Marvel sure likes San Francisco, huh? Venom, Ant-Man, Shang-Chi … who knew my back yard was filled with such oddity? (Aside, of course, from every non-San Franciscan American) The question in my mind is: “Why?” Why all the comic book love for The City by the Bay? It is that we accept the supernatural from San Francisco more easily than when it occurs in other cities? Is it a statement about San Franciscans themselves? What do the graphic novels say? Is this the result of truest-to-life depiction? Or is there a more practical reason like “San Francisco is easily recognizable” or “San Francisco isn’t shy about filming permits” or, quite simply, “San Francisco is a great place to set a film?” Whatever the reason, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is yet another Marvel hero representin’ The City and we couldn’t be prouder.
The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman hurts in many ways, but one of the more subtle ones is the place where Marvel lost its best representative of color. No one can be surprised that the role of The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) has been emphasized to fill some of that gap. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is another spackle job, big picture speaking. But I’d be remiss in dismissing the film on that score because 1) While demographics can be a determining factor, nobody makes a major movie solely for the sake of demographics and 2) As in “The Falcon & the Winter Soldier,” even when some motivation revolves around demographics, Marvel Studios still makes quality stuff a lot more often than it doesn’t.
Shaun (aka Shang-Chi) is actually not the possessor of the mystical and powerful ten rings. That honor belongs to his father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung), who has lived for a thousand years thanks to the rings and a constant lust for power. The rings themselves are little more than an artifact with amorphous power. With the rings, you can fly and build shields and attack with energetic force and make weapons and serve brunch or whatever. I imagine when battle is not taking place, the rings are content to walk the dog and do your taxes and catch up on Netflix. In this way, they remind me of Green Lantern, whose power is an artifact that makes anything happen that can be imagined. Seeing how the rings turned his father into something of a monster, teenage Shang-Chi ran away from home and changed his name to “Shaun.” (Quite the departure, kid. And yes, the film makes fun of that.)
Together, Shaun and Katy (Awkwafina) are “living the dream” which amounts to parking cars at an upscale hotel on Nob Hill. Being both hilarious and a newly celebrated actress, Awkwafina is a perfect lay observer when the Marvel world invades, which it does when Shaun has to defend himself on Muni (what, no cable car?). The attacks start slowly, so we the audience –as voiced by 
Awkwafina- get a good look at Simu Liu’s impressive martial arts display. Gradually, I say “gradually,” but there’s nothing gradual about a bus that its loses brakes in hilly downtown San Francisco, the fight escalates until Shaun is battling the ultimate handi-capable dude: a ripped kung fu behemoth who has a small sword where his right arm ought to be.
It’s only a matter of time now before Shang-Chi and dear old monster dad have a reunion and the Ten Rings can start being part of the story.
Have you ever seen Tropic Thunder? It’s the film where Robert Downey Jr. plays a method-acting Aussie in turn playing an African-American sergeant in the Vietnam War. It’s quite funny even if occasionally straddling the line between non-PC and PC-acceptable because of tongue-in-cheek fourth wall breaks. In Tropic Thunder, Downey’s character’s character gives us the immortal non-PC line, “never go full retard” in criticizing a fellow actor for being too method. And in the spirit of that commentary, I share this advice: never go full CGI. It’s ok when Awkwafina is cracking wise about CGI idiocy and it’s even OK when Simu Liu is using martial arts while battling a CGI attack. But when you get Simu Liu riding a dragon battling another dragon in the air and using a CGI attack and receiving a CGI attack … that’s it, you went full CGI and you lost me. Unfortunately, such describes much of the last thirty minutes of movie. It is a shame, because Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a darn good film up to that point.
With diversity, I ain’t got a beef
Representation is necessary, to be brief
Don’t want to be a pooper
But when it comes to things Super
Where is the vehicle for Apache Chief?
Rated PG-130, 132 Minutes
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writing: Dave Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham
Genre: Superhero?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People looking for some more color among The Avengers
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Foes of CGI
