Yes, Disney has given us Mulan and Kung Fu Panda, plus Raya and the Last Dragon earlier this year - so they’re not afraid of taking on, and ‘contracting’, the Asian flu. And it was their sister company, Marvel, with its superhero genre, that could be historically called, ‘minorities-shy’. But with the unparalleled success of Black Panther, and cognizant of how big a chunk China is in the global market, it didn’t come as that much of a surprise, to find Marvel was finally ready to embark on a superhero film with a true Asian lead character.
And so we have Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hitting the screens of our reopened cinemas on Nov. 24. Despite the pre-opening fear and trepidation expressed by a good number of pundits about its chances for success, Shang Chi tracked very successfully when it debuted in the USA - and has been doing just as well in every global market it’s opened in. Without a doubt, the Philippines will love Shang Chi (Simu Liu); as beyond the Asian lineage, it’s Marvel getting back on form, giving us massive doses of action and fantasy.
No spoilers here so let me just say that if it’s themes of family, the ‘Am I my Father’s Son, or my Mother’s son’ duality and conflict; if it’s about identity, tradition, and inheritance - about desertion or sticking together - they’re all here in Shang Chi. This Marvel adventure will pull the strings of all these themes and more. And interspersed within these compelling, teleserye notes; we’ll find action sequences that aim to impress. It doesn’t matter that you’ll think, Crouching Tiger here, Nobody and a fight scene on a moving bus there, or Jacky Chan and a construction site there - while they may have served as inspiration for these action scenes, they’re bigger and brighter here in Shang Chi.
And just like Black Panther, after the prologue of Chinese history, mythical characters and kingdoms, we open with our incognito hero, somewhere in the USA. Of course, it isn’t long before we’re whisked (via Macau), to the secret kingdom of Ta Lo - serving as the Wakanda of this film. They’re worlds apart (thankfully); but they do impress upon us that the writers have tried to blend legend with ‘today’, to make the second half of the film turn into a mind trip/fantasy adventure.
Awkwafina as Shang Chi’s best friend in America, and Meng’er Zhang as Xialing (Shang Chi’s younger sister), are part of the surprising salute to women empowerment - a nice surprise, given that this is a film with a male superhero as lead character. In fact; once again, this is reminiscent of what transpires in Black Panther.
I know it’s not fair to keep referring to Black Panther, or call this Our Black Panther. If anything, it was Raya that actually incorporated Philippine elements. But this definitely will keep this side of the world excited - I especially liked how the beginning placed Shang/Shawn’s character squarely as one of those fresh off the boat immigrants. What is nice to acknowledge is how successful this is anywhere it’s showing, proving that Marvel seems to have got its moxie back with this film - a fresh origins story of a superhero who has captured the imagination of a broad global audience.
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