Director Report Card: Destin Daniel Cretton (2021)

6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

In 1973, due to the popularity of Bruce Lee and other martial arts stars, Marvel Comics debuted Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu. The character was very popular for a time, his comic book running until 1983. Shang-Chi would never become a best-seller again but he's continue to float around the Marvel Comics universe, even becoming an Avenger at one point. Even if his glory days were behind him, it was recognized early on that the character would probably make for a good movie. Stan Lee supposedly wanted Brandon Lee to play him in the eighties and Stephen Norringtin and Yuen Woo-Ping, at different points, were attached to direct an adaption. It took until the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, now that the studio is really digging into its library of characters, for Shang-Chi to reach cinema screens. With Destin Daniel Cretton as director, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is primed to become Marvel's latest superhero blockbuster. 

A thousand years ago, Chinese warlord Xu Wenwu discovered ten magical rings that granted him eternal life and immense power. He would go on to conquer Asia. In 1996, after centuries of running a criminal empire, he would attempt to locate the legendary village of Ta Lo. Instead, he fell in love with the village's protector. They had two children, Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing. After their mother was killed by a criminal rival, Wenwu would train his children to become warriors. Both escaped their cruel father. Now in his twenties, Shang-Chi lives a directionless life in America with his friend, Katy. That is until assassins sent by his father locate him. He heads off to protect his sister and both are soon reunited with their father, who is still seeking Ta Lo. Shang-Chi must face his father and discover his inner strength to protect his mother's village and the secrets it holds. 

In the lead-up to "Shang-Chi's" release, Destin Daniel Cretton admitted he previously didn't have much interest in superhero movies. Considering his previous credits are all low-key dramas, that's no surprise. Cretton, who has a co-writer credit on the script, brings more of that influence to his MCU debut than expected. "Shang-Chi" is a bit more character-driven than your typical Marvel movie. It's essentially a film about the very different ways father and son process the grief of their mother/wife's death. Shang-Chi flees from his familial destiny, burying his grief in a new identity. His father becomes obsessed with it, trying to regain what is lost. The film builds these feelings into its story, finding a surprisingly graceful way to resolve these themes amid the typical superhero movie action. 

Despite his previous films' paltry budgets, Cretton actually fits right in with the MCU. Almost all his movies are about family, with the forgiveness of flawed father figures being prominent story threads in at least three of them. And the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, of course, awash in Daddy Issues. Wenwu is pretty unambiguously a bad father. He murders people in front of his son and forced his kids into a brutal life of violence. Yet Shang-Chi's journey doesn't just involve standing up to his dad. It's as much about accepting that his father, for better or worst, is part of who he is. That his dad molded him into the man he is. While the film is maybe still a little too soft on Wenwu – a criminal mastermind for centuries who is probably responsible for untold death and suffering – at least Shang-Chi's eventually coming to terms with his dad's bullshit is less heavy-handed than what Cretton did in "The Glass Castle."

Something else that was mentioned in the pre-release press for “Shang-Chi” was how this is a movie about Asian identity. Like every American movie made about Asian identity, that means it's also a film about cultural integration. Shang-Chi has run away from his Chinese home and even abandoned his name, adopting the Americanized name “Shaun.” His friend, Katy, also doesn't go by her Chinese name. Her parents still speak Chinese and are more keenly in-touched with their ancestry than their fully integrated kids. As he makes the journey to confront his father, he is reintroduced to his heritage. When he travels further and finds his mother's village, Shang-Chi discovers that his dad's way of being Chinese is not the only way to exist. That his cultural background is a diverse, wondrous world with many avenues to explore. He returns to America with a more profound understanding of who he is. It's a story we've seen told many times before but good on Marvel for touching on such a topic in a popcorn action flick.

When it was announced that Marvel was making a “Shang-Chi” movie, one assumes that every up-and-coming actor of Asian descent must've auditioned. The role was eventually won by Simu Liu, an actor best known for co-starring on a Canadian sitcom. Liu absolutely proves himself as a leading man. During the early scenes, he has an incredibly easy-going chemistry with his co-stars and produces laughs in a casual manner. He pairs that laid-back quality with a sudden urgency during the action scenes, where he proves to be a more-than-adapt martial artists. Liu can do the dramatic heavy lifting as well, clearly understanding his character and where he's coming from. Liu has the charm, screen presence, and skill to become a major movie star and I hope it happens. 

If relative unknown actors were sought out for the titular role, I'm absolutely certain that the company looked for an established Asian star for the role of Wenwu. It's hard to imagine them doing much better than Tony Leung. The frequent John Woo star makes sure the film's villain, a fusion of the comic version of Fu Manchu and the Mandarin, is far from a one-dimensional villain. Leung's Wenwu is ultimately sympathetic. He loved his wife and was deeply wounded by her death. He loves his kids too, albeit in a way that's extremely selfish. As much as Leung's sad eyes make the character easy to understand, he also creates a terrifying villain. Because Wenwu can turn on a dime, a quietly threatening presence sneaking into his words with just a turn of his head. When he moves into action, coldly exterminating his enemies, it's clear that he's as intimidating as he seems to be. It's an impressive balance for Leung to keep.

Furing down the cast list is Awkafina as Katy. The only thing I could think of while watching her is that she's playing the Chris Tucker in “Rush Hour” role here. Despite being Chinese herself, she's completely out of her element on this crazy adventure. Awkafina is here to quip goofy one-liners in reaction to the insane shit happening around her. This makes it a bit difficult to swallow when she asks to perform in the action scenes later in the film. The character literally picks up a bow for the first time in her life and, a few hours later, is effortlessly shooting monsters out of the sky. Still, Awkafina doing her typical schtick is less distracting here than it was in “Raya and the Last Dragon,” another 2021 Disney release she starred in that featured Asian-style water dragons. 

Going into “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” one thing was really important to me above all others: The movie's fights had to be good. Big Hollywood films very rarely have good fight choreography anymore, it seems. Even if the actors are capable and the fights are decent, they're often ruined with choppy editing or shaky direction. But this is a movie about a character known as the Master of Kung-Fu, so it had to bring it. “Shang-Chi” ultimately features good – not great – fight scenes. The first fight scene, in which “Shaun” battles a group of goons on a bus as it's slowly sliced apart by his frequent comic book adversary Razor-Fist, is obviously inspired by Jackie Chan-style comedic martial arts set-pieces. There's some impressive moments here but it's still a little too shaky for me. A series of fights alongside the scaffolding of a skyscraper with a group of ninjas is better and features a stylish shot showdown at the end. The best fight in the movie is probably the wuxia-inspired sequence where Wenwu meets his eventual wife, which is as much a balletic dance as it is a fight. (As many good martial art scenes frequently are.)

No matter how decent the melee fights may be throughout “Shang-Chi,” this is still a Marvel movie. That means it turns into a feast of CGI destruction in its last act. The movie manages to sneak small roles for legends like Michelle Yeoh and Yuen Wah. Yet the last third of the movie is still preoccupied with CGI mayhem. Lots of crazy monsters are flying through the air, computer-generated balls of lights are passed around, and the heroes are often lost among the giant digital monstrosities warring with each other. Don't get me wrong, some of this stuff is cool. The final duel between Shang-Chi and his dad is well done. There's a pretty cool dragon and eldritch abomination thrown in there too. But its hard to be impressed by the acrobatics of the performers when we know the action is being assisted by computers.

I hate to be cynical about this but, in some ways, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is pretty clearly an attempt by Marvel recreate the success of “Black Panther” but for Asian-American characters. This does not undermine the representation on display here but it certainly feels true. This is especially true when Shang-Chi and his friends finally make it to Ta Lo. It's a CGI wonderland, not unlike Wakanda. Which isn't too say that it isn't cool. The setting provides some cameos from creatures from actual Asian mythology. Such as huli jing, fenghuang, qilin, and enormous foo dogs. Just as a fan of world mythologies, it's pretty neat to see this stuff on-screen. Even if it's a blatant attempt to recreate a previous popular blockbuster. 

The most prominent fantastical creature in the film is Morris, a dijiang that appears throughout the second half. The bizarre creature is utterly adorable, like a cross between a pig and a dog but with wings and minus a face. Morris is also linked to Trevor Slattery, Ben Kingsley's character from “Iron Man 3” who is back here in a hilariously deadpan supporting role. (This is also used to smooth over any plot holes that were caused by that movie's notorious twist about the Mandarin, which this film dismisses in a single exchange of dialogue.) That's a good example of how “Shang-Chi” effortlessly links itself to the rest of the Marvel universe. I have to admire the way Marvel has built things up so that the villain from “The Incredible Hulk,” that we haven't seen in a decade, can just dropped in for a casual cameo. Or that a supporting character from “Dr. Strange” can waltz in and out of the story, which hints towards a Cthulhu-like god of darkness from the comics becoming a primary antagonist in the last act. 

“Shang-Chi's” willingness to connect itself with the rest of the Marvel universe shows Disney's confidence in this film. The post-credit scenes are eagerly setting up further adventures and happily welcomes the Master of Kung-Fu into the universe's pantheon of heroes. While I'm getting a little burnt out on franchise-building, I'll admit I walked away from “Legend of the Ten Rings” wanting to see more of these characters. Whether it's the charm of its cast or the more character-centric approach Cretton takes to the material, this one still ends up feeling fresher than your typical superhero adventure. Even if it falls to many of the flaws inherent in the genre. I still had a good time with this fusion of martial arts, big budget fantasy, comic book storytelling, and family melodrama. [Grade: B]