“Shang-Chi” Introduces a Whole New Vibe
Genre：Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Director：Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast：Simu Liu、Tony Leung、Michelle Yeoh、Ronny Chieng、Awkwafina
Viola's Rating：8.3
Two months
after “Black Widow” appeared on the big screen, Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
introduced its very first new hero, Shang-Chi, in Phase Four with its latest
feature film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings,” which was released on
Sept 3, 2021 in the US.
As MCU’s
first film with an Asian lead, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings” was presented
as a “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” meets “Iron Man” story. This
adventurous, action fantasy is about the story of Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), the
master of unarmed and weaponry-based Kung Fu, and how he is forced to confront
his past after being drawn into his father, Wenwu (Tony Leung)’s Ten Rings
organization.
With Dave
Callaham, a Chinese descendant, as one of the co-writers, “Shang-Chi and the
Legend of Ten Rings” managed to bring out Chinese culture accurately, including
the culture of karaoke, emphasis on family and the relatives’ concerns over offspring’s
career and marriages, etc. Instead of highlighting stereotypes like Asian’s
academic performances or the assumption of “everyone knows kung fu”, the cultural
images in the flick was aptly described.
Since Doctor
Strange is acknowledged as the master of both the martial arts and the mystical,
and is scheduled to be released on Mar 25, 2022, it’s not difficult to imagine
some connections between the two. While Shang-Chi grew up in China and is believed
to be the master of Kung Fu, Doctor Strange went to Kamar-Taj in the Himalayas.
Both their powers have mysterious exotic vibe to the Western world.
Initially,
Shang-Chi’s father is the villain Dr. Fu Manchu, but since this character is
considered as racism, MCU transformed it into Mandarin, the antagonist in “Iron
Man 3”. However, the "Mandarin" was a terrorist persona portrayed by
British character actor, and thus, in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings”,
Wenwu is introduced as a whole new character, in the form of the combination of
Dr. Fu Manchu and Mandarin, stared one of the internationally recognized and
most successful actors, the award-winning Tony Leung.
Being the
very first MCU motion picture with an Asian director and a predominantly Asian
cast, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings” does not bear out the cliché, but
provides a whole new vibe to MCU with its own charisma.
Picture Credit: IMDb
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