself. There’s room to grow from here, and it thankfully makes the audience care enough about it the first time round for that option to be viable. Y’know, that thing that would-be cinematic universe creators keep missing nowadays?
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings makes for a welcome return to form, with a commendable approach to action scenes, some genuine drama and even a touch of darker pathos concerning the main character, and terrific performances from Tony Leung, Meng’er Zhang and Simu Liu as one of the more complicated families in the MCU. Everyone here is playing to their strengths, whether they be complex family drama, kick-ass action scenes, or framing that lets the audience take everything in (Bill Pope hits another one out of the park as DOP), and it’s all to the film’s benefit.
No comments:
Post a Comment