This film is... good,... but a little disappointing.
Let's start with the positives. This movie looks incredible. The Chinese elements and Asian-American influences give this film a wonderfully unique style. The fight choreography is some of the cleanest ever seen in the universe. It all looks incredible and clear, with clear lessons learned from the works of Bruce Lee. Simu Liu does an amazing job and I ADORE Shang-Chi and a character. I cannot wait to see more of him in the future.
Unfortunately, the writing really lets this movie down in a lot of ways. None of the characters in the film feel like they learn or grow throughout the story, including Shang-Chi. Shang starts out as a trained fighter who loves his dad but condemns his actions and he finishes the film in the exact same spot. I similar thing can be said for his father who also feels very stagnant. Shang's sister is unbelievably one-dimensional filling in as the badass woman type with no further depth beyond her painful American accent. The comic relief characters very much overstay their welcome and become grating as things go on. This is very apparent for the return of Trevor who should have remained nothing more than a 10-second cameo.
The story itself is very messy and cliche. At the beginning of the film, we are presented with an amulet that is treated as being very important but disappears at the end of the first act. Shang's journey isn't really motivated with himself, but through an urge to stop whatever his father is doing. It all feels very hallow.
I appreciate what this movie will do for Asian representation, but am underwhelmed by it simply as a film on its own, not unlike that of Black Panther.
Let's start with the positives. This movie looks incredible. The Chinese elements and Asian-American influences give this film a wonderfully unique style. The fight choreography is some of the cleanest ever seen in the universe. It all looks incredible and clear, with clear lessons learned from the works of Bruce Lee. Simu Liu does an amazing job and I ADORE Shang-Chi and a character. I cannot wait to see more of him in the future.
Unfortunately, the writing really lets this movie down in a lot of ways. None of the characters in the film feel like they learn or grow throughout the story, including Shang-Chi. Shang starts out as a trained fighter who loves his dad but condemns his actions and he finishes the film in the exact same spot. I similar thing can be said for his father who also feels very stagnant. Shang's sister is unbelievably one-dimensional filling in as the badass woman type with no further depth beyond her painful American accent. The comic relief characters very much overstay their welcome and become grating as things go on. This is very apparent for the return of Trevor who should have remained nothing more than a 10-second cameo.
The story itself is very messy and cliche. At the beginning of the film, we are presented with an amulet that is treated as being very important but disappears at the end of the first act. Shang's journey isn't really motivated with himself, but through an urge to stop whatever his father is doing. It all feels very hallow.
I appreciate what this movie will do for Asian representation, but am underwhelmed by it simply as a film on its own, not unlike that of Black Panther.
