Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

[tv echo]

Next Level | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 22, 2021

FYI:
On the schedule for CinemaCon 2021, August 23-26, 2021 (Las Vegas, NV)...
https://cinemacon.com/schedule#horizontalTab3 

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WEDNESDAY, 25 AUGUST
*  *  *
9:30 AM - 11:45 AM

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS INVITES YOU TO A SCREENING OF MARVEL STUDIOS’ “SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS”
(Doors open 9:00am)

Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he was drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz and also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.

(The use of cameras or any electronic devices – audio or video – is strictly prohibited. Please completely power down your mobile devices before the start of the presentation.)

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by tv echo

[Guest]

The review embargo lifted today. They seem to be pretty consistent. Better than average MCU movie that’s not perfect but still really good. Lots of praise for Simu and for Tony Lueng as a top notch villain. 
I loved Simu’s reaction (it’s actually at 94% on RT now).

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by Guest

[AimingforYoko]

LA Times review (via Yahoo, so no paywall): The real star of 'Shang-Chi' is not who you think it is.

[arc]

Ahaha, I just noticed that the bus has exactly the colors of SF's real Muni buses, but it's labeled "SFT" rather than "Muni". 

 

[tv echo]

“Run It” | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 23, 2021

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by tv echo

[Morrigan2575]

Jeremy Johns gave it a "good time, no alcohol required".

Edited August 24, 2021 by Morrigan2575

[tv echo]

Inside | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 24, 2021

Product Testing | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 25, 2021

CinemaCon Event Recap: Marvel Studios Screens “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
by Alex Reif | Aug 25, 2021
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2021/08/25/cinemacon-event-recap-marvel-studios-screens-shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings/ 

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The Walt Disney Studios’ presentation at CinemaCon has historically included a preview of several exciting upcoming projects in addition to a film screening. At the end of July, the studio announced that they would not be sending any representatives to the in-person event over concerns about the rising number of Coronavirus cases. It was then announced that they would be screening Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but you just never know with Disney.
*  *  *
With the event now in the past, I confirmed that this is exactly what happened. There wasn’t so much as a mention of any other projects from Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, 20th Century Studios, Pixar Animation Studios or Lucasfilm. Kevin Feige filmed an introduction to the film, joined by Simu Liu and Awkwafina. ...

Rolando B. Rodriguez, CEO and President of Marcus Theatres and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for NATO (National Association of Theatre Owners) briefly spoke before the screening. As I’ve pointed out in my recap of the presentations from Sony and Warner Bros., the tone of CinemaCon has been tense, with most theater owners and executives unhappy with studios like Disney, who have launched their own streaming services and have made films available for streaming on the same day as the theatrical release. No mention of Disney’s Premier Access fee was mentioned, but my Spidey-sense told me many in the audience were thinking it.

In the same way that Warner Bros. tried to win the NATO group over by highlighting the fact that they have released more films to theaters than any other studio since March of 2020, Rodriguez made similar praise for Disney. Citing Free Guy’s box office performance as proof of Disney’s commitment to theater owners, he also added that Disney released 28 of the 48 films that have crossed the worldwide $1 billion mark. While the current global market makes Shang-Chi unlikely to reach that level of box office revenue, its close ties to the upcoming events of the MCU’s Phase 4 makes it a must-see film for Marvel fans and one they won’t want to wait to have spoiled for them before it comes to home video or Disney+.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Shang-Chi’ Director Addresses The Doctor Strange Questions Hanging Over Phase 4
BY ERIC ITALIANO     AUGUST 24, 2021
https://brobible.com/culture/article/shang-chi-director-doctor-strange/ 

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During an interview with Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton, I have the Short Term 12 and Just Mercy filmmaker a chance to get ahead of the curve and share his explanation as to why the Sorcerer Supreme is noticeably absent from Phase 4 events (thus far), and his answer certainly didn’t disappoint.

“I will respond by saying you’re not alone in asking that question and there is a *very clear* answer to that question. All of those types of ‘Where people are in the universe at this particular moment’ — there are clear reasons why Doctor Strange is not there. I wish we could’ve put Doctor Strange in our movie. But there are very clear reasons why the characters who showed up could show up very briefly, there’s also a very clear reason why they’re not physically in the room. But, all of that is a big conversation with Kevin [Feige] and the producers and directors who are working on other things.”

More advance reviews (warning: some are spoilery)...

A Superhero Movie That’s Worth Seeing for the Villain Alone
By Shirley Li    August 23, 2021
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/08/shang-chi-legend-ten-rings-marvel-review/619867/

Marvel's Shang-Chi is so good, I hate I can't call it a must-see
Joan E. Solsman   August 23, 2021
https://www.cnet.com/news/marvel-shang-chi-is-so-good-i-hate-i-cant-call-it-a-must-see/

'Shang-Chi' masters the art of the Marvel origin story
by Brian Lowry  August 23, 2021
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/23/entertainment/shang-chi-review/index.html 

Simu Liu Shines in Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Jeff Ritter    August 25, 2021
http://www.criticalblast.com/articles/2021/08/25/simu-liu-shines-shang-chi-and-legend-ten-rings 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings review (2021) – Marvel produces winning blend of fantasy and action
Tom Percival   August 26, 2021
https://www.thedigitalfix.com/marvel-cinematic-universe/shang-chi-review 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review
By Francesca Rivera   August 23, 2021
https://www.ign.com/articles/marvel-shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings-review  

Review: 'Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings' is a satisfying addition to the Marvel universe
Dave Clyde   August 24, 2021
https://www.ksl.com/article/50228011/review-shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings-is-a-satisfying-addition-to-the-marvel-universe

Movie Review – Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is Beautiful in So Many Different Ways
by Mike Mack | Aug 20, 2021
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2021/08/20/movie-review-marvels-shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings-is-beautiful-in-so-many-different-ways/ 

FILM REVIEW: SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
Patrick Gibbs  August 25, 2021
https://www.slugmag.com/arts/film-arts/film-reviews/shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings/ 

‘Shang-Chi’ Has Dynamite Characters And Action But Gets A Bit Bogged With Explanations
Mike Ryan   August 23, 2021
https://uproxx.com/movies/shang-chiand-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings-review/

ETA: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been certified 'FRESH' with a 91% critics score (103 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes.

Edited August 26, 2021 by tv echo

[angora]

Thanks for sharing (and warning,) @tv echo. I was reading some of the reviews earlier in the week and was surprised/annoyed at how much some of them revealed. I don't often read reviews outside of my preferred blogs - is it considered kosher to tell that much about the story without spoiler warnings? While I'm sure there's obviously way more happening that'll be a surprise, I had to stop reading because of all the tidbits they were giving away.

One thing I appreciate about the trailers/promos is that, while there are obviously some big moments to whip fans into a frenzy - "The Abomination! Wong! Dragon!!" - they've done a nice job of whetting my appetite without telling too much. Each new promo mostly shows bits from scenes we already know about (the bus, the fighting ring, the big battle) with a few hints of stuff we haven't seen before. Just from the trailers, I don't feel like I've already seen a quarter of the movie/know what the whole plot's going to be, which was the reason I started shying away from MCU trailers after the initial teaser.

Speaking of promos...

 

[tv echo]

HOW MARVEL'S SHANG-CHI HAD TO "DESTROY" ITS OWN RACIST ORIGINS
The first in a series about Shang-Chi’s origins, rise, fall, and rebirth.
ERIC FRANCISCO    AUGUST 26, 2021
https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/shang-chi-racist-origins 

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While Shang-Chi files off any traces of the evil Fu Manchu, with Hong Kong screen legend Tony Leung inhabiting a soulful and masculine Mandarin (also named “Wenwu”), he still descends from a centuries-old archetype created out of suspicion and contempt toward an entire people. The imagery has incited direct violence against Asians living in America. But Asian Americans now have the power to remake him.

Shang-Chi screenwriter Dave Callaham tells Inverse he wanted to change those perceptions.

“It’s way easier to be violent or hateful to someone you don’t see the same as you,” Callaham says. “With [the history of] Asian representation in the media, it’s not just that we’ve been invisible for a long time. It’s beyond that. We’re the butt of jokes and stereotypes that are damaging. It’s not nothing.”

“We knew we wanted to change that stuff,” he adds, noting that the filmmakers of Shang-Chi had a “physical list” of things “we were looking to destroy.”
*  *  *
Fu Manchu was “irrelevant” during pre-production of Legend of the Ten Rings. “He’s gone through a couple of iterations, and the ones we found most problematic tended toward the yellow peril,” says Callaham, who observes the ghost of Fu Manchu still lingers in elements like Zheng Zu’s goatee, long hair, and “Eastern sorcery.”

“It became the ‘Wenwu List’ of stereotypes we wanted to explode,” adds Callaham. “We knew this needs to be a character not intent on destroying the world, not mysterious or sneaky, or a sorcerer whose magic Westerners cannot understand.”

While Callaham says these tropes can be “cool,” citing Big Trouble in Little China as a personal favorite movie, the filmmakers of Shang-Chi aimed to add dimension to the archetype.

“When Destin came in, those conversations became serious. He’s an empathetic filmmaker drawn toward stories about families,” Callaham says, referencing Cretton’s films like Short Term 12 and The Glass Castle. “Destin wanted to have more nuance and trauma on both ends you could understand and relate to.”
*  *  *
“Our biggest challenge was to make him a real person,” Cretton tells Inverse. “In order to get an actor like Tony Leung, we had to do that. We looked at Wenwu as a human with multi-dimensions and personal desires. People will be surprised how much they can relate [to him].”

Adds Callaham, “I don’t think Wenwu is a villain in this movie. He does heinous things, but the places they’re coming from are understandable. He’s loving, caring. None of these things are a yellow peril. [We] paint this guy as a father, a lover, a husband. That’s relatable to everyone.”

The evolution of a yellow peril villain whose origins begin further back than pulp novels but reverberate today in Marvel blockbusters speaks to a critical part of the Asian American story.

Excluded from history and dehumanized by imaginations that weren’t their own, Asian Americans are now empowered to reclaim heroes — and villains — for themselves.

 

Edited August 27, 2021 by tv echo

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 8/23/2021 at 3:18 PM, AimingforYoko said:

LA Times review (via Yahoo, so no paywall): The real star of 'Shang-Chi' is not who you think it is.

Well, since the only reason it even occurred to me to see this movie is because Tony Leung's in it, I'd say that the real star is who I think it is.  Others will be in for a treat.  He's a dream.

[angora]

@StatisticalOutlier, I AM an MCU fan, so I would've been excited for it no matter what, but finding out Tony Leung Chiu-wai would be making his Hollywood debut in it sent my excitement into the stratosphere. Even though I came to his work late, he's still been one of my absolute favorite actors for over 15 years. There are times when it's like, "Sorry Simu/Destin/Awkwafina, etc., I'm sure you're all great, but I've been a Tony Leung fan longer than the MCU has existed, and I only have eyes for Wenwu right now." It's gratifying to see how much the reviews have been singling out his performance, and I love the thought of how many people are about to be exposed to his talent for the first time.

[tv echo]

‘Shang-Chi’ Star Simu Liu Shares Life-Changing Phone Call with Kevin Feige
BY BRIAN DAVIDS    AUGUST 27, 2021
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/shang-chi-simu-liu-marvel-kevin-feige-1235004278/ 

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In a recent conversation with THR, Liu also discusses Shang-Chi’s future, his musical ambitions, and the bumps and bruises he attained from Shang-Chi‘s ambitious bus sequence. Then he explains how body paint and Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim played a key role in his pursuit of an acting career.

So you wrote a now-famous tweet in 2018. What happened from there?
I wish I knew. It still boggles my mind every single day. I imagine what happened is that some intern running the Marvel Studios Twitter read it and was like, “Who the hell is this guy?” And then just moved on with their life. And then it totally disappeared until half a year later when, all of a sudden, I was cast as Shang-Chi, and then that tweet just kind of resurfaced. It almost felt like I had planned the whole thing, which of course I didn’t. I was just talking about, like, “Oh yeah, wouldn’t it be nice to get the role of Shang-Chi? Wouldn’t it be nice to win the lottery seven times in a row?” It just seemed that far-fetched at that moment in time. So it’s pretty incredible the journey that I’ve been on since then, and I can’t believe we’re at this point now where we’re about to share this movie with the world. I know it’s been a long time coming; that date has moved around quite a bit. But we’re finally here and it’s so incredible just to see the world reacting to it. And to see you reacting to it, having seen it. This is literally my first rodeo, and it’s pretty incredible.

It sounds like Kevin Feige and co. didn’t learn about the tweet until after you were cast.
Yeah, I think so, but I can’t imagine Kevin is constantly looking over the shoulder of whoever was running that Twitter account. So I hope I wasn’t cast because of the tweet; I hope that I was cast because of my acting ability or whatever you want to call it. But I remember that call very, very distinctly, though. It was July 16th, 2019, about 6:30 p.m., early evening. I had just woken up from a nap, and I was in my underwear, eating shrimp crackers. (Laughs.) My dog was napping in my apartment, and I just remember getting a call from an unknown number in Burbank, California. And just hearing Kevin Feige’s beautiful, booming voice on the other end, telling me that my life was going to change forever, was pretty memorable.
*  *  *
I thought Bob Odenkirk had the best bus fight of the year until Shang-Chi‘s bus sequence came along. Please tell me everything about putting that together because it’s extraordinary.
First of all, I’m very glad you liked it because I’m pretty sure I banged my shin on every possible part of that bus. I now know the San Francisco buses intimately well, and have injured myself so many times. And by the way, my scene partner in that whole sequence, Florian Munteanu, who plays Razor Fist, is, to put it bluntly, large. He’s a giant of a man, if you will. For the two of us to be fighting in that confined space meant that both of us were just getting constantly injured. And the poor guy, I saw him bang his head. He could barely stand up straight without hitting his head on the ceiling. So it was a rough go for the both of us. We shot the bus scene over four weeks. It was one of the first fight sequences that we ever shot, and just an incredible amount of care and dedication. We used every square inch of that bus. I don’t want to spoil too much, but inside, outside, on top. We really got creative with it, and it is one of my favorite sequences in the movie. And we’ve got some pretty incredible action sequences.

That sequence is also a proof of concept for a new take on Speed starring you and Awkwafina. It’s all there.
Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of like Speed meets maybe Superbad. It’s like if two total slackers all of a sudden got themselves wrapped up in this heist attempt or whatever.
*  *  *
Do you have some idea of when you’re playing Shang-Chi again? Have you perhaps already played him again?
I’ve got nothing. I’ve got absolutely nothing. I think we’re just so focused on pushing this movie out to the world and making sure people watch it. And when it releases in theaters September 3rd, wherever it’s safe for people to do so, that they come out and experience the mind-blowing action and the incredible story that this movie has.

New World | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 27, 2021

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by tv echo

[katha]

IMO Tony Leung is one of the greatest living actors, so it's cool that he is getting wider recognition for this and the film is decent in general. 😀 A Marvel movie having a strong villain also isn't all that usual, so that's good to hear as well. I hope he cut a nice paycheck for this. 😉

[tv echo]

Marvel's SHANG-CHI: Backstage with Simu Liu, Florian Munteanu, Awkwafina, & Destin Daniel Creston!
BackstageOL  Premiered Aug 24, 2021

Who Are You? | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 29, 2021

Ready to Rise Featurette | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 30, 2021

Tony Leung Initially Wanted To Turn Down Marvel Studios Role Said Shang-Chi Director
A'bidah Zaid     August 30, 2021
https://geekculture.co/tony-leung-turns-down-shang-chi-marvel/

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Since he made his Hong Kong TV debut in 1981, television actor turned global movie legend Tony Leung has won acclaim and a reputation of picking very select roles to lend his star power in. And while some of his works have been adapted, most notably in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning The Departed, which is based on Leung’s highly regarded Infernal Affairs trilogy, the 59-year-old star has never acted in a Hollywood production until now.
*  *  *
After his very first conversation with Leung as part of the casting process for the movie, Maui director Destin Daniel Cretton learned later on that Leung was in fact on the call to turn the role down.

“The first time that I spoke to Tony was on the phone, and he told me later that he wasn’t going to do the movie,” shared Cretton during a round table media interview with Geek Culture. 

“But he agreed to get on the phone with me, and we just talked about life. We talked about our families, it was a very open conversation, and then we spoke about the character and what the character meant to me,” said Cretton, who had no idea after the call if the Hong Kong superstar would sign on for the film. 
*  *  *
“That conversation was just a really wonderful conversation, I didn’t know if he was going to do the movie after the conversation. I got off and I thought that, I got to talk to Tony Leung and if he doesn’t do the movie, that’s okay,” gushed the 42-year-old, of Short Term 12 (2013), The Glass Castle (2017) and Just Mercy (2019) fame.

As it turned out, that conversation helped sway the actor, who picked Shang-Chi for his Hollywood debut as Wenwu, the father of the lead hero and the owner of the mystical ten rings. And from the first day that Leung appeared on set, Cretton understood what set Leung apart from many well-known stars.

“He’s a legend, and there’s a reason he’s a legend and a big reason is that he’s the hardest working actor on set. He is the most dedicated actor I’ve ever worked with. The most focused actor I’ve ever worked with,” noted Cretton. 

“You know there’s a lot of time on set when you’re not doing anything, and the actors just go back to their trailers. But Tony never left set, and he would sit in his chair with no phone, and he would just watch what we’re doing and setting up our next shot and sometimes it’ll take hours to set up a shot, but he would just sit patiently in his garb, all dressed and ready to go.” 

Kevin Feige Compares Shang-Chi To Hong Kong Action Cinema, Completely Disregards Iron Fist
A'bidah Zaid     August 30, 2021
https://geekculture.co/kevin-feige-compares-shang-chi-to-hong-kong-action-cinema-completely-disregards-iron-fist/

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“The legends of Hong Kong choreography have been making an impact on Hollywood films for over 20 years. What was fun about this film is, yes, there’s superpowers involved and there’s a lot of big Marvel action but we could also hit the purity of those martial art fights – that bus fight stands out to people, the fight on the side of the skyscraper on bamboo, even before you get to the 10 Rings battles,” shared Kevin Feige in a roundtable interview with Geek Culture. 

“That’s really what was fun. Being able to [make] a Marvel movie, and with a very big budget, [and] ask these amazing artists and choreographers, ‘If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do? Here’s a Marvel budget. What is the biggest fight you can do for us?’, and they gave us like five of them, and it was just great.”
*  *  *
When asked what Feige had done with Shang-Chi to ensure that this attempt tops Iron Fist, and show the true Master of Kung-Fu, the 48-year-old producer took a breather before responding, “I can’t speak to anything outside of Marvel Studios, but for us it really was. It came down to the characters,” 
*  *  *
“It came down to telling a compelling story with characters you want to watch and you want to root for. What they do, then, becomes the bonus, in this case, it’s that tremendous action. So, even though the advertisements really showcase the action scenes and the action scenes are worthy of being showcased, it is the characters that I think audiences will fall in love with. That’s the most important part in any Marvel movie.” 

‘Shang Chi’s’ Awkwafina and ‘Eternals’ star Kumail Nanjiani trade notes on their MCU debuts
BY JEN YAMATO   AUG. 29, 2021
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-08-29/shang-chi-eternals-awkwafina-kumail-nanjiani-marvel 

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You both make your Marvel debuts this fall. For those who have followed your careers, it’s exciting to see you go from the comedy world to film to a Marvel stage. What does this moment mean to you personally?
Awkwafina: I think Marvel might be one of the unique places in the industry where you could find yourself in that universe from off the beaten path. And I really enjoy that people like Kumail are also in the universe, because I think that they’re really good at picking out people who are different.
*  *  *
Your character Katy is the best friend to Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, but she’s also searching for her own purpose. What would you like people to know about her going in?
Awkwafina: Katy is what I would love to be as a friend, which is loyal. I think she really trusts Shang-Chi. At the same time, in a world where he is wary about who he lets into his life, she doesn’t really judge him for his past and trusts him. She’s a really good friend, and also useless — I think there might be some luck involved in certain aspects of her life. So it’s fun that she gets to tag along. She gets some action. There is a pole scene … well, it’s scaffolding. You know, we’re not in the club.
*  *  *
Did either of you workshop any parts of your characters or dialogue, tapping into your comedy backgrounds?
Awkwafina: Working with a director who allows you to improv, if not encourages it, is perfect. And Simu has a comedy background so it was really fun to play off of him when we get into, like, a bickering zone where we go back and forth. I really like to make the cameramen laugh. When you’ve done a joke so many times, the cameraman is going to stop laughing. And that hurts my feelings! Did you improvise as well?
*  *  *
Reaching even this level of inclusivity in the MCU is something that didn’t seem possible when it began. Did you think that you would get the chance to play superhero or superhero-adjacent heroes in this kind of franchise?
Awkwafina: No. Not at all. I couldn’t. It is a progression, and the way that it’s evolved is really cool. You couldn’t have predicted it.
*  *  *
Awkwafina: We have to have a sense of self throughout it, because it’s impossible to represent an entire group of people. What you’re actually doing is representing yourself, and hopefully people will find something relatable about that — if not just the image of it, maybe something a little bit more personal. When I first started this career, there were certain things like, “What does this mean in a general [meeting]?” You can’t Google anything about this job, even basic things. You have to figure it out for yourself. Especially being the first group, like the pioneers, we’re building roads. How are you going to start? You create roads for the horse and carriage to drive on and eventually they get automobiles, and I think it progresses from there. But how do you go on doing something that you have no model of?

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by tv echo

[angora]

Another profile/interview with Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Wenwu,) this time for GQ.

Quote

Cretton, the first Asian-American filmmaker to direct a Marvel movie, brought a different approach. “If we are going after an actor like that,” he says, “the character needs to be worthy of that ask. So using Tony as our guiding light, before he even said yes, lit a fire under us to create a character that’s worthy of him entertaining the idea.”

How many superhero films cast their villains first? In doing so, Cretton hoped to solve a uniquely Asian-American problem with the source material. Marvel Comics had created the character Shang-Chi in the early ’70s as the son of a perhaps irredeemably stereotypical Asian villain: Fu Manchu. Half a century later, Marvel no longer had the rights to Fu Manchu and didn’t want them, either, meaning Cretton and his team needed an entirely new character.

Enter Wenwu, a father with an ancient criminal past now at the helm of a modern terrorist organization. As Leung recalls, when he first met with Cretton about the role, the director told him, “Although you’re not a superhero, your character has many layers.” Intrigued by the villain’s complexity and Cretton’s open, forthright style, Leung said yes, and then spent the two months before filming preparing for the part.

“Frankly, I couldn’t imagine someone in the real world with superpowers,” he says over Zoom one recent evening from his home in Hong Kong. “But I can imagine someone like him who is an underdog, who is a failure of a father.” At ease in a white T-shirt, a slender golden chain visible underneath, he has the ready and easy smile of a boy, a collection of elegant porcelain urns and vases arranged on a shelf behind him. He says he understood that Wenwu was ultimately driven not by evil but by a love for his children, which lent him a touch of humanity. “On the one hand,” Leung says, “he’s a bad father, but on the other, I just see him as someone who loves his family deeply.” And, he adds, “I don’t think he knows how to love himself.”

He also did one of their "__________ Breaks Down Their Most Iconic Characters" videos, which I always like. The part where he talks about Shang-Chi/Wenwu starts at 7:15.

 

Edited August 31, 2021 by angora
fixed a link

[tv echo]

Kevin Feige Talks ‘Shang-Chi’ Representation and “Experiment” Comment Controversy
BY AARON COUCH, SHARAREH DRURY  AUGUST 16, 2021
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/shang-chi-marvel-simu-liu-kevin-feige-1234997051/ 

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On Monday night, the stars of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings gathered in Hollywood to celebrate the upcoming Marvel Studios tentpole. But in an unusual set of circumstances for the Disney-owned studio, the premiere came just 48 hours after its lead, Simu Liu, took aim at Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who had described Shang-Chi‘s release strategy as an “experiment” for the company.

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige addressed the tweet during the premiere, saying of Liu: “He is not a shy man. I think in that particular tweet you can see — and I think everyone does — a misunderstanding. It was not the intention. The proof is in the movie, and we swing for the fences as we always do. With the amount of creative energy we put in and the budget, there’s no expense spared to bring this origin story to the screen.”
*  *  *
Feige added that he noticed a superhero quality in Liu after “a lot of reads, a lot of auditions,” adding, “there’s no magic formula” in finding the right person for a Marvel hero. “It’s a feeling. It’s a sense of both the ability to be relatable and grounded and, at the same time, take your place in that pantheon of heroes should everything go so well in an origin story they will end up with the other pandemic heroes.”

As for what could potentially be next for Liu’s Shang-Chi, Feige noted, “There is a direct line of where he heads to next.”

Marvel Already Has Shang-Chi Sequel Ideas (Exclusive)
By BRANDON DAVIS - August 31, 2021 
https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/shang-chi-sequel-plans-marvel-feige-simu-liu-mcu/ 

Quote

"I'm always confident and nervous in equal proportions," Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige tells ComicBook.com about a future for these characters. By now, the confidence must be up quite a bit as the only Marvel Studios title from the Infinity Saga not to spawn an outright sequel was The Incredible Hulk. In that case, the main character ultimately went on to appear in several Avengers title following it and a Thor movie. "The early reactions to the characters and to [Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings] itself gives me great hope that that people will want to see more of these characters," Feige says. "We certainly have many ideas of where to take them and where to put them. And as exactly as you say, what's so fun, we know the movie's working when it's not just the title character that people ask about, but it is the co0stars or the supporting players that people ask about. And in this movie in particular, that's heartening because we think they're spectacular, and we think they have great potential in the future."

In fact, Feige is not only in this hope. When asked if Shang-Chi has deleted scenes or other ideas that didn't make past the cutting room floor, director Destin Daniel Cretton admitted the reason he doesn't want to share is because he wants to do it later. "There was one setting that we were not able to do in this movie, but I won't say what it is because I really hope that we get to do it again in another film," Cretton says, not giving a small hint of what it might be.
*  *  *
As for where Shang-Chi goes next, it seems all roads in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be leading to a collision course with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Still, no one is willing to confirm or deny exactly where the characters will be next. "We don't want to spoil anything," Feige says. "But, I think the end of this film gives a pretty clear direction on, at least, how vital and how important and how directly Shang-Chi is stepping into this world. We are reminded of Nick Fury in the tag of Iron Man 1, telling Tony Stark, 'You're part of a bigger universe, you just don't know it yet.' And without giving away, a very similar thing happens to Shang at the end of this movie."

New Level | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 30, 2021

Favorite | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 31, 2021

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by tv echo

[Anduin]

Just saw it. Pretty damn good. Not perfect, and not worth risking your life for, but pretty good. Suffered Winter Soldier syndrome towards the end. You know, it's a decent small-to-mid scale movie, but then suddenly gets way too big and slightly loses its focus.

Also, IMO the first two fights are the best. The others are fine, but weren't spectacular. Really everything is that way. A review I saw gave it 7.5/10, and I agree with that rating.

Awkwafina is funny, Liu is a good fighter, and so on. Everything's good but not outstanding.

One mid-credit sequence. I hope another one isn't added in, like Joss did to one of his Avengers movies.

Finally, this may seem odd, but Tony Leung really reminded me of Martin Freeman. Anyone else see that? And I really liked that big lion creature.

[tv echo]

Shang-Chi Has Major Ties to MCU Past And Future
By BRANDON DAVIS - August 30, 2021
https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/shang-chi-has-major-ties-to-mcu-past-and-future/ 

Quote

"Well, we don't want to spoil anything," Feige said. "But, I think the end of this film gives a pretty clear direction on, at least, how vital and how important and how directly Shang-Chi is stepping into this world. We are reminded of Nick Fury in the tag of Iron Man 1, telling Tony Stark, 'You're part of a bigger universe, you just don't know it yet.' And without giving away, a very similar thing happens to Shang at the end of this movie."

‘Shang-Chi’ Director Destin Daniel Cretton Deserves His Victory Lap After What It Took To Make This Marvel Movie
MIKE RYAN   AUG 30, 2021
https://uproxx.com/movies/destin-daniel-cretton-interview-shang-chi/ 

Quote

I remember interviewing Jon Favreau for Iron Man 2 and him saying The Mandarin wouldn’t work at that point and, “The Mandarin would probably need to be interpreted with a large degree of creative license because it will not look like what’s in the comics.” Then Iron Man 3 turned a version of that character upside down. In Shang-Chi, it feels like you took parts of that character, like the Ten Rings, and forged it into something that can work.
Yes. I mean, that was the number one challenge of this creative process, was redefining and giving a clear context to the questions that were posed in previous movies around the Ten Rings and this idea of “The Mandarin.” As soon as we decided to go out to an actor like Tony Leung, I think that was the tone setter for what we wanted to do. And the caliber of the character that we needed to create, in order to get somebody like Tony, needed to be a character that was breaking stereotypes, not contributing to them. Showing people a version of this character that they have heard of and surprising them, in a way, with how human they are – how much they might actually relate to this villain of our movie. And I’m so excited for people to see what Tony brought to this character.

I’m curious how much the One-Shot All Hail the King fed into Shang-Chi. In that, “we can really play off this and do some interesting stuff,” just based on that short they set up seven years ago?
We definitely. … I mean, I know Drew [Pearce] and I love that One Shot that he wrote and directed. And it was a sharp film and that’s part of the MCU. And so, we want to be true to that story as well. And including that storyline in this movie I think was not only just really fun, I think it’s essential to hear that character admit how ridiculous that whole situation was.

Who We Are | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 1, 2021

Vibe | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 1, 2021

Awkwafina’s Golf Cart Tour | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 1, 2021

 

Edited September 2, 2021 by tv echo

[AngieBee1]

22 hours ago, Anduin said:

One mid-credit sequence. I hope another one isn't added in, like Joss did to one of his Avengers movies.

There is an additional scene. One mid-credit and an end-credit.  

Solid film and yes, it does get unwieldy towards the end but it's the same for most (all?) Marvel films where they just have never-ending fight scenes that become a blur.   Really, really good time and a great film to see in the theaters.

Edited September 3, 2021 by AngieBee1

[Anduin]

3 hours ago, AngieBee1 said:

There is an additional scene. One mid-credit and an end-credit.  

Solid film and yes, it does get unwieldy towards the end but it's the same for most (all?) Marvel films where they just have never-ending fight scenes that become a blur.   Really, really good time and a great film to see in the theaters.

Oh yeah, I did get both scenes. I just forgot about one of them. :) But I'm just not sure what the second one meant.

Spoiler

Was Xialing taking over as a crime boss? Turning the place into a martial arts academy? Dance studio?

Wikipedia says the first, but it looked more like one of the others?

[AngieBee1]

Spoiler

Was Xialing taking over as a crime boss? Turning the place into a martial arts academy? Dance studio?

My take?

Spoiler

The former rather than the latter. And it's perfect because I was thinking why would they cast Ronny Chieng in a small role (the man running the fight club) and now he's Xialing's right-hand man.

 

[Anduin]

17 minutes ago, AngieBee1 said:

  Hide contents

Was Xialing taking over as a crime boss? Turning the place into a martial arts academy? Dance studio?

My take?

  Hide contents

The former rather than the latter. And it's perfect because I was thinking why would they cast Ronny Chieng in a small role (the man running the fight club) and now he's Xialing's right-hand man.

 

Okay, I'll accept that. Pity, because I like the idea of the others. :)

[Spartan Girl]

Spoiler

Wong singing “Hotel California” with them was GOLD!!!!

Nitpick: so Bruce is no longer Professor Hulk and Carol grew her hair back? Pity.

Not sure how I feel about Xialing becoming a crime boss. 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[tv echo]

Shang-Chi Producer Confirms Avengers' Infinity Stones Influenced MCU's Ten Rings Design (Exclusive)
By Russ Milheim    September 01, 2021
https://thedirect.com/article/shang-chi-avengers-infinity-stones-mcu-ten-rings-design-exclusive 

Quote

The film focuses on the titular weapons of the Ten Rings, which can be seen wielded by Tony Leung's Wenwu throughout the film's trailers . However, the versions that fans see in the film are nothing like their comic counterparts, which are literal rings on the user's fingers.
*  *  *
Each ring has a different power to be used, something which sounds a lot like the Infinity Stones that Thanos successfully used to wipe out half the world. Was this similarity accounted for when factoring in how to adapt the rings into live-action?
*  *  *
The Direct got to sit down with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' producer Jonathan Schwartz, where the similarity between the Infinity Stones and the Ten Rings in the comics came up.

According to Schwartz, the changes to the Ten Rings may have "been a little bit" because of the similarities to Thanos' weapon of choice, but were also due to the team also thinking the "finger rings were going to look a little goofy."

“You know, it may have been a little bit of that, but I think it may just be, there was a little bit of, we sort of felt like the finger rings were going to look a little goofy in practice. And a little bit of leaning into the genre elements. How do we make that come together?"
*  *  *
So where did the inspiration for their final on-screen renditions on come from? Schwartz recalls watching a film called The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, where one of the weapons used in a key montage was "these Hun Gar Iron Rings."

This came to be what the Ten Rings look like today, a decision that the producer affirms "was 100% [the] right [call]:"

"And so, one day we were watching a movie in the writer’s room, me, Destin, and Dave, called The 36th Chamber of Shaolin , which starts with a kung fu training montage, using many weapons, one of which had these Hung Gar Iron Rings, which are a traditional Kung Fu weapon. You may remember them from Kung Fu Hustle, where they’re very prominent. Destin looked at those rings and said ‘we should just do that for the Rings.’ And he was 100% right, and it was unique and so cool, it just felt like sort of the right thing to snap the movie into focus."

“These Are Low Level Fights” Clip | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 2, 2021

Rapid Fire Challenge | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 2, 2021

Era | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 2, 2021

Fire in the Sky | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 2, 2021

 

Edited September 3, 2021 by tv echo

[thuganomics85]

Saw it last night.  Maybe not Marvel's best in the grand scheme of things, but I thought it was actually one of the better origin stories out there.  I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I grew to like Shang-Chi, Katy, and the rest of the characters and already looking forward to seeing where they all go next.  That alone makes it a big success for me.

Finally started watching Kim Convenience, so I was a bit more familiar with Simu Liu now going in than I was earlier (although he was still on my radar due to his likable presence on social media.)  He more than lived up to the hype and ended up being a perfect fit for Shang-Chi.  Obviously his fighting skills were impressive (didn't know he dabbled with stunt work until recently), but I thought he carried all of the dramatic moments well and could also be funny when the time came for it.  Despite his backstory and skills, he made Shang-Chi relatable and human, and I think he will work well with any possible team ups.  I worry that with everything going on in the real world, he might not get the bump he normally would have, but I certainly hope big things are in store for Simu Liu!

The rest of the cast was great too.  I have the sense lately that Awkwafina is an "acquired taste" for a lot of people, but I've always enjoyed her work (I will definitely go to bat for her after her performance in The Farewell), and I thought she did great here and a great rapport with Liu (I do wonder if they were hinting that Katy might have actual feelings for Shang-Chi on some levels.)  Meng'er Zhang was pretty impressive for a first timer and I'm curious to see where they go next with the Xialing character.  Fala Chen was able to do a lot with an atypical character and helped make the flashbacks better than normal.  Michelle Yeoh was her normal fantastic self and I'm glad Ying Nan is still around after the big fight.

That said, I can easily see why Tony Leung is being considered the standout.  I'll admit that I haven't seen as much of his work as I should (I know him best for 2002's Hero with Jet Li), but you can really see why he is such a big star in Hong Kong.  He is just so magnetic and captivating anytime he's on screen and made Wenwu one of the more compelling villains in the MCU, despite having a story that has been done before several times.  I agree with something I saw elsewhere that he just has that old-school "movie star presence" that isn't seen as often now, but it doesn't feel dated on any level.  Time will tell if this just a one-off or the beginning of him doing more work in Hollywood/the States, but for now, it is one hell of an introduction to some moviegoers who might not be familiar with him.

I was spoiled going in about Trevor Slattery showing up, but I was surprised that it was more than just a cameo, and was featured quite heavily at the end.  Ben Kingsley was a delight and really gave the film an almost absurd like energy (almost reminded me more of Taika Waititi's style of humor.) 

Morris was cute and I"m sure Disney's already got the plushies on their way.  I'm sure he'll be back whenever we have our big Avengers-style animal team-up with him, Rocket, Goose, Howard the Duck, Alligator Loki, Scott's ants, and the rest of the MCU critters all taking on the biggest threat yet (okay, that might all be only happening in my head...) 

I really want to know what the deal is with Wong taking Abomination around to fight clubs for what seems like some kind of training!  And I'm all for him being the new Nicky Fury-like character that shows up to recruit the new team.  Glad he got to do some drunk karaoke, because he'll need the breather after he finds out what is going down in No Way Home!

The fight scenes were pretty good and the stunt work was impressive.  I did think the final battle devolved into another CGI fest that always tends to happen with superhero films, but at least this one involved our heroes righting on top of a dragon which is at least a little unique!

While Wenwu was great, the secondary villains ended up being underwhelming and forgettable.

The mid-credits scene definitely raises some questions like 

Spoiler

why is Bruce back in human form and Carol now has her long hair again.  I do wonder if Carol's presence was also partially because Brie Larson and Destin Daniel Cretton has done a lot of movies together (Short Term 12, The Glass Castle, Just Mercy), and wanted to find some way to work together again.

Again, I'm prepared for this to underwhelm at the box office due to the lack of star power and the pandemic slowing things, but I hope it finds its audience in the end, and we get more of Shang-Chi and the rest going forward.  Have to think/hope that Marvel Studios isn't going to let these outside factors interfere with what they got here. 

 

[angora]

I lucked out: my local theater had eight showings last night, and while seven were crowded, one just so happened to have only five or six people in it, so I was able to snag a ticket for my COVID-cautious self!

On the whole I really liked it. The action is super cool, especially the scenes highlighted in the trailer (the flashback fight between Wenwu and Li, the bus sequence, everything that happens in Macau.) A lot of the fights have their own personality and flavor, which I appreciate.  There's definitely some of the usual Marvel aesthetic involved, and the third act is the typical MCU CGI extravaganza (the film would’ve benefited greatly from centering the climax around a more intimate, personal fight, a la The Winter Soldier or Civil War,) but there are also some really arresting visuals and gorgeous costumes.

Destin Daniel Cretton and the cast do a nice job grounding the story in the human/relationship aspects. I thought Simu Liu was great, really warm and relatable. His friend chemistry with Awkwafina was fantastic - part of me is a little salty that Marvel’s first Asian American superhero is also one of the very few without any hint of a love interest, but I wouldn’t want to lose what these two have together. Meng’er Zhang tore it up - Xialing was so badass and ferocious, and I can't wait to see more of her. Wish we got more of Fala Chen and Michelle Yeoh; Yeoh was particularly wasted. Too much Trevor Slattery for my tastes. I like a lot of the humor in the film, but most of his stuff felt forced/shoehorned to me. Tony Leung Chiu-wai absolutely killed it - I loved the way he could be intimidating and tender at the same time, and I appreciated that Wenwu was allowed to be both genuinely sympathetic and genuinely terrible.

Story-wise, I liked a lot of the character/relationship stuff and all the little details that fleshed out their lives, but some of the larger plot mechanics were clunky and made the story feel a bit scattered/jumbled.

Random small highlights for me:

• The way Shang-Chi would check on/check in with Katy in the middle of some of those early fights, always looking out for her. Love their relationship.
• Shang-Chi repeated attempts to talk to Xialing in the middle of their cage fight, culminating in something to the effect of, "Please stop kicking me." Hee!
• Wenwu's account of the fake Mandarin in Iron Man 3, complete with bemused contempt for the name "the Mandarin."
• As much as Katy is ride-or-die for Shang-Chi, she also fangirls hard over Xialing and bonds with her. I'm so here for it.
• The brief flashback of the Xu family playing DDR and then cozying up on the couch together while the kids fall asleep. A short scene, but so effective.
• That a scene where Wenwu's alone in his study and hears Li's voice, then Razor Fist comes in and he has to pull it together just long enough to issue orders. Leung's face is an entire symphony throughout that whole scene.
• Shang-Chi refusing the let go of Xialing when she's in danger during the big climax.
• Any and all shots of Wenwu using the Ten Rings. So damn cool!

[AngieBee1]

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

(I do wonder if they were hinting that Katy might have actual feelings for Shang-Chi on some levels.) 

I felt that too. I hope it manifests in the future.

 

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I really want to know what the deal is with Wong taking Abomination around to fight clubs for what seems like some kind of training! 

I took it that they partnered up for these rigged fights to split the money; hence Wong reminding him about controlling his punches. 

 

2 hours ago, angora said:

Wenwu's account of the fake Mandarin in Iron Man 3, complete with bemused contempt for the name "the Mandarin."

I loved that scene. Great way to address the Orientalism of the character's history as a poke to those who felt a man named after a chicken dish or an orange was the big bad.

[Anduin]

10 minutes ago, AngieBee1 said:

I loved that scene. Great way to address the Orientalism of the character's history as a poke to those who felt a man named after a chicken dish or an orange was the big bad.

After IM3, I thought the Mandarin should be a kind of X-Files nameless character. But show him eating a mandarin in his intro scene or something.

The way the movie did it was good, I'm not complaining, don't worry. Just sharing a different theory I once had. :)

[AimingforYoko]

4 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

why is Bruce back in human form and Carol now has her long hair again.  I do wonder if Carol's presence was also partially because Brie Larson and Destin Daniel Cretton has done a lot of movies together

Carol, Bruce and Wong represent the three branches of the MCU: Cosmic, Scientific and Mystic. That mid-credit scene broke the fourth wall so hard I'm glad I was wearing glasses. "Welcome to the circus." "The trajectory of your life is about to drastically change." Shang-Chi and Simu Liu were interchangeable there.

As to the end credit scene I vote for Xialing building a more equitable crime syndicate.

So are we sending Katy to Clint for training?

[phalange]

The whole cast really played their parts well. I’m glad Shang-Chi and Katy will be back and hopefully Xialing will, too. Regarding the post-credit, my assumption was that she was creating the equal training space that she didn’t get growing up.

Shang-Chi being told by his father that it was his fault his mother died was so messed up. What kind of parent blames a seven year old for not fighting a group of grown men? Holy shit, dude.

Shang-Chi, Katy, and Wong singing Hotel California had me rolling. Honestly, if anyone deserves a night out, it’s Wong. The man leaves for five minutes and people start breaking the multiverse.

The mid-credit scene. What happened to Dr. Hulk? Why is Bruce back to his normal human form?  How did Wong, Carol, and Banner start working together? I assume this is about multiverse shenanigans. 

[Guest]

I loved it. I agree with everyone else that it got too CGI heavy at the end but I thought it waited longer than most MCU movies to hit that point. 

In a weird way I feel it worked so well as a origin story because Wenwu’s story more than Shang-Chi’s. Having such a strong villain and having the two be so connected took some of the pressure of Simu. He didn’t have to carry the story. It’s still impressive that he was able to hold his own. It also helped that Wenwu, Shang-Chi and Xialing had the same backstory. Every flashback shaped and added depth to all three allowing for much more fleshed out characters than we usually see, particularly in an origin story. 

11 hours ago, angora said:

His friend chemistry with Awkwafina was fantastic - part of me is a little salty that Marvel’s first Asian American superhero is also one of the very few without any hint of a love interest, but I wouldn’t want to lose what these two have together.

I thought there was more than a hint between Katy and Shang-Chi. I don’t know if it was written that way but thought that both actors were deliberately playing a few of the moments with a undercurrent of romantic interest. 

 

13 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Again, I'm prepared for this to underwhelm at the box office due to the lack of star power and the pandemic slowing things, but I hope it finds its audience in the end, and we get more of Shang-Chi and the rest going forward.  Have to think/hope that Marvel Studios isn't going to let these outside factors interfere with what they got here. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout at my theater. Every showing I checked was almost full. But I was at the theater that moved to larger seats years ago making it really good for covid. I don’t know if the theaters in my city that have more seats per screen were doing as well. 

Edited September 4, 2021 by Guest

[calliope1975]

I loved it and it's definitely one of my top origin stories. My mom, who never really notices anything in movies, kept talking about how great Tony Leung was. I didn't know I needed an MCU hero riding Falcor in my life but here we are. And I would also like one of those Vulpix looking things. It looked fluffy. BRB signing up for BlipSync. 

[dwmarch]

10 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I thought she did great here and a great rapport with Liu (I do wonder if they were hinting that Katy might have actual feelings for Shang-Chi on some levels.)

 

8 hours ago, angora said:

part of me is a little salty that Marvel’s first Asian American superhero is also one of the very few without any hint of a love interest, but I wouldn’t want to lose what these two have together.

 

45 minutes ago, Dani said:

I thought there was more than a hint between Katy and Shang-Chi. I don’t know if it was written that way but that both actors were deliberately playing a few of the moments with a undercurrent of romantic interest. 

To each their own but I thought it was pretty clear they were a couple at the end of the movie. They snuggled on the beach after the big fight and they linked arms when they went off with Wong. There was also the moment of Katy swooning when she saw Shang-Chi with his shirt off.

Great movie but I expect no less from Marvel/Disney at this point. I thought there was a good balance between action and character-building scenes and the flashbacks were smoothly integrated.

All of the cast was great but Awkwafina impressed me with her humor and reactions to the situations going on around her. Also great to see Trevor Slattery again, I was not expecting him to show up. I guess this canonizes the All Hail The King one shot which is another surprise.

The tie-in to the larger MCU was a little weird. Wenwu has been banging those rings together for a thousand years (minus about a ten year gap when he had kids) and no one had anything to say about it. Now his son rocks them for about half an hour and the Avengers are summoned by the amazing power? I guess it could be that because Shang-Chi has the dark and light sides to him he uses them differently and taps some aspect of their power that Wenwu couldn't use. That's what I'll go with if they don't come back to it later.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, phalange said:

The mid-credit scene. What happened to Dr. Hulk? Why is Bruce back to his normal human form?  How did Wong, Carol, and Banner start working together? I assume this is about multiverse shenanigans. 

Marvel’s master plan is working since that one credit scene is being talked about a lot and it set up DS2, She-Hulk and The Marvels. 

6 hours ago, phalange said:

Shang-Chi being told by his father that it was his fault his mother died was so messed up. What kind of parent blames a seven year old for not fighting a group of grown men? Holy shit, dude.

One who is deflecting his own guilt. 

Edited September 4, 2021 by Guest

[Spartan Girl]

I really hope this does better at the box office than people are anticipating.

6 hours ago, phalange said:

Shang-Chi, Katy, and Wong singing Hotel California had me rolling. Honestly, if anyone deserves a night out, it’s Wong. The man leaves for five minutes and people start breaking the multiverse

I want an extended version with more songs.

Okay, so I don’t know if the credits scene implies Xialing is going to go crime boss or not. C’mon Marvel, you already did the “everyone abandoned me so I’m going rouge” shit with Sharon Carter, which I’m still salty about. 

[tv echo]

The Awkwafina interview starts at around the 16:20 mark in the full podcast...

“He Has The Pendant Clip” | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 3, 2021

NIKI - Every Summertime | Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 3, 2021

'Asked & Answered with the Women of Marvel': Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, and Meng'er Zhang
BY MACKENZIE CADENHEAD   September 3, 2021
https://www.marvel.com/articles/culture-lifestyle/asked-answered-women-of-marvel-michelle-yeoh-awkwafina-menger-zhang 

Quote

Best advice you’ve gotten?
Awkwafina: The best advice I've gotten is to not ride the ups or downs of life too much. Don't look too much into one because each one is a transient phase.

Meng’er: Oh, from Sir Ben [Kingsley], he told me the difference between stage acting and camera acting and I literally took notes every time I talked to him. It's just a Master Class and I would take everything I learned from him forever with me.
*  *  *
Favorite stunt?
Awkwafina: My favorite stunt. Honestly, sometimes it's really cool because you can go to work and it's like you're riding a Six Flags ride or like you're at Disneyland or something like that, so the best ones are ones where you're just like launched into gravity or you just let gravity take you because you're falling. 

Michelle: The training scene with Shang-Chi and Ying Nan. Luckily, Simu says the same thing too. He actually wrote to me and said, ‘I love the scene where you kick my butt.’
*  *  *
Best thing about being a Woman of Marvel?
Meng’er: I feel really powerful.

Michelle: What is not good about that? I think all these women represent different facets of what a woman is. We're strong, we're independent, and we're smart. We have abilities, and we won't allow anybody to tell us any different. 

And we will go out and go out on a limb to do what we need to do, whether it is to protect, defend ourselves or the people that we love. And I think that's what it takes to be a woman. I mean, look at what a mother is.

 

Edited September 4, 2021 by tv echo

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

 

I really hope this does better at the box office than people are anticipating.

 

It already has. The opening day number was $29.6M putting it just behind F9($29.9M). It is going to shatter the all-time Labor Day weekend record which is shockingly low. Current estimates are putting it as the third best opening of the COVID era behind Black Widow and F9.

Considering the amazing word of mouth (98% audience score on RT) and no streaming release hopefully it will have much stronger legs than Widow or F9. It still hurts to think what could have been but it’s very much a win.

‘Shang-Chi’: First Asian American Marvel Superhero Movie Resurrecting Box Office & Breaking Labor Day Records With $75M-$85M

Edited September 4, 2021 by Guest

[Guest]

‘Shang-Chi’s’ Director Explains Those Post-Credits Scenes

I love that Shang-Chi, Katy and Wong singing Hotel California was what that credit scene was built around. 
 

Quote

While it’s fair to say that Xialing’s changes have made the Ten Rings a more inclusive organization, the scene also leaves the impression that its nefarious aims — the consolidation of power across the planet — remains the same.

It’s an impression Cretton doesn’t discourage, but he’s not confirming anything, either.

“I think that’s a fair assessment, if that’s what you think,” he said ruefully. “You know, the purpose of these snippets, they are to create questions.”

Similarly, when asked if it’s telling that Ruffalo’s Banner appears in human form, rather than as the Hulkified version he became in “Avengers: Endgame,” Cretton just cocks an eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Is that telling?”

The director does draw the line, however, at the implication that he may not be aware of where Shang-Chi’s rings actually did come from, or what the signal the rings are sending out into the universe means.

“Of course I know!” he says. Then he pauses and laughs. “I mean, you know, I know enough — I know as much as anybody.”

 

[tv echo]

Edited September 4, 2021 by tv echo

[Sakura12]

I enjoyed this movie, it was one the MCU's better origin story. Always love seeing Michele Yeoh kicking ass. The fights were great but like all super hero movies the ending CGI fight is what it is.

So is the sister taking over running the Criminal empire? Is it because Katy got invited to join the Avengers over her. I like Awkwafina but am confused why she was chosen along with Shung-Chi. I also thought that they were setting up a romance with Shang-Chi and Katy. 

As an Asian I saw this with my mother and sister and am happy to see some Asians besides Wong join the fight. 

[AngieBee1]

Quote

So is the sister taking over running the Criminal empire? Is it because Katy got invited to join the Avengers over her. I like Aquafina but am confused why she was chosen along with Shung-Chi. I also thought that they were setting up a romance with Shang-Chi and Katy. 

I think Xialing is running the empire moreso because she always felt that she was in the shadow of Shang-Chi and he was more favored by her father.  This is her taking - what she feels- is her proper place in the family business. 

I don't think Katy was chosen insomuch as she and Shang are a package.  Just like she wouldn't let him leave town without her, he's not going to do this without her at his side.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

So is the sister taking over running the Criminal empire? Is it because Katy got invited to join the Avengers over her.

I thought they set it up as what she wanted all along. There was that line about how she built her own empire since her father wouldn’t let her in his. Shang-Chi left because he didn’t want to rule the Ten Rings and she left because she did. 

[tv echo]

Shang-Chi Audience Score Matches Avengers: Infinity War and Thor: Ragnarok Rankings
By Lauren Rouse    September 04, 2021
https://thedirect.com/article/shang-chi-avengers-infinity-war-thor-ragnarok-audience-score

Quote

CinemaScore  released its official grading for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , with audiences giving the film an A. CinemaScore calculates its rankings by polling audience members in theaters on a movie's opening night.
*  *  *
Shang-Chi's grade of A puts it in good company in the MCU with a score on par with movies like Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok , and Spider-Man: Homecoming .

Tribute | Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 3, 2021

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by tv echo

[bluvelvet]

I saw this movie today, I really enjoyed it and I will watch it again. The fight scenes were great, I do agree at the end it became a CGI mess.  The villain was sympathetic, I really felt for Tony Leung's character you can tell he really loved his wife and wanted his family back.  Akwafina was tolerable and I liked their friend chemistry.

Loved Wong showing up and the fake Mandarin.

 

[Starfish35]

On 9/4/2021 at 11:02 AM, Dani said:

Current estimates are putting it as the third best opening of the COVID era behind Black Widow and F9.

Second best now - updates this morning have it beating F9.  It’s doing fantastic.  

Edited September 5, 2021 by Starfish35

[cambridgeguy]

It's great to see the movie doing well but the truth is that during a pandemic everything can be spun as a positive.  Strong box office - of course, our movie is so great we can even get people to come out during a pandemic.  Weak box office - not our fault, a lot of people won't go to a movie theater even if we promised every person a working Iron Man suit. 

It's also hard to compare it to Black Widow, which really isn't a fair comp regardless thanks to her history.  How many of those D+ viewers would have gone to the theater instead?

[Ms.Moon]

I did not want to go opening weekend because of the crowds but now I am wondering if I should have just went because if the signs are right this is going to have legs and crowds into next week.  I am trying my hardest to stay away from spoilers but I want to know so much.

[AngieBee1]

Go to either the first showing or the last showing - should be less people.

[moonorchid]

My kids and I just watched tonight and we were all BUZZING! 
 

This is easily in my top five and honestly it’s battling Black Panther for 1 and 2. 
 

Im so excited for this movie, it’s own series, and how it fits into the larger MCU universe. This is the first time in a while I’ve been this excited after a marvel movie. 
 

I could feel how much every single person involved cared about this movie. It was so apparent all through out. 
 

Disney does not deserve Simu Liu. He’s a gift to marvel and they should be kissing the ground he walks on. 

Edited September 6, 2021 by moonorchid

[ZoqFotPik]

On 9/3/2021 at 10:57 PM, dwmarch said:

Wenwu has been banging those rings together for a thousand years (minus about a ten year gap when he had kids) and no one had anything to say about it. Now his son rocks them for about half an hour and the Avengers are summoned by the amazing power? I guess it could be that because Shang-Chi has the dark and light sides to him he uses them differently and taps some aspect of their power that Wenwu couldn't use. That's what I'll go with if they don't come back to it later.

I assumed it was the amount of power used. Wenwu was using them in small fights and to extend his life, Shang-Chi used them to destroy an interdimensional monster.

Overall, I thought the movie was good not great. Maybe I'm just getting burned out on Marvel movies, but I didn't really think it was anything new or innovative. Simu Liu and Tony Lueng were great, and, while I'm not her biggest fan, Awkwafina did well.

Anyone else notice the Widow fighting someone with Extremis in the fight club?