Thoughts on Shang-Chi

Because I'm not going to the cinema yet, my ability to watch new movies this year has been limited to what's available on streaming. And while I appreciate that there are certain financial ramifications to that, it was a bit of a shame that Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney over Black Widow has meant that the new MCU films aren't streaming on day one, even if Disney was at least charging extra for them, unlike HBO Max.

This means I'm either waiting for some recent movies to become available on streaming, or am considering renting them. The list, at the moment, consists of No Time to Die, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Eternals, and until Friday, Shang-Chi. Possible spoilers after the jump:

To say that it's the Asian equivalent of Black Panther is perhaps reductive, despite the secret world that the heroes come to late in the film; it's not a futuristic wonderland like Wakanda, but an ancient village guarding the prison of an extra-dimensional monster. Instead, it feels (I hope this isn't too irreverent) like Crazy Rich Asians, but for nerds.

The presence of Awkwafina and Michelle Yeoh bolsters that impression, especially because they essentially play the same characters in both films (though that's unfair on Yeoh, whose character here isn't the same machiavellian matriarch as in that one). I also couldn't get past the idea because I know Gemma Chan, who plays Astrid in Crazy Rich Asians, is in no less than two other MCU movies.

But the general idea holds up: the main characters start in the US, but events lead them to Asia where they learn of a grand old legacy and learn more about themselves. CRA features a lifestyle that's more redolent of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but in both cases Asian characters are foregrounded and allowed to play the protagonists, where they wouldn't normally be seen. And the casts are almost exclusively Asian - I can't think of a single non-white character in CRA with speaking parts, other than the hotel staff in the prologue, while Shang-Chi's only non-Asian character of note is Razorfist, played by Florian Munteanu.

(Technically Ben Kingsley, reprising his role as Trevor, the "Mandarin" of Iron Man 3, plays a European character but the actor himself is mixed-race European and South Asian)

The general theme is also the same, of being able to understand how you live in two different cultures, and balancing the sides of your life (I've suggested this is also a theme for Superman, but he passes because he's white).

The movie overall is fine: a B or B- grade seems about par, though it's a little meaningless since essentially every comic book movie these days gets that. Simu Liu as Shang-Chi and Awkwafina as his sidekick/love interest Katie are engaging leads, though I find it odd that the movie doesn't really deal with their relationship other than her grandma asking early on when they'll get married. Tony Leung as Shang-Chi's father Wenwu is entertaining and sympathetic, and good value whether he's in Warring States-period costume or Hong Kong action flick costume. It was also fun to see Benedict Wong reprise his role as Wong from Doctor Strange.

It's kind of too bad that we don't get to see more of actual Asia, the way we do in CRA. Apart from a drive through Macau, the rest of the film takes place in Wenwu's compound or in the mythical village of Ta Lo, which is scenic and beautiful but not really an accurate representation of China (I'm assuming; I haven't been to the mainland so I don't know if there are dijiangs like Morris trundling about with qilins [of course there aren't]).

As far as the source material, I don't believe I've ever encountered a Marvel book that featured Shang-Chi, so I have no expectations about it. It was interesting to learn that he was originally meant to be the son of Fu Manchu, for whom Marvel once held the rights, but that they've retconned that origin since he was introduced. It would have been fun to see a link with Iron Fist, but that might have to wait for the next film, which I hope will be coming soon. Though that said, I can imagine a character like Shang-Chi being easy to lose in a big Avengers-style crossover.