Martial arts movies were made famous by Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Many were entertaining for their actors fight moves. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings goes beyond that. It has well choreographed fight scenes, particularly one involving a runaway bus. Andy Cheng did this one and all of the fight scenes. He has won awards for his work,on this movie. Cheng gained his experience working with Jackie Chan. This movie is based on the comic book, Master of Kung Fu. Many comic book adaptations fall short. This does not. This is entertaining throughout. The writers, Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham, have brought their particular talents to bear. The audience is entertained and are given an insight into Chinese culture.
Shaun/Shang-Chi, (Simu Li) is leading a peaceful life in San Francisco, as a valet. During his downtime, he hangs out with his friend, Katy, (Awkwafina). Shaun isn’t quite what he seems. He has fled from his father, Xu Wenwu, (Tony Leung Chiu-wai). He is a criminal mastermind, who leads a group of killers called The Ten Rings Organization. Shang-Chi was trained by his father to be a killer, after his mother, Li, (Fala Chen), was killed by a rival organization. He is sent to kill his mother’s murderer, by his father. Shang-Chi using his deadly skills exacts vengeance on the killer. This deed has played upon the boy’s conscience and he flees to the city by the bay.
Nobody can stay hidden from The Mandarin. This is the name Wenwu has chosen as his criminal alias. He has sent his assassin’s to abduct his son and bring him home. Shang-Chi and Katy are riding a transit bus, when he is attacked by the killers. He must use all his martial arts skills to defend himself. His skills are particularly useful against Razor Fist, (Florian Munteanu). He has an artificial arm, that is similar to a light saber in the star wars films. The fight goes on for several minutes, and is one of the many highlights of the film.
Shang-Chi and Katy go to Macau, where his sister, Xialing,(Meng’er Zhang), fled to escape their father. She owns a fight club, where of course, her brother becomes the star attraction. The reunion is brief because The Mandarins’ assassin’s capture the trio. They are then reunited with their dad, who has plans for his wayward children. The Trio escape, to the magical village of Ta Lo. This is where The Mandarin met and fell in love with Li. She transformed him briefly into a good husband and father. The villagers know that Wenwu is fast on their tracks. They begin intensive training, led by Ying Nan, (Michelle Yeoh). She is Li’s sister. The training has comic moments, with Katy learning archery, and frustrating her instructor. The Mandarin is not only seeking his wayward children, but believes his beloved Li is still alive. He doesn’t quite get that this is a magical place. This includes mystical creatures, that can cause illusions.
Wenwu, is a man who is one thousand years old. He stumbled upon rings that contained immeasurable power. He put these away when he met Li. After her death, he put them back on. The movie doesn’t show rings, but arm bracelets. They give a more menacing look. The Mandarin is prepared to destroy the village to find the love of his life. His sister-in-law, Shang-Chi and the trained warriors are prepared to stop him. What results is a spectacular CGI finale. The CGI in the film was put together by Nathan Abbot. He possesses a certain type of skill, that seems to always be needed in the industry.
Hollywood has made the action movie into the modern western. People will flock to see this escapist entertainment. Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings, is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has, like most of the comics been altered from its original form. In the comics,The Mandarin is an Iron Man villain. It is a big departure, but the character is given more depth. It is not a departure for Hollywood. They have been doing major alterations to literary works, since films were first made there. Many movies from the MCU,aren’t up to standards. This movie goes above and beyond.