In the end, Ten Rings is like all the rest

 

I had sworn off Marvel Superhero movies—at least for a spell. But they said Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was different… I should have known better. I like Marvel Movies. I was a Marvel comic book kid back in the day. But after 24 Marvel Universe films (Ten Rings is the 25th), I’ve tired some of the super-hero action film arc which always ends in the overblown boss battle and the inevitable set up for the next installment… always propping the next installment.  I had hoped that featuring an new “second tier” marvel hero might give the genre a chance to display a different spirit and trajectory—might be less over-the-top.  And Ten Rings had a hopeful start; it was intriguing in its early stages when its heroes were unencumbered by complicated mythology, magical messiness, and the din and confusion that eventually come in these films as the focus evolves (or devolves) from story to the collision of superpowers. The Legend of Ten Rings was different for a while and then it was just all of the rest… meh. 

It’s not that Ten Rings is bad movie—It has its strengths. One is the casting of Awkwafina (Ocean’s 8, Crazy Rich Asians) as the hero Shang-Chi’s (played by Simu Liu) friend-slash-side kick. Known more for her rap and comedic chops than for action flims, Awkwafina’s Katy provides personality and fun to the introduction of Shang-Chi’s back story of a secret past life with a powerful but broken family. The two close friends work together as hotel valets. Shang is using this unassuming lifestyle to hide from his past life and his misguided and sometimes criminal super-powered father (Xu Wenwu, better known, or represented, in the Marvel Universe as the Mandarin, see Iron Man 3), and Katy is searching for her own path outside of the high expectations of her family and friends. This well-crafted shared uncertainty of place creates a bond between the two that nicely underpins the course of the film. A second highlight is the sweet hand-to-hand fighting that ensues when Shang’s past finally catches up to him. During an attack by a family gang attempting to recover a pendant gifted to Shang by his mother, Shang reveals hidden fighting skills honed under his father's draconian training methods producing the slickest actions scenes of the film—Bruce and Jackie would be proud of the Kung Fu Fighting (well… maybe not Bruce). Alas, from there the clean lines of the early stages of story and action become muddled by the powers of his father’s Ten Rings (mystical weapons of unknown origin), a magical hidden village, an array of mythological beasts, imprisoned soul-consuming reptile minions, and Ben Kingsley and a faceless dog.    

I note that a quick look at the summary review stats for Ten Rings indicates that most of the professional critics and viewers have no problem with the fantasy-heavy and frenetic montage of plot and action components—Ten Rings is Certified Fresh according to Rotten Tomatoes. I agree that the film is entraining—my complaint is that each rendition of superhero film, including this one, reverts to what seems to be an obligation to, in the end, create such a plethora of action and mind-boggling escalation of superpowers that the viewer struggles to comprehend what is what and who is who in the fight. Everything must be thrown from the screen at us as if the volume of it was the ultimate measure of “fresh” or entertaining. Maybe it is. Maybe I am missing something. I just think it would be nice to see a new Marvel superhero arc equation—one that doesn’t end up at the same coordinates as all of the rest. Still... 6 out of 10.