Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Movie Review
A Movie that screams Blockbuster and knows how to have fun without trying too hard
By Lincoln Son Currie
When I went to Shang-Chi on opening night, there was laughing, clapping, and cheering in the theater. At first, I was nervous that Shang-Chi, the first Marvel movie with an Asian lead, would be a dud used as an example of why not to green light Asian-led projects. However, after finishing the film, I felt more confident about the future chances Asians will get in Hollywood.
Simu Liu stars in the film’s titular role, and we get our first glimpse of him after a prologue detailing the ten rings and Shang-Chi’s family history. Shaun (Shang-Chi’s American name) begins the film as a valet in San Francisco, working alongside Katy (played by Awkwafina). The duo has a playful fight over who gets to park the BMW M8 before Katy takes the car for a joy ride with Shaun riding shotgun. The exchange in this scene sets the tone as a quip-laced, action-packed Marvel blockbuster.
The next scene offered one of the more potent cultural commentaries in the movie. Katy and Shaun have dinner with an old friend and her partner. At the dinner, Katy and Shaun’s old friend shames them for not growing up and getting a real job. The proud valets shrug this off on a walk after dinner and proceed to have a fun night singing karaoke.
Afterward, a tense, gritty fight on a bus sends Katy and Shaun on a search for Shaun’s sister. The two head then head to Macau and thus begins Shang-Chi’s quest to confront his family history and save the day. I’ll end the summary there to avoid any spoilers.
They cast Michelle Yeoh as Shang-Chi’s aunt and Tony Leung as his father. The choices were perfect and reflected generational change without having to say it out loud. Yeoh and Leung are what was; Liu and Awkwafina are what is and what will be. The combination on screen at once gestured at the limits of the past and the promise of the future for Asian actors in America.
In addition to solid casting choices, the movie made main characters that felt real. Shaun and Katy were wise eschewings of stereotypes, showing American audiences a couple of rotten bananas—Eddie Huang’s phrase to describe Asian Americans who subvert stereotypes and break the rules.
Katy and Shaun busted another myth by showing that not all Asians are crazy rich or in the professional class. High median incomes for Asians are frequently used as tired talking points that ignore that income inequality in America today is greater among Asians than any other racial group. The seemingly small choice to make Shang-Chi a valet was an important one. If Shang-Chi had been a corporate lawyer or a doctor, the movie would have reinforced one stereotype even if it had broken barriers through box-office success. Shang-Chi subverted preconceptions about Asians while proving that you can make effective statements about race and class without standing on a soapbox. The subtlety in the movie’s messaging barred Shang-Chi from getting in its own way.
Shang-Chi had a heavy burden to bear but did not show it. A flop could have given ammunition to Hollywood studio executives who doubt that American audiences will get an Asian-led project. It would be easy to sink under so much pressure. But much like Crazy Rich Asians did a few years ago, Shang-Chi knocked it out of the park at the box office while drawing impressive critical acclaim.
Sources:
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/07/12/income-inequality-in-the-u-s-is-rising-most-rapidly-among-asians/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1636047282919000&usg=AOvVaw251QtiER_1oHLbFmM0B3dT
