In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, enraged Shang-Chi, the trained perfect assassin, played by compassionate, charismatic Simu Liu, asks his Auntie Jiang Nan how his mother, Li defeated his father, Wenwu in combat. Jiang Nan is played by Michelle Yeoh with sublime gravitas. Jiang Nan teaches her nephew in the amazing kung fu display.
She deflects Shang-Chi’s powerful strike. Then she gently opens Shang-Chi’s clenched fist with her hand. She says, “You are your mother. And whether you like it or not, you are also your father.” Shang-Chi must accept the lightness and darkness within himself. Only then, can he let go.
Wise Jiang Nan reminds her nephew, “Everything you need is already inside you.” What Shang-Chi seeks lies within. Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba said, “True victory is victory over oneself.” In Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the evil Wenwu, played by compelling Tony Leung, is not Shang-Chi’s greatest enemy. Shang-Chi’s greatest enemy is himself. That’s the poignant hero’s journey of the screenplay by Dave Callaham, Andrew Lanham, and Daniel based on the Marvel comic book by Steve Engleheart and Jim Starlin.
Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu was my favorite superhero when I was 12 years old. At the time, I didn’t get the significance of an Asian Superhero. “Master of Kung Fu” occurred as the aftermath of the late Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon. Bruce Lee was the biggest movie star on Planet Earth in 1973. He became the transcendent martial arts Superstar after his untimely death.
Now in 2021, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first movie about an Asian Superhero. A groundbreaking cultural landmark. Director Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) tells the timeless Hero story of transcendence and self-discovery with pathos, a sense of humor, and the distinct Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon vibe. Destin’s narrative spans over a thousand years.
Destin’s visual narrative is breathtaking. He generates a new spin on the movie Speed with Awkwafina as Shaun’s aka Shang-Chi’s best friend Katy driving a bus through the streets of San Francisco, while Shaun battles sword-wielding Razor Fist, played with menacing vigor by Florian Munteanu (Creed 2). Destin orchestrates the electrifying fighting sequence as Shaun faces Wenwu’s assassins on the scaffolding on the Macau skyscraper. Martial artist Simu executes high-flying jumps, punches, and kicks reminiscent of Jackie Chan. The Wushu Kung Fu courtship of Tony’s Wenwu and the graceful Li, played by strong stunning Fala Chen, in the lofty Tao Lo forests is sublime eloquence.
The malevolent Chinese Warlord Wenwu possesses the Ten Rings that came from another world. The Ten Rings empower Wenwu with invincible warrior prowess. He created his empire over the ages, assuming various personas, given that he’s immortal. One of those personas was the Mandarin, who was impersonated by comical actor Trevor Slattery, played by the great Ben Kingsley, appearing in “Iron Man 3”.
On his quest, Wenwu falls in love with Li. Li forsakes both her immense power and Tao Lo to marry Wenwu. They have a family, son Shang-Chi and daughter Xialing, played by strong, beautiful Meng’er Zhang. Wenwu forsakes his treacherous past in his new life. Still, he trains Shang-Chi to become the perfect assassin, the perfect weapon at his command. Young Shang-Chi endures the relentless training, becoming master of the martial arts.
Shang-Chi finds solace in his loving Mother Li. In a touching Tai Chi lesson, Li instructs her son to see the lightness and darkness within himself. The lightness and darkness that we all possess within. Tragically, Wenwu’s violent past renews and Li’s life is forfeit. Shang-Chi helplessly witnessed his Mother’s heinous demise.
Wenwu sends 16-year-old Shang-Chi on his first assignment, to kill a man. Shang-Chi promises his younger sister Xialing, played by Elodie Fong, that he will come back for her. The suffering Xialing waited for her brother, who didn’t return for her. Shang-Chi betrayed her.
After his mission, Shang-Chi escapes to the US as Shaun. His best friend is Katy, played by whimsically soulful Awkwafina. Katy, who has a degree from Berkeley, and Shaun, who speaks 3 languages, are parking attendants at a hotel in San Francisco. They sing karaoke at night while reveling in their seemingly dead-end jobs.
That all goes amok when Razor Fist and his assassins attack Shaun and Katy on the bus. Shaun reveals as the martial arts master Shang-Chi, whose Father is the most reviled man on the Planet. That path leads Shang-Chi and Katy to Macau to reunite with his powerful unforgiving sister Xialing.
Near the end, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings veers into the bizarre including the return to Tao Lo and its fierce Dragon Protector. Still, that doesn’t distract from Destin’s authentic narrative of family, love, and acceptance. Tony Leung leverages touching nuance. His Wenwu is the villain, yet everything he did was for love, for Li. He’s imperfectly human.
At the heart of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Michelle Yeoh’s Jiang Nan, who tells Shang-Chi, “Everything you need is already inside you.” We all have good and bad, lightness and darkness within ourselves. We discover that balance within. That’s the meaningful message of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Just saying.
Watch the official trailer:
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Photo credit: Shutterstock, modified