Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (5 Stars)

Despite having nothing to do with the Shang-Chi character from the comics, this is an excellent film in its own right. It captures the essence of Chinese fantasy films, so it's wrong to call it a superhero film. It's the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but it's the furthest from being a superhero film so far. Maybe there should be a Millie the Model film to step even further away from the Marvel superhero cliché.

Tony Leung plays Xu Wenwu, one of the most fascinating villains in the MCU so far. Is it even right to call him a villain? He's a Chinese warlord who's over a thousand years old. He gained power when he discovered ten mystical rings in a crater. They granted him eternal life and great power. He went on a series of conquests across China. He never made himself emperor, although he had enough power to do it. He was satisfied being a smaller leader. In the modern day he became more low key. He created an organisation called the Ten Rings which acted for him, while he stayed in his room and studied. He became aware of a mythical land called Ta Lo, probably based on K'Un-Lun in the 1970's comics. He read that the residents of Ta Lo had a superior form of martial arts, as well as possessing other knowledge. He became determined to conquer Ta Lo.

Things didn't turn out as he expected. Ta Lo was defended by the single warrior Ying Li, and he was unable to overcome her. But strange things happen. He fell in love with Ying Li, so the two of them left Ta Lo and lived a simple life. He even gave up using the ten rings, putting them in a box and forgetting about them. Together they had two children, Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing. When Shang-Chi was seven his mother was murdered by Wenwu's former enemies, which he could easily have prevented if he hadn't taken off his rings. He put on the rings again and killed the gang members, apart from the one who'd killed his wife. He trained Shang-Chi as an assassin and sent him to kill his mother's murderer when he's 14. Shang-Chi accomplished his mission, but he was so traumatised that he didn't return to his father.

So Wenwu was a villain, then he retired, and then he became a villain again for a short time before retiring again. But that wasn't the end of his development. He heard his wife's voice telling him that she wasn't dead, she was trapped in a cave Ta Lo. He calls his children back and asks for their help in freeing her. They don't want to help him, because they don't believe she's still alive. And they're right. The cave contains an ancient creature called the Dweller In Darkness. It's been imitating Ying Li's voice to tempt Wenwu to free it.

Shang-Chi and Xialing travel to Ta Lo, where they meet Ying Li's sister, their aunt Ying Nan. Together they fight against Wenwu when he attacks Ta Lo. There's poignancy itself in children having to fight against their father, but Wenwu isn't really evil. He's just been misled by an evil creature. He's not a villain at all, whatever he might have been in his past.

That's an over-simplified plot summary, but it should be enough to show the depths of this film. It's one of the best films in the MCU. My top 100 films list doesn't contain any MCU films, but maybe "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" deserves a place. I'll think it over. Some of my friends don't watch Marvel films on principle. I admit that there have been a few turkeys lately, but each film should be judged on its own merits. This is a film that deserves to be watched.

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