Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | Hollywood Movie Review | MOVIE INSERT

There is an instant thrill in having thissupersized superhero Marvel movie, begin with a voiceover in Mandarin,as Tony Leung steps into frame. One of the world’s great actors,Leung exerts an effortless majesty. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,he plays Wenwu, an immortal who possesses10 rings with enormous occult power. Wenwu, also known as The Mandarin, headsa criminal organization called The Ten Rings, which was introduced in the first Iron Man movie. He is a man tormented byan insatiable lust for power, which somehow gets submergedunder his love for his wife, but then resurfaces after her death assomething even more twisted and vicious. Wenwu is one of the more tragic villains in the MCU and Leung plays him with this melancholic charismathat doesn’t let up, even in the climactic battle in which several CGI creatures snarland prey and hold themselves at each other. He is one of the many pleasures in this film. The other is Awkwafina, who provides the film’scomedy quotient as Shang-Chi’s best friend Katy. Katy is the smart, goofy, non-judgmental, open-to-any-adventure buddy that dreams are made of. Awkwafina gives her a boisterous energy andpracticality that offsets the heavy-duty family tragedy. Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing areWenwu’s estranged, damaged children. Shang-Chi is living the slacker life in San Francisco,where he works as a valet along with Katy. Xialing is running an underground fight club in Macau. He left home at 14 and she at 16.But now daddy wants them back.  Early in the film, director Destin DanielCretton and fight coordinator Andy Cheng construct a show stopping action sequence on a bus. It plays like a mash-up of Speed with a sanitizedversion of the subway fight scene in The Raid 2. A man with a machete for anarm literally cuts the bus in half,  while Katy drives and Shang-Chi breaks outthe fight moves he learned as a child when his father was training himto be a world-class assassin. It’s funny and exhilarating andso packed with adrenalin, that everything that comes after,seems just a little bit lame. The film showcases various types of martial artsand some of the action borders on lyrical. An early sequence in which Wenwu fightshand-to-hand and falls in love with Jiang Li, the only warrior who's ever defeatedhim, honestly feels like foreplay. It reminded me of that sensuoussword fight in Jodhaa Akbar and the synchronized archery ofBaahubali 2: The Conclusion. There’s also a terrific bit of combat onthe scaffolding of a high-rise building. The film sets up Xialing as a fearsomefighter, just like her brother. She is also as much a victim. But ultimately, this remains his story and she,despite her prowess, remains a supporting player. The sublime Michelle Yeoh playsXialing’s aunt, who is also a skilled fighter. This family drama keeps Shang-Chiand the Legend of the Ten Rings afloat. Cretton, who co-wrote the script with David Callahamand Andrew Lanham, wisely keeps it at the forefront. As with every MCU movie, the fateof the world hangs in the balance, but the spectacle is grounded in emotional stakes. This is the ultimate dysfunctional family brimmingwith rage, abuse, resentment and abandonment. Wenwu can’t escape his past.Nor can he conquer his grief. There is no healing for him or his children. At over two hours, Shang-Chi and theLegend of the Ten Rings stretches its limits. The film is too long and there arepassages that lumber rather than sprint. Especially the interminable last battle inwhich the CGI overwhelms everything else. This is the 25th film in the MCU and it’s gettingharder to be dazzled by these endgame scenarios. Eventually, all the creatures blur into a fog of pixels. But mostly, Cretton manages to deftlyjuggle the film’s multiple responsibilities. Shang-Chi is the MCU’s first Asianlead and like Black Panther, this film carries the weight of the departure fromthe all-white pantheon of Marvel superheroes. The writing doesn’t have thedepth or the heft of that film. And while Simu Liu as Shang-Chi is likeableand effective, especially in the fight scenes, he can’t command the frame or summon thecomplex emotions that Leung does with such ease. Still, Shang-Chi and the Legend of theTen Rings is a strong step forward. Marvel fans looking for Eastereggs won’t be disappointed, a few beloved MCU characters make an appearanceand there are hints of what will come. I’m most excited by the possibility,that somewhere down the line, in this Phase 4 of the MCU movies,Katy and Dr. Strange will join hands. Now, that would be something. You can watch Shang-Chi and the Legendof the Ten Rings at a theater near you. Please don’t forget to wear a mask.