Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: The tale of Family, Legacy and Love (Spoilers)

'Forge your own path while still honoring what came before 

Shang-Chi, directed by Daniel Cretton, is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have an Asian lead, which is intended to introduce us to a whole new side of the universe. The result is an incredibly entertaining film that managed to simultaneously do that and also tackle heavy themes about family, legacy, and love. Spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ahead.

The Writing, Editing, and World Building

 

Despite having the same MCU flavor as all of their other films, The film 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' managed to stand on its own for the most part, crafting something very special in the process. The movie has solid writing especially when it comes to writing characters that we end up caring for (I will talk more about the characters in the 'The Character' section). 

The film extensively used flashbacks to add depth to its characters and present them in an emotionally resonant way.

The film masterfully used flashbacks to build the characters and show how the past shaped has the present, actively getting the audience invested in them in an emotionally resonant way. Whilst some may argue the flashbacks in the second hour slowed down the pace of the film, I think they were very important since they bear the weight of explaining everything and making us care. 

I did like how fantasy elements in the second hour looked. Whilst the world looked really aesthetically pleasing, the transition from the down-to-earth nature of its first act to a more flashy huge blockbuster was a bit jarring.  

The flashback sequences after the death of Shang-Chi's mother are all muted and cold in color.

The film used color and lighting, to convey the mental state of the characters. The flashback scenes with Shang Chi's mother are all bright, vibrant in color. Whereas after her death, the flashback colors turned cold and muted. This muted color is carried on in Wunwu's ten rings. But when Shang used those rings they again glew bright vibrant golden. 

Unlike the muted glow in Wunwu's hands, the ten rings glow golden in Shang-Chi's hands, the color associated with his mother.

The comedy in this film landed well, for the most part, Katy getting most of the standout one-liners. Considering Katy and Shang-Chi were emigrants, the jokes in the restaurant scene in the first half felt really authentic. Even the small breakfast scene in Katy's house did a great job at authentically presenting their life as emigrants in San Francisco. The film is heavily edited for the most part. For the most part, it works in favor of the film but there are moments where there are a bit too many cuts.

The Action

The entry had some well-choreographed breathtaking action scenes. There were a lot of them and it wasn't meaningless action. Almost every action scene in the film had a purpose and a story. Another great thing about the action in this movie is how they use the surroundings. The very first action scene, in the bus, introduces us the audience, and Katy to Shang-Chi's capabilities. The first part of the bus fight is really efficient and has some amazing choreography, honoring Martial Arts films. However, the fight did crank up to eleven a bit too fast, breaking the illusion or suspension of disbelief. 

The action scenes made good use of its environment, making them more engaging.

The second fight introduces us to Shang-Chi's sister, Xialing. The filmmakers used this scene to show her skills, showing how she is as skilled as her brother, if not more, even without her father's brutal training. It's completely hand-to-hand combat. The Skyscraper Scaffolding fight set-piece was wild. It did a great job at making it feel intense and dreadful. The 3rd Act final fights of the film, although was filled with computer-generated work, the fight between Simu Liu's Shang-Chi and Tony Leung's Xu Wenwu with the ten rings was blessed with breath-taking visuals. That along with the story presented through the battle made it very impactful.

The Characters

 

Xu Wenwu: One thing the film did really well was the relatable depiction of its characters. Tony Leung plays the real Mandarin, Xu Wenwu in the film and he is easily one of the top-tier MCU antagonists. The legacy actor brought his A-game into the film. His actions are definitely horrendous, but his backstory really helped to turn him into a  sympathetic person. The filmmakers made sure that we, as audiences know why he does, what he does. We know he loved their mother and we know he also loves his kids. You know he is heartbroken after losing his wife and deep down he feels blames himself for not training Shang properly as a kid. If he did, Shang as a kid could have stepped in and saved her mother. This drove her to go very hard on him, training him to be a master of hand-to-hand combat, so much so that it could easily be considered abusive. There is also a flashback scene where he avenges his wife in a very brutal way in front of Shang. Jayden Zhang, the actor of kid Shang Chi did a good job at showcasing Shang's terrified yet quiet reaction, as a kid.

The opposite happened to her sister. Considering her resemblance with her mother, Wenwu ended up neglecting her daughter. This sort of parenthood pushed away both Shang and Xialing. Around the first act we see Wenwu try to bring back Shang and Xialing. And unlike what the trailers presented, Wenwu doesn't bring back Shang and Xialing to rebuild and expand his empire, he brings them back to reunite his family by rescuing their mother. 

After driving himself crazy trying to bring his wife back, Wenwu learns to accept the grief by watching his son carry on the legacy of his wife.

Wenwu and Jiang Li's connection is established through elegantly graceful combat.

Shang-Chi: We see the effect of excess pressure on Shang-Chi, as he tries to run away from his family legacy. He gives up martial art and also doesn't embrace the style his mother taught him. He also ended up abandoning his sister in the process. Shang wanted to escape the most tragic moment of his life. While his father gets crazy for not being able to let go, Shang completely abandons everything about hid family, setting up the contrast between the protagonist and the antagonist. As the film progressed Shang slowly comes to the realization that everything that came before him helps define who he is, which also includes his father. Shang forges his own path while honoring his legacy in a more healthy and acceptable way compared to his father. Given all the added context to the way Shang-Chi grew up, it's more satisfying to see him slowly outperform his father in the fight. And I just love how Shang incorporates his mother's combat style and father's ten rings in the climax in his fight, symbolizing that he has accepted both of them as a part of his legacy. As Shang gets control over his father's ten rings, it starts glowing gold, a color associated with his mother, which represents the same thing.

Xialing: In contrast to Shang, rather than having the expectations her father heaped upon her, Xialing got no one to help her shoulder her pain after losing her mother. Her father kept her away because she reminded him of his wife and her brother, intending to flee from his father and family, he ended up leaving her alone. This led her to create her own fighting club. But just like Shang, she reaches the same realization by the end and we get a short yet pretty satisfying conclusion for the two siblings, learning to hold on to one another. By the end of the film, she rightfully becomes the head of the ten rings. She completely shakes up the way it used to operate, starting from the addition of the flower honoring her mother in the logo around the ten rings of her father.

After failing to find a passion for years, Katy finally finds something that she is good at.

Katy Chen: On paper, Katy may sound like a comic relief character, but in actuality, she is more than that. Firstly, she functions as an Audience Surrogate. She is exploring everything the way we are, as an audience. Simu Liu and Awkwafina's onscreen chemistry is also one of the standouts from the film. 

Shang and Katy explain their role in saving the world to the same friend who suggested them grow up earlier.

Beyond that, she has a compelling arc of finding a passion. She is just a young adult struggling to find her passion. The second restaurant scene, in contrast to the first one, shows how both Shang and Katy have finally successfully accomplished something. It was a brilliant decision to end the film with Shang and Katy explaining their role in saving the world, to the same people who were suggesting to them about life at the start of the film, sitting in the exact same place. 

 

Conclusion

To conclude, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, whilst isn't free from issues, is an incredible martial art film having family, legacy, and love as its core heart. The film excels with its enriched characters, great family drama, and well-choreographed purposeful action, giving us a satisfying and fun experience along the way.