Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings *Spoilers*

[John Venus]

The Mandarin character has always been problematic for the MCU due to the racist overtones. That's why they didn't commit to him in Iron Man 3, and made The Mandarin a fake character being played by an actor.

Here, at least, they attempted to... well, modernize the character. The Mandarin just became a name that wasn't even his. And it was a new take on the character that I happen to think was better.

As for the rings- I'm wondering if Marvel is just thinking that sometime soon, there's going to be a Green Lantern movie or show, and they were leery of using power rings. I had no problem with the change, and I liked how both Wenwu and Shang-Chi used them in a variety of different ways.

And that was exactly why Ben Kingsley was there. He was comic relief.

It's amusing to see a high caliber actor like Ben Kingsley play comic relief.

Even in the comics they've tried to modernize Mandarin multiple times but nothing has ever really stuck. I think giving Mandarin to Shang Chi is for the best and it ultimately benefited both characters.

[Gorthon616]

Two different things, in a super hero movie we accept that supposedly normal humans can perform super human feats because of years of training that is Shang Chi his family and the Ten Rings. The villagers had training and magic. Katy had nothing but a plot contrivance.

I took the shot as being relatively easy (being that the "weak spot" was like the entirety of his neck), and it was more that she just happened to be the only one there or paying attention to take the shot.

[regnak]

I took the shot as being relatively easy (being that the "weak spot" was like the entirety of his neck), and it was more that she just happened to be the only one there or paying attention to take the shot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_longbow#Range

The record range is 412 meters and that was on a range not at something in the air. It was a super human shot.

[Gorthon616]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_longbow#Range

The record range is 412 meters and that was on a range not at something in the air. It was a super human shot.

It's a movie.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/movie


Of course, the shot was unrealistic. That's not the point. The point of that scene in that movie was not about how difficult the shot was, it was about actually TAKING a shot, or perhaps rather how difficult it can be for people to take a shot.

But since it seems like this sort of reading and understanding of a film is, I guess uninteresting to you, I won't bore you with an explanation of how it works into the themes of the movie and how it's context is foreshadowed beforehand.

[Noodle]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_longbow#Range

The record range is 412 meters and that was on a range not at something in the air. It was a super human shot.

Was that record made with a bow and arrows made with dragon skin enhanced with mystical properties inside a magical village?

[AdamFTF]

I thought it was fun. Tony Leung as Wen Wu was a real standout (I know he still wasn't exactly "the real Mandarin", but I still would have rather seen Wen Wu fight Iron Man than Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3. But I got tired of Iron Man's villains with their smug, chirpy "I'm Tony but evil" schtick really quickly). I kind of feel like they were trying to pay homage to a whole bunch of different types of Chinese and Hong Kong cinema throughout. Wen Wu's past was like a historical epic. His time as a crime lord was like something out of a Hong Kong cop action movie ("A blood debt must be paid in blood"). The bus fight was like a Jackie Chan flick. And Ta Lo was very wuxia fantasy. Regarding Ta Lo, I know I might have been the only one, but I was geeking out over the different Chinese mythical creatures. I was like "Oh, there's a nine-tailed fox! And there's a foo-dog! And there's a qilin!" I had to look up what Morris was, though (he's a dijiang). Big, big props for them remembering that Asian dragons are associated with water, not fire.

[Arsenal]

Overall really enjoyed Shang-Chi. Felt like a phase 1 movie (as in a largely stand alone project that exists in a larger universe) and it’s definitely one of the better franchise openers. There’s a ton of potential here and super excited to see where the future takes us. I have no experience with the rings from the comics but I enjoyed how they were used. The final fight really gave us a test at the potential of what can be done and thought it was kinda neat that the rings were the projectiles instead of random energy beams.

I watched it today and enjoyed it. Way better than expected.

Shang sister taking over the family business. She must have clearly lie about dismantling the ten rings. I'm intrigued with them seemingly becoming a global street gang.

Seems like she’s building some hybrid of her fight club & the 10 rings. Really interested to see where this goes next.

[Frobisher]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_longbow#Range

The record range is 412 meters and that was on a range not at something in the air. It was a super human shot.

The thing movies always get wrong is that they make out that a bow is a weapon for a weaker sidekick to wield. In reality it takes enormous strength to shoot a longbow - skeletons of English longbowmen often had deformed arm bones from the strain of training with the weapon, and the longbow was the main weapon of the elite samurai in Japan. John Rambo is probably the most realistic portrayal of a bowman, and that’s saying a lot.

[regnak]

The thing movies always get wrong is that they make out that a bow is a weapon for a weaker sidekick to wield. In reality it takes enormous strength to shoot a longbow - skeletons of English longbowmen often had deformed arm bones from the strain of training with the weapon, and the longbow was the main weapon of the elite samurai in Japan. John Rambo is probably the most realistic portrayal of a bowman, and that’s saying a lot.

Thanks I am glad somebody gets it.

[Frobisher]

Thanks I am glad somebody gets it.

It doesn’t spoil the story though. Film makers just seem to always go for this kind of lazy bow = olde worlde gun equivalence. I actually thought the most egregious thing that took me out of things a bit was when Wen Wu said “Burn it down”, and his guys all started attacking with all the non-lethal riot weapons they’d thoughtfully brought. Who brings stun batons to a massacre?

[regnak]

It doesn’t spoil the story though. Film makers just seem to always go for this kind of lazy bow = olde worlde gun equivalence. I actually thought the most egregious thing that took me out of things a bit was when Wen Wu said “Burn it down”, and his guys all started attacking with all the non-lethal riot weapons they’d thoughtfully brought. Who brings stun batons to a massacre?

I thought those crossbows were firing real bolts that were deflected. Of course guns would have been better ...

[Indian Ink]

The thing movies always get wrong is that they make out that a bow is a weapon for a weaker sidekick to wield. In reality it takes enormous strength to shoot a longbow - skeletons of English longbowmen often had deformed arm bones from the strain of training with the weapon, and the longbow was the main weapon of the elite samurai in Japan. John Rambo is probably the most realistic portrayal of a bowman, and that’s saying a lot.

Another thing they get wrong is that you can pull back a war bow for thirty seconds waiting to shoot. That's such a feat of strength they probably won't be able to shoot for another five minutes. Target bows are another matter, but their penetration is naturally on the weak side. Hit, leather, bone or chainmail; they're probably just going to bounce off.

[tabo61]

Awesome movie.

[inisideguy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_longbow#Range

The record range is 412 meters and that was on a range not at something in the air. It was a super human shot.

Holy Crap. That is impressive. 412 meters with a longbow? Sheesh.

[bat39]

I enjoyed it! It was the first MCU movie I watched in over two years. I expected it to be a filler film with light entertainment at best. And, going in with those low expectations I...thought it was GREAT!

I think we sometimes forget that superhero movies are supposed to be light entertainment. We expect every movie to be the next The Dark Knight or Logan in its artistry, or alternatively, to be the next Avengers in its scale and scope. But sometimes, a superhero movie can just go great as an above-average entertaining film that captivates the audience's attention for 2 hours - whether they're casual viewers or die-hard fans of the wider franchise/universe who'll dissect every frame and every line for continuity nods or errors. And I think Shang Chi more than achieves that.

The film really gets you to relate to and care about the characters on a personal level, which is always a big plus-point to me. I enjoyed watching ''Shaun'' and Katy, and later Xialing on-screen, their interactions and how they dealt with situations in their own ways, without thinking too much about how they related to a comic-book mythology or which superheroes they're 'destined' to become in the Marvel Universe.

And the film takes you on a journey - from San Francisco, to Macau, to the Ten Ring's stronghold in a Chinese forest, and finally to Ta Lo - making each world compelling in its own right and a key piece in the overall puzzle of the narrative.

There was a bit of a ''throw-it-all-in'' attitude to this film, which sometimes makes for a messy narrative, but here it all came together as an entertaining whole. We had the bus fight, a Macau fight-club with superhuman fighters, a magical forest and a mystical village with two dragon-like creatures duking it out and it all felt like it belonged together.

Tony Leung is definitely the MVP of the film as Wenwu (I won't call him the Mandarin because the film makes it clear that he isn't that). He's basically the generic super-villain/crime-boss/terrorist character on paper, but then the narrative works extra hard to make him...a three-dimensional, sympathetic character. He may have the rings, but a greater contrast to the moustache-twirling Mandarin from the 90's Iron Man cartoons can scarecely be imagined!

Simu Liu, ironically, probably had the weakest performance of the main cast. Not that it was bad...just that it was overshadowed by the others. But I guess his performance does capture the ''everyman with a secret past as heir to a super-villain's criminal empire'' vibe. Awkafina was a joy as Katy. But Meng'er Zhang was a real revelation as Xialing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of her in the MCU, with or without Shang-Chi.

So yeah, to sum up...it's a great, fun, enjoyable movie! And sometimes, that's all a superhero movie really has to be...