Over in the "Movies I Have Seen Lately" thread, I commented on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and noted that there wasn't a thread about the movie and I didn't want to start one. Well, I do now, for reasons I will cite below. But first, I'll just quote what I wrote over there:
ClarkKent_DC said:
I saw Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* and have some thoughts, but first let me throw up one of these:
- As I've said a time or two before, I believe movies are movies and comics are comics, so Iget why this version of the Shang-Chi story doesn't include a lot of what's in Master of Kung Fu. I've got the original run and have read it many times over, so I fully recognize there's a lot in there that's problematic -- and not just the Fu Manchu/Yellow Peril stuff. But the movie just takes the barest germ of the concept -- son of Chinese warlord bent on world domination rebels -- and spins a wholly new tale. Fine as far as it goes and enjoyable in its own right, but I would have liked to have seen a movie of the stuff in the comics series that got us all excited, the James Bond-esque stuff with MI-6 and spycraft and "the games of deceit and death."
- But there's a lof of baggage with that, too: Black Jack Tarr's way of calling Shang-Chi "Chinaman," Leiko Wu as the femme fatale, the whole notion of Shang-Chi essentially turning his back on his Chinese heritage in favor of British imperialists.
- About all they did use from the Doug Moench/Paul Gulacy series was Razorfist ... and they were smart enough to give him a retractable blade, and only on his right arm.
- One thing I did like: Shang-Chi's mother was Chinese. In the comics origin story, we are told his mother is a an American, and white, an editorial call made by Stan Lee himself on the ground that it made Shang-Chi "relatable." This makes absolutely no sense to me. It never made Shang-Chi more "relatable" to me (but then, I suppose someone like me wasn't the target of that concern). And anyway, we saw Shang-Chi's mother exactly once -- in the final issue of the original run. So if Shang-Chi's mother being a white American was important to the story, why did we go 10 whole years without seeing her?
- In the movie, Shang-Chi's mother WAS an important part of the story, a being even more powerful than his father. That was cool, when they first met, playing their introductory battle as a seduction -- and dear old (future) dad got his butt kicked, but good.
- Simu Liu was fine as Shang-Chi, but, as ever, Awkwafina stole the show as his best friend Katy.
- Best friend, not "love interest." Very good.
- A real surprise seeing Wong here, moonlighting from the Doctor Strange movies.
- The fight on the bus! Straight out of Jackie Chan!
- Speaking of Awkwafina, she provided a "Scenes I Always Wanted to See." It was the moment when Katy and Shang-Chi had to escape from the hordes of assassins in Macao, and the only way out was to run across the rickety scaffolding conveniently placed along one side of the high-rise building ... and she was too scared to do it! Of course she would be! Any civilian would be! 'Of course, Shang-Chi talked her into it -- I mean, the hordes of assassins would have killed them right then and there -- but I liked that bit of reality because what immediately followed was Shang-Chi and the hordes of assassins battling on that rickety scaffolding 30 stories in the air.
- Another surprise: Trevor Slattery, the actor who posed as The Mandarin!
- It seemed he was here just so the filmmakers could apologize through him for how they bollixed up using The Mandarin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in Iron Man 3. Not just him, but Wenwu also complained about it.
- Trevor's explanation of how Planet of the Apes inspired him to become an actor was wonderfully loopy.
- Everyone's reaction to hearing him tell that story was wonderful, period.
- Another welcome surprise: Michelle Yeoh!
- And dragons!
- Which proved to be too much of a good thing. As I also often say, most movies I see could stand to be a half-hour shorter, and this one certainly qualifies.
- Also speaking of Awkwafina: She had a nice story arc as an overeducated slacker who rises to the occasion and becomes a hero. But it was also a good move on the movie's part to acknowledge, and for Katy to say, that she became a master archer with all of one day's training.
- It wouldn't be a Marvel movie if there wasn't a mid-credits scene setting up another Marvel movie, would it?
Replies
The reason why I wanted to start a thread on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: An enterprising bus operator for Bay Area Rapid Transit does a moment-by-moment breakdown of the bus scene on Twitter, and it's hilarious.
https://twitter.com/that_mc/status/1459613123590066180
I'd love to contribute, CK, but the missus and I aren't going to movies until COVID subsides. So we haven't seen MOKF Shang-Chi, which just last Friday dropped on Disney+. When we get a chance to watch it, I'll return with some thoughts.
Like Cap, I’m not back at the movie houses yet. Due to my late wife’s extended illnesses and COVID, I haven’t been back since 2017. Also, their prices are through the roof.
As I've said a time or two before, I believe movies are movies and comics are comics, so Iget why this version of the Shang-Chi story doesn't include a lot of what's in Master of Kung Fu. I've got the original run and have read it many times over, so I fully recognize there's a lot in there that's problematic
I bailed on comics for a decade in 1979, so I wasn’t around for the entire run. Taking so many things from the comics out of the story was necessary, more changes than any other Marvel property. Great skill was involved in still producing a great movie with a powerful antagonist.
Bond-esque stuff with MI-6 and spycraft and "the games of deceit and death."
I was reminded that agent Jimmy Woo, beloved by viewers of WandaVision, was first seen by readers of our generation in Master of Kung Fu. He started in Yellow Claw in the 50s.
One thing I did like: Shang-Chi's mother was Chinese. In the comics origin story, we are told his mother is a an American, and white, an editorial call made by Stan Lee himself on the ground that it made Shang-Chi "relatable."
Stan Lee may have ordered it, but he may have been ordered to do so. Stan never ran the company. The TV series Kung Fu began before the Master of Kung Fu comic book. It starred David Carradine as a guy with a Caucasian father and Asian mother.
In the movie, Shang-Chi's mother WAS an important part of the story, a being even more powerful than his father. That was cool, when they first met, playing their introductory battle as a seduction -- and dear old (future) dad got his butt kicked, but good.
The mother and all of the female parts in the movie were well-cast and well-written.
Simu Liu was fine as Shang-Chi, but, as ever, Awkwafina stole the show as his best friend Katy.
Awkwafina always steals every scene she’s in wherever she appears.
Another surprise: Trevor Slattery, the actor who posed as The Mandarin!
It seemed he was here just so the filmmakers could apologize through him for how they bollixed up using The Mandarin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in Iron Man 3. Not just him, but Wenwu also complained about it.
Trevor's explanation of how Planet of the Apes inspired him to become an actor was wonderfully loopy.
Everyone's reaction to hearing him tell that story was wonderful, period.
This, like Awkwafina’s wonderful reactions, gave the movie some needed lighter moments.
The reason why I wanted to start a thread on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: An enterprising bus operator for Bay Area Rapid Transit does a moment-by-moment breakdown of the bus scene on Twitter, and it's hilarious.
https://twitter.com/that_mc/status/1459613123590066180
Pretty enjoyable. It’s been pointed out that a portrayal of any job in the movies or on TV will be called out to one degree of another by people who actually have those jobs.
I watched it on Disney Plus and agree with most of the points made above. A fun movie but definitely not Master of Kung Fu as we know it from the comic book series. CK hit it on the head about movies being about a half hour too long. For me the last half hour or so was my least favorite part of the movie - the requisite threat to end all life followed by a massive CGI battle.
Richard Willis said:
Too bad the studio chickened out on casting Bruce Lee in that role.
doc photo said:
Yeah. The results aren't as bad as Jonah Hex, which took a spaghetti Western on paper and made a mess of things. Master of Kung Fu the comic was mostly a spy movie on paper; why wasn't that good enough?
After watching it with my daughter and her husband I explained that the comic book was primarily an espionage series. I related a couple of plotlines from the comics including the Mordillo's Island story and they thought those sounded good enough to be adapted to film.