Shang-Chi
Finally able to watch this now that it’s out on Disney+. I saw this with my wife, and so much of it was filled with me exclaiming, “This is so cool!!!”
I’ve never been one to lament the lack of Asian representation in Western pop culture. (I’m Chinese, btw.) For better or for worse, it’s never been something that I’ve either noticed or desired. But with the increased scrutiny on the issue over the past couple of years, plus the terrifying jump in anti-Asian hate crimes, I must say that my heart soared to see so much Chinese-based awesomeness in a mainstream American movie, and a Marvel film to boot.
Things that were awesome:
I loved hearing so much spoken Mandarin in as big of a movie as you can imagine. (Make mine Marvel!) Director Destin Daniel Cretton didn’t shy away from having the characters speak Chinese when it made sense, instead of the English that usually happens. Not to say that there weren’t scenes where Chinese would have been more appropriate (most of the Ta Lo stuff), but there was way more than I could have reasonably expected. Kudos!
Simu Liu. Marvel casting knocks it out of the park yet again. I can’t wait to see more of him in the MCU, both in solo movies and as an Avenger.
Awkwafina always plays the same character, but I have yet to get sick of it. She’s a joy here, just as she was in Ocean’s Eight, Crazy Rich Asians, and The Farewell.
While I’m not as high on Tony Leung here as I am in some of his other movies (Hero is his apex for me), he still plays one of the more three dimensional Marvel movie villains. His motivations make sense, even though he’s in competition for Shittiest Dad Ever.
Wong! More Wong!
Who’d have thought that Ben Kingsley would be back after Iron Man 3? Such a kooky role, unlike anything else I’ve seen him do. Hilarious.
Michelle Yeoh! I would have liked way more showcasing of her martial arts skills, but the one she did have was lovely.
I was struck by the main difference between this movie and Black Widow (since it was the one right before). When thinking about the scenes that I want to rewatch from Widow, they’re all talking scenes, particularly the ones with Florence Pugh being either hilarious or emotionally devastating. The action is pretty unmemorable.
With Shang-Chi, most of the things that have stuck in my mind are the glorious, sublime fight scenes - the Zhang Yimou-esque duel in the Ta Lo grove at the beginning (I love Fala Chen now), the bus fight, the scaffolding fight, the brother/sister grudge match, the tai chi lesson with Michelle Yeoh, the final confrontation between father and son. Each one intentionally contributes to the story. Combined with lovely choreography, that’s why they linger long after viewing. (I’m assuming. I just watched it last night.)
Things that didn’t work:
Sigh, could have done without the CG creatures at the end. A fight between Shang-Chi and the Mandarin would have been sufficient, considering the emotion and quality of the choreography in this movie.
I understand the necessity, but it’s tough seeing the pain little Shang-Chi and Xialing had to endure.
I’m sure more things will come up with repeated viewing, but right now I’m pretty high on this movie.
Avengers: Endgame
Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Winter Soldier
Ant Man/Wasp
Avengers: Infinity War
Shang-Chi
Black Panther
Captain America: First Avenger
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Avengers
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Thor 3
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Black Widow
Captain Marvel
Ant-Man
Iron Man 1
Iron Man 3
Doctor Strange
Iron Man 2
Guardians 1
Guardians 2
Thor
Hulk
Thor 2
Wow, sixth? Really? Seems high, but I’m standing by it for now.
Regret watching: No
Would watch again: Yes
Would buy on DVD: Yes
Rating: Good
No comments:
Post a Comment