MCU Good Part

Shang-Chi

Current rank: 6 of 33

Before rewatch:

• Scenes I love: Mom/Dad meet-cute fight  Bus fight.  Michelle Yeoh/Shang-Chi fight.  Dad/Shang-Chi final fight.  Karaoke.  One of the only Marvel movies where the fights are the best part, because the fights actually are the character beats.

• Expectations: Maybe this is only high up because I’m Chinese.  I don’t care.

Rewatch stats:

• Time to process: 26:00

• Length of cut scenes: 13:05

• Length of iffy scenes: 28:22

• Length of total movie: 2:12:06

• % with cut scenes: 90%

• % with iffy scenes: 69%

• Hero scenes kept: 77%

• Villain scenes kept: 60%

• Action scenes kept: 86%

• Time of scenes I love: 30:22

After rewatch: I didn’t cut much, but a lot of the flashback scenes are iffy, and the dragon/demon fight at the end is so unnecessary; ending it w/ the Mandarin fight would have been way better and appropriate for a movie so centered on the parent/child relationship.  (Xialing deserved some catharsis as well.)

Eternals

Current rank: 31 of 33

Before rewatch:

• Scenes I love: Hard pressed to think of a single thing.  I do like watching Angelina Jolie kick ass, those might make it.  There’s one scene in Mesopotamia or something where it would have been awesome if it were the X-Men.  Maybe that?

• Expectations: This might be worse than Hulk.  Can’t see a world where this gets better.

Rewatch stats:

• Time to process: 50 mins

• Length of cut scenes: 1:40:35

• Length of iffy scenes: 15:29

• Length of total movie: 2:35:34

• % with cut scenes: 35%

• % with iffy scenes: 25%

• Hero scenes kept: 33%

• Villain scenes kept: 40%

• Action scenes kept: 45%

• Time of scenes I love: 0:00

After rewatch: Well, Eternals is pretty much tied w/ Hulk for % of movie that’s watchable.  There’s a surprising amount of watchable stuff; some good battles, some character beats where they’re a fun family to watch.  But director Chloe Zhao failed to make these characters very likeable, which is really priority number one with a Marvel movie; we need to want to see these people again in future movies.  Total fail.  Actually, there’s probably something they could do w/ Makkari, Druig (a total dick, but an intriguing one), and Phastos.  And Thena, Angelina Jolie rules.

1. Avengers: Endgame

2. Captain America: Civil War

3. Captain America: Winter Soldier

4. Avengers: Infinity War

5. Shang-Chi

6. Avengers: Age of Ultron

7. Ant-Man/Wasp

8. Avengers

9. Spider-Man: Homecoming

10. Captain America

11. Spider-Man: Far From Home

12. Iron Man 2

13. Black Widow

14. Black Panther

15. Iron Man

16. Ant-Man

17. Dr Strange

18. Iron Man 3

19. Thor 3

20. Captain Marvel

21. Thor

22. Thor 2

23. Guardians of the Galaxy

24. Guardians of the Galaxy 2

25. Hulk

26. Eternals

Secret Avengers, Shang-Chi

Secret Avengers 6-12

I thought that introducing Shang-Chi to the mix and getting off of Mars would give Ed Brubaker a chance to reset and get back on track.  Also, Mike Deodato drawing awesome martial arts battles sounded like a no-brainer.  

Alas, no.  More mystical BS as the Shadow Council tries to bring Shang-Chi’s father back to life.  And on top of that, Deodato doesn’t have his usual stuff here.  

And apparently Shang-Chi is sexist as well.

And final insult to injury, Brubaker spends two whole issues on a John Steele flashback.  Who’s John Steele?  Good question, I have no idea.  Some super-soldier from the past whom I’ve already forgotten.  Sigh.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Shang-Chi 1-5

By coincidence, this series that comes nine years after that Secret Avengers story is almost a direct sequel, referencing both the death of Shang-Chi’s father (again), and the Eyes of the Dragon, the MacGuffin.  

I really wanted this to be better than it was.  I had high hopes for writer Gene Luen Yang, but this is the equivalent of the generic, grainy 70’s kung fu flick that’s indistinguishable from the hundreds of other ones out there.  

I can't not read this with Adam Driver's voice:

Best moment from the comics.

Still looking for that killer Shang-Chi comic, ‘cause I’d read the crap out of it.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Shang-Chi movie

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.

1. Avengers: Endgame

2. Captain America: Civil War

3. Captain America: Winter Soldier

4. Ant Man/Wasp

5. Avengers: Infinity War

6. Shang-Chi

7. Black Panther

8. Captain America: First Avenger

9. Spider-Man: Homecoming

10. Avengers

11. Spider-Man: Far From Home

12. Thor 3

13. Avengers: Age of Ultron

14. Black Widow

15. Captain Marvel

16. Ant-Man

17. Iron Man 1

18. Iron Man 3

19. Doctor Strange

20. Iron Man 2

21. Guardians 1

22. Guardians 2

23. Thor

24. Hulk

25. 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

Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, New comics, Box summary

New comics!

Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity 7

More of the same, which isn’t bad.  Looking forward to reading this all at once.

Captain Marvel 25

Same comment here.  Lee Garbett can draw the heck out of a good action scene.

Shang-Chi 5

A total letdown of a series, I’m probably not going to keep this after the re-read.  There was one little bit that I liked:

Strange Adventures 8

We’re two thirds of the way through, and finally starting to get somewhere.  It’s fun to see Batman not be good at something.

Astonishing X-Men 19-24

The X-Men on Breakworld.  They hate on Agent Brand, Armor becomes a full-fledged X-Man, and Whedon uses telepathy in a way that I’ve never seen before.  It catches me by surprise every time I read it, and it’s absolutely brilliant.

The original two-page scene.

One issue later.

God, it's brilliant.

Everyone else is wrong, Peter is hilarious.

This would work even better as a filmed cut.

Scott is channeling Giles here.

More excellent optic blast coloring by Laura Martin.

Joss letting them be happy is a clear sign something bad's going to happen to one of them.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men 1

The conclusion of the Breakworld arc and Whedon/Cassaday’s run.  (How in the world did Cassasday maintain a regular schedule?  Ah, it was basically bi-monthly.)

Kitty sacrifices everything to save the world.  It’s absolutely heartbreaking.  I didn’t even want to cry at the end, I just felt hollow and silent inside.  I have a lot to say about how Joss Whedon’s use of death often feels less plot-driven and more emotionally manipulative, but when he does it right, there’s no one better at it.  Nothing will ever surpass Buffy’s The Body, but this is close.  

I never realized until now that Peter's mirroring Kitty's body language.

The world is a horrible, mean, cruel place and no one will be happy ever again.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure joy (In a “makes me want to die of sadness” kind of way.)

Box summary

Time spent reading: 21 hours 41 minutes

Issues read: 196

Issues cut: 24

Highlights (Good or better): New X-Men 114-126, Messiah Complex, Second Coming, Whedon/Cassaday Astonishing X-Men 

Project Summary:

Time spent reading: 32 days, 23 hours, 19 minutes

Issues read: 6769

Issues cut: 839