![]() But his journey as a hero takes second place to his journey as a son who is in pain over the loss of his mom and aching for his family to be together, and Simu Liu presents a sublime balance of these facets, making him truly a multi-layered character like his father. ![]() He, who was trained to be a killer, struggles to grow beyond the shadow of his father, which forms a crucible for him to earn his place not only as a hero but also one who will probably have a great impact on the future of the universe. On the other hand, Shang-Chi is a character who is in many ways like his father, but with his own distinct personality. Props to Tony Leung for his masterful portrayal of the character, giving him a dimensionality not frequently seen in Marvel. The film does a lot of interesting things with Wenwu hearing his wife call to him, setting up a potentially powerful presentation of a man suffering from loneliness and with too much power on his hands, but instead takes a decidedly more 'safe', though not uninteresting route. In this case, it's his dead wife, who was an anchor to him towards being a decent man. Yet behind all his bravado and his power, he is much like any man, yearning to be with his family. Yet that is not particularly grating, as this man - Wenwu - shows a clear mastery in using them, and has a cunning, power-mad streak to him that the series has not seen in a human character since Obadaiah Stane in the very first Iron Man. In this case, we refer to the ten rings he wears on his hands rather than his fingers, and which don't necessarily have the same level of oomph as the ten rings from the comics. Speaking of the Mandarin, the movie takes, as it has before, its own spin on the character and his abilities. What followed was (almost) two hours of what is effectively one of the best Asian-centric action movies I have seen in years, and 20 minutes of that movie, which had till then an almost eclectic mixture of comedy, drama, melancholy and action all bundled together bumble like an infant as it fell into the trap of fighting CGI monsters, making me feel truly sad - this movie could have been so much more if it focussed on Shang-Chi and his father, the real Mandarin (not the actor from Iron Man 3). ![]() This was most apparent when the Marvel Studios scroll played at the beginning of my screening, actually making me think for one second that "yep, the movie drought is hopefully coming to an end". Shang-Chi is not necessarily a character a lot of people know about unlike Iron Man, but then again, neither were the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Marvel has, by this point, made it almost second nature to get people to be glued to the movie. Well, I say mundane, but that's merely in comparison to its last known solo character film, Captain Marvel, to say nothing of the event that was Endgame (though, strictly saying, these two cannot be compared on face value). Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is not just the first Asian-centric film in the MCU, filled with amazing use of Asian culture, it's also one of its most remarkably mundane efforts. Cast: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |