Review: 'Shang-Chi' puts the MCU on a course into the wondrous unknown

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writer: Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh,Tony Chiu-Wai Leung
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) —Synopsis: When assassins show up on his doorstep, a hotel valet is forced to admit his true identity as Shang-Chi, son of Wenwu, a notorious warlord also known as the Mandarin.

Review: Once upon a time there was a film called "Iron Man." Technically, it wasn’t the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was, however, the big bang from which the MCU was born. For an age, Iron Man ruled. Now, with Iron Man gone, the slate is cleaner than it has been in over a decade. We start again.

And it begins as a wuxia.

Wuxia being a Chinese genre that mixes period drama, martial arts, and fantasy. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Hero,” and “House of Flying Daggers” being examples that saw wide release in North America.

After the introduction to Wenwu (Chiu-Wai Leung), leader of the Ten Rings organization, the film shifts to near present-day (based on the MCU timeline this takes place around 2023) and takes on a more traditional style. However, the deeper director/writer Destin Daniel Cretton takes us into the narrative the more the wuxia influence returns to the film. He might even sneak in a little kaiju mayhem (think Godzilla or Gamera) at the end.

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.

Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), son of Wenwu, has run away to San Francisco where he and Katy (Awkwafina) work as hotel valets. Katy is blissfully unaware that her best friend is a descendant of an immortal warlord with an insatiable desire for power. When Wenwu’s henchmen show up, Shang-Chi is forced to reveal he’s better in a fist fight than he initially let on. This throws Katy (and the audience) down the rabbit hole that is Shang-Chi’s origin story.

The tone is a mix of comedy and action. It’s never as goofy as “Thor: Ragnarok” or as absurd as the Guardian of the Galaxy films. It’s also not nearly as serious as “The Black Panther” and the more recent Avenger films have been. It’s not a perfect balance. There was a section of the film where I wasn’t sure how I felt about what I was watching. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t know if I was completely on board with the direction the story seemed to be taking me.

Then Michelle Yeoh shows up as Jiang Nan and I was firmly on the bandwagon from that moment forward as the film builds to its fantastic final fight that nearly pushes “Shang-Chi” up to the top shelf of the MCU.

My biggest complaints revolve around Wenwu and his relationship with Jaing Li (Fala Chen), Shang-Chi’s mother. I like that the filmmakers tried to give Wenwu some depth. Even the most horrific people can be charming. However, Li, knowing who Wenwu is and his intentions, instantly falling in love with a megalomanic seemed a bit too simplistic.

Because we’re at the beginning of a new Marvel adventure it is difficult to know what moments in “Shang-Chi” will reverberate six or seven films down the MCU road. That said, the film works wonderfully on its own with only a handful of direct ties to other Marvel properties. I hadn’t looked at the cast credits, there were a couple of surprises that would have been spoiled if I had.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is a good film with some spectacular moments. “The Flacon and the Winter Soldier” had me worried about where the MCU might be heading. “Shang-Chi” has made me optimistic. I love hanging out in somewhere new. I love the cinematography, the uniqueness of it. Are you excited? You should be.