Saturday, September 04, 2021

Film: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 


GENRE: Action, Adventure
RATING: PG-13 for violence and language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 12 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Simi Liu (Kim’s Convenience; Taken (TV series))
Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians); Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs)
DIRECTOR: Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy; The Glass Castle)
WRITERS: Cretton & Andrew Lanham (Just Mercy; The Shack);
Dave Callaham (The Expendables; Wonder Woman 1984)
PLOT: A young Kung Fu fighter has to confront his past and father.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I had low expectations despite being Marvel.

STORY STUFF: I will start by saying the film was better than I thought it would be. The first 2/3rds are really good but they lost me in the final act. Things got too chaotic and unfortunately, I stopped caring about the characters and the situation. While there were great scenes throughout, it was interesting to see moments cribbed from other films. There’s a little bit of Rush Hour 2, Speed, The Neverending Story and a whole lot of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon except for the whole flying stuff. But maybe that last one is because Michelle Yeoh is in it. The one-on-one fight scenes are pretty incredible and mesmerizing.

ACTING STUFF: Liu does a great job as Shang-Chi, he plays the emotions and reacts well to situations. Admittedly, I have not seen his work in Kim’s Convenience so I can’t compare it to that role. Awkwafina is awesome as the best friend/comic relief. She stole the movie in my opinion. I also enjoyed Ben Kingsley continuing to have fun.

ARTISTIC STUFF: As stated before, I loved the stunt work of the fight scenes. The side of the building and bus confrontations are intense. I was not a fan of the soundtrack but I don’t think I’m the target audience so I can forgive that. The visual effects are top notch as always. I also enjoyed the primary colour palette throughout the film.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like Marvel and Kung Fu fighting.
UPCOMING REVIEW: Fall TV Preview

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