[MCU P4] Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings

[Grifman]

Got back from seeing it with my 15 yr son. He didn't like it at all. I thought it was an ok Marvel movie. We both agreed that the last 1/3 of the movie was the worst part. Too predictable and unbelievable.

I totally agree. It really lost me when they moved into the fantasy world. What confused me was

Spoiler:

Shang-Chi having to almost die in the lake to find out they had a dragon to help them in their fight! They called it "our dragon" but it just laid at the bottom of the lake and they didn't call for it's help against the 10 Ring attackers or the Soul Eater? That just made no sense whatsoever. How did they forget they had a dragon?

I understand that there's a lot of crazy over the top stuff in Marvel movies but for whatever reason, this just didn't resonate with me.

[Hrothgar]

I took my older kids to see this over the weekend. We all enjoyed it. Sure it sticks to the Marvel origin story formula, but it works with charming characters and a new setting. I enjoyed the dive into Chinese mythology. The more grounded martial arts fights were great. The finale was over the top. I enjoyed the spectacle.

I thought the way they tied the themes of destiny and family through the film worked well otherwise we could have gotten lost in all the flashbacks.

[msteelers]

Heads up, this is on Disney+ now. We watched it and it was excellent!

[Jaymann]

Heads up, this is on Disney+ now. We watched it and it was excellent!

That works for me, thanks!

[hepcat]

I watched it last night. Honestly, I think I'm also getting burned out on superhero movies as I really found myself having to force myself to pay attention. This one follows the same formula (more or less) than all the others and I would rate it the same as Black Widow in that while I enjoyed some of it, I don't think I'll ever watch it again.

James Gunn and Taika Waititi are the only two making these films that I really enjoy these days. That's because they don't feel like formula driven events. The former has even shown that he wants to shake things up by incorporating other genres into his work. See The Suicide Squad for an example (it's a war film, basically). The latter because he's going for comedy and he's skilled enough to make it work.

I do hold out hope that Sam Raimi's Dr. Strange movie does something similar with superheroes and horror, which is what he's supposedly going for.

Another thing I was thinking while watching Shang-Chi was that I'd really rather be watching an actual Asian action film rather than Hollywood's take on an Asian action film. They usually go all out and they're so over the top that they're just plain fun. See The Witch Part 1: The Subversion on Netflix for an example.

[Carpet_pissr]

Got back from seeing it with my 15 yr son. He didn't like it at all. I thought it was an ok Marvel movie. We both agreed that the last 1/3 of the movie was the worst part. Too predictable and unbelievable.

?! ‘Predictable and unbelievable’ are cornerstones of Marvel movies! Were you expecting Citizen Kane? :p

Watched it last night with son and thought it was fine as a Marvel movie. Very safe, very predictable.

I’m neither a Marvel-head (if that’s a thing) nor very well versed in Asian pop culture, but even I noticed this was an overt (borderline ham-fisted?) attempt to draw the Asian market.

That’s not inherently good or bad, but it was just very obvious that they were trying VERY HARD. just saying that if someone like me noticed, they may have gone a bit over the top.

[AWS260]

I mean, I noticed it was set partly in Asia and had a lot of Asian people.

[Kasey Chang]

Real SF Muni Driver comments on the bus fight scene in Shang-Chi and pointed out some problems...

Spoiler:

That's not how airbrakes work...

[hepcat]

Spoiler:

i mean, the whole movie is not even how physics works.

[Kasey Chang]

Spoiler:

i mean, the whole movie is not even how physics works.

Spoiler:

Or how geography works, as the fight teleported us all over SF, often far from Chinatown, and nowhere NEAR the 1 California line.

[stimpy]

Watched it last night.
Wife laughed more in this movie than any other Marvel movie.
I thought it was good, but did anyone else notice the horrendously obvious green screen shots way more than they should have been?
I mean.....I thought they had that tech down pretty good, but to me this movie was a few steps back.
It was kind of annoying and distracting in spots.

[Jaymann]

I enjoyed it but wondered why they thought Gandhi as comic relief would be a good idea. And the MCU tie in at the end was garbage.

[Sudy]

This is a gorgeous, colourful movie. The first half runs the risk of being something fresh. The latter half is a return to what I think we expect from a Marvel movie, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It reminds me a lot of Black Panther, but even though this film also tells an emotional, family tale it didn't connect with me as well. It's strange, because while I didn't love it, its shortcomings didn't really bother me. That's not a reaction I typically have... my brain usually rejects "popcorn" fare.

Credit to Simu Liu, but Tony Leung is so, so good in this. I'd much rather have watched a movie all about him.

Spoiler:

Ben Kingsley is amazing and I like the Trevor Slattery character, but I thought his appearance was contrived and he felt rather out of place here. Still, he didn't hurt the film so I just tried to enjoy him.

I would have liked more background about the villain and the evil they were guarding/fighting. As it stands it was hard to care after we've dealt with such titanic villainy in this universe already. I realize that's an obvious sentiment and the writers must have been aware, but I think they made a mistake by going so "big". E.g. they could have let the film center focus on the family conflict and just hinted at a greater evil for the sequel. Instead, they go 0-60 in an instant. To contrast, the Spider-Man films are getting it right with regard to somewhat smaller scale but high stakes villains. Though you can't compare them directly (and I know that's going to go straight to hell for Spider-Man 3). But it just felt a bit... cartoony. I can imagine a better paced, dramatic version of this story--imagine Christopher Nolan embracing colour and fantasy--that would have a lot more emotional and intellectual impact.

[Sudy]

And the MCU tie in at the end was garbage.

Yeah, what was with that? Perfunctory at best. Bread crumbs for the sake of bread crumbs. Jokes that just aren't that funny.

[stimpy]

I enjoyed it but wondered why they thought Gandhi as comic relief would be a good idea.

Did you not see Iron Man 3?

[Carpet_pissr]

But it just felt a bit... cartoony.

I wonder why?! :p

Not sure it’s fair to criticize a movie based on a literal cartoon/comic for not being Citizen Kane. :p

For me personally, the Marvel movies I’ve enjoyed the most were the ones where they took themselves and the content, the least seriously.

On the other end, I’ve got a neighbor buddy(ish) that takes EVERYthing that Marvel puts out super seriously, to the point that he models his life around the ethos.

Instead of just “Jesus and John Wayne”, this guy embodies “Jesus, John Wayne and Captain America”

[AWS260]

I thought it was good, but did anyone else notice the horrendously obvious green screen shots way more than they should have been?
I mean.....I thought they had that tech down pretty good, but to me this movie was a few steps back.
It was kind of annoying and distracting in spots.

This VFX YouTube channel made a video about Shang-Chi. (Although they filmed it with the movie's VFX director, so they're not critical at all.) It always interests me to see just how much CGI goes into modern action movies.

[Jaymann]

I enjoyed it but wondered why they thought Gandhi as comic relief would be a good idea.

Did you not see Iron Man 3?

I did not. Did they put Kingsley in a robot suit?

[hepcat]

No, he voiced a talking talking bear named Trevor. He was Tony Stark's best friend as a child and reappeared to Stark in his 30s to help him through a tough time after he found out Manimal was only ever on for one season.

[pr0ner]

This is a gorgeous, colourful movie. The first half runs the risk of being something fresh. The latter half is a return to what I think we expect from a Marvel movie, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It reminds me a lot of Black Panther, but even though this film also tells an emotional, family tale it didn't connect with me as well. It's strange, because while I didn't love it, its shortcomings didn't really bother me. That's not a reaction I typically have... my brain usually rejects "popcorn" fare.

Credit to Simu Liu, but Tony Leung is so, so good in this. I'd much rather have watched a movie all about him.

Spoiler:

Ben Kingsley is amazing and I like the Trevor Slattery character, but I thought his appearance was contrived and he felt rather out of place here. Still, he didn't hurt the film so I just tried to enjoy him.

I would have liked more background about the villain and the evil they were guarding/fighting. As it stands it was hard to care after we've dealt with such titanic villainy in this universe already. I realize that's an obvious sentiment and the writers must have been aware, but I think they made a mistake by going so "big". E.g. they could have let the film center focus on the family conflict and just hinted at a greater evil for the sequel. Instead, they go 0-60 in an instant. To contrast, the Spider-Man films are getting it right with regard to somewhat smaller scale but high stakes villains. Though you can't compare them directly (and I know that's going to go straight to hell for Spider-Man 3). But it just felt a bit... cartoony. I can imagine a better paced, dramatic version of this story--imagine Christopher Nolan embracing colour and fantasy--that would have a lot more emotional and intellectual impact.

As for the first part of your spoiler, there's a Marvel One Shot that was released in 2014 that sort of explains why he is involved in the movie.

[msteelers]

And the MCU tie in at the end was garbage.

Yeah, what was with that? Perfunctory at best. Bread crumbs for the sake of bread crumbs. Jokes that just aren't that funny.

I’m confused. What was so bad about the mid credits scene?

[Sudy]

But it just felt a bit... cartoony.

I wonder why?! :p

Not sure it’s fair to criticize a movie based on a literal cartoon/comic for not being Citizen Kane. :p

Cartoon doesn't equal comics (in my mind). Though I understand how they could be used interchangeably and I could have phrased that with more nuance. I don't mean I want every comic book film to be grounded and gritty. Just that I think I would have enjoyed a slightly more philosophical, reflective Shang-Chi.

Spoiler:

With reference to the "final boss", it just kind of came out of nowhere (at least to those of us without knowledge of this universe... but again, I get it; first films have to start somewhere). To me, it felt like a cartoon that jams what should be several episodes of development into 22 minutes.

I don't think this aspect of Shang-Chi was "bad"; only that it doesn't suit my tastes.

As for the first part of your spoiler, there's a Marvel One Shot that was released in 2014 that sort of explains why he is involved in the movie.

Thanks, I've read the synopsis in the past but I need to watch that.

Spoiler:

I was delighted to see Kingsley, I just didn't buy his explanation for being there. That Wenwu would have broken him out of prison to kill him for indirectly insulting him? A little moustache-twirly, but believable in the context of the film. That he would be spared because Wenwu's disciples adored his rendition of a Macbeth scene? Lol. Of course, Slattery's account isn't necessarily reliable, but I have a hard time believing they found him valuable enough to keep him around.

And the MCU tie in at the end was garbage.

Yeah, what was with that? Perfunctory at best. Bread crumbs for the sake of bread crumbs. Jokes that just aren't that funny.

I’m confused. What was so bad about the mid credits scene?

Only my opinion, but I think many of us are still expecting at least one of these scenes to be very meaningful or have a major reveal.

Spoiler:

Instead it just felt to me like we had Captain Marvel and Banner there for no reason other than starting to weave a new rug with these new characters. Which is enough I guess... it just didn't do anything for me. The joke about Marvel getting an emergency call and Banner not having her number also didn't really tickle me (I vaguely remember it references another scene). It just seemed like they could have written something more interesting.

[JCC]

So me and 2 buddies watched it this morning. All of us loved it. Greatly exceeded all of our expectations. Love Shang Chi and love (nearly to the point of wanting to marry) Katy! Excellent all around.

[Blackhawk]

It's on our schedule for this afternoon.