Year: 2021
Genre: Comic Book
So 'Avengers Endgame' happened. Then the Coronavirus pandemic happened.
The dust is slowly settling on what has been an incredibly unsettling couple of years. I've visited the cinema a couple of times since the end of lockdown, and both were mediocre outings at best. I was beginning to loose faith in the big screen experience, but that was until today when we went to watch 'Shang Chi' at the Light Cinema in Walsall. Let me explain why.
'Legend of the Ten Rings' is the first real phase four Marvel film that's been released that isn't a prequel set prior to the events of 'Avengers Endgame'. 'Black Widow' felt a bit limp. You already knew the fate of the protagonist, and the vehicle Scarlett Johansson was given to drive home the plight of her character felt like it was permanently stuck in second gear. Here however, we have a film that is set post Endgame, honestly an era I thought I had very little emotional investment in or desire to learn about. People know of Thanos. People know half of the population dissapeared.I felt like Marvel was done and dusted, and that was it. Today however, I felt an uncanny connection with the characters who talked about 'the time before', as they referenced their lives before Thanos and I remembered how I watched 'Endgame' before the pandemic happened. Yes, a bit melodramatic I know, but only being honest here.
This film honestly restored my faith in the popcorn cinema experience and the Marvel universe post Covid-19. Where can I start?
Well, the first thing I want to mention are the fight scenes of the first and second act. As an observation of modern cinema, authentically choreographed martial arts films seem very much a product of the 1970's and early 1980's. Here we have the first big screen Marvel outing post Corona. About half an hour into the film, the audience are gifted with one of the best actions sequences I've seen in a very, very long time sat in a cinema chair. It was at that moment the film sucked me in, and I knew Marvel studios were back to their best. They're once again injecting fresh content into their films whilst not straying too far from their tried and tested formula of big screen spectacle blended with characters you actually care about.
'Shang Chi' is the Asian audience members 'Black Panther'. Honestly, I cannot emphasize that enough. Throughout the film, there were themes I have noticed that are specific to Asian film making, in particular that of the overbearing parent and the pressure to succeed in life from your elders. Not only were there socialogical themes, visually the film contained so many references to Chinese popular culture at one point the protagonist rides around on the back of a dragon lifted straight out of your local takeaways 2021 calendar. I kid you not.
I have mixed emotions regarding the films final act. The choreographed fight scenes take a back seat, and Marvel goes down the smashy crashy CGI laden final big battle, much as in 'Endgame' but on a lot smaller scale. While at the time I realised on an emotional level this is something I had REALLY missed about the cinematic experience, looking back on it I wish they had toned down the CGI at bit, and kept the emphasis on the fight scenes. They felt incredibly fresh, like something you don't get to see very much of these days with so much CGI in modern popcorn cinema.
Characterization is also a mixed bag, but I'm only nit picking at this point. Both Simu Liu, and Awkwafina are honestly excellent in this film, I couldn't fault their roles. Liu provides the melancholic moments and his costar provides the comic relief. When they are both on screen, it's the perfect package. For some reason however, there's this really awkward shoehorn of a character (I won't mention who it is) that's REALLY shoehorned in for extra comic relief, and it doesn't work. It really doesn't. But that's nit picking. The rest of the casting is perfect.
Overall, an exellent return to form for Marvel studios, and it felt good to once again experience proper popcorn cinema after such a long draught. Five stars.
