Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi, a man who was been living in San Francisco since high school and works as a valet alongside his best friend, Katy (the always charismatic and hilarious Awkwafina). However, when the two of them are on a bus one day, they are attacked by some villains, one of whom sports a deadly steel blade for an arm (as you do). Shang-Chi fights them off in the first of the movie’s incredibly unique and epic action sequences, and once that’s over, he has to explain to Katy that yeah, maybe there’s a bit more to him than meets the eye. He also knows that these attackers are going to go after his sister next, so they fly off to Macau for the next stage in their adventure.
All I had heard about this film before seeing it was Simu Liu and his star power. He is fantastic, but the most entertaining thing about this film for me is the supporting cast, which includes Tony Leung as Shang-Chi’s highly problematic father and Michelle Yeoh as his maternal aunt. Leung and Yeoh are absolute royalty in Hong Kong cinema and their casting in this film gives it an instant boost of prestige. And come on, Yeoh was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. When she’s on screen, you know it’s about to get real. Add to the mix newcomer Meng’er Zhang who plays Shang-Chi’s estranged sister, Xialing, and you’ve got a complex set of family dynamics to work through, further complicated by the fact that every family member is a trained assassin who could snap you like a twig.
The stunt choreography in this film is jaw-dropping and I could watch some of those action sequences on a loop. There’s even a “fight” sequence at the beginning of the film between Shang-Chi’s parents when they first meet, showcasing how their initial battle turns into this incredible tango where they fall in love. That dynamic continues throughout this film when all the family members come into conflict. This a family that has gone through a lot of tragedy and kung fu seems to be the only language they now have in common to express their frustrations, which makes for some poetic scenes where fights turn into ballets, and the emphasis is less on inflicting pain than engaging in some violently persuasive communication.
The movie also boasts excellent production design and visual effects, with every set piece looking like an absolute treat and featuring a seamless blend of the modern and ancient worlds. The costume design is similarly eye-catching, with everyone getting to sport some splendid outfits that allow them to fight ravaging hordes of monsters and humans in style. And the soundtrack is a thumping reminder of both worlds that this superhero inhabits, alternating between traditional Chinese instrumentation and all-out hip-hop, which propel the movie forward while never letting you forget that this is a hero who is both Asian and American. You'd also be hard-pressed to forget that fact given that a significant portion of this film is in Chinese with English subtitles, a fact that I appreciated, because there's nothing worse than a Hollywood movie where you have a bunch of people speaking in English when they ordinarily would be speaking in their native tongue.
Impeccably directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi is a refreshing entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe that feels both familiar and ground-breaking at the same time. It is funny, especially as Awkwafina is on hand to provide comic relief throughout, and it is zippy, moving with dizzying speed from one action set piece to the next so you’re never too bogged down in exposition or bored with too much Marvel lore. That being said, there’s plenty of lore and cameos that Marvel fans will enjoy, all setting up the fact that, of course, these characters will be returning. Given the box office records that this film is currently smashing, it’s clear that audiences wouldn’t mind seeing Shang-Chi show up in many more movies. So join them and indulge in two hours of sheer summer entertainment. It’s what Marvel does best, and boy did they deliver.
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