Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the second Marvel film to arrive in 2021 (of a staggering four films total) and is easily one of their absolute best. This film is a blast from beginning to end with it's deft mix of dizzying action, awe inspiring fantasy and perfectly executed humor. This movie was some of the most fun I've had in the theater in quite awhile. 

Shang Chi (played by Simu Liu) is living a quiet life in San Francisco getting by working as a valet with his best friend Katy (played by Awkwafina) and spending nights hanging out and sometimes staying out too late, drinking too much and singing a lot of Karaoke. Everything changes when he is confronted by some goons on a city bus, demanding the pendant Shang wears around his neck. Unwilling to give it up, a extensive fight ensues on the bus and after Shang has to confess to Katy that there is a lot of his past she doesn't know about. He explains he is the son of the leader of the criminal empire known as the Ten Rings, Xu Wenwu (played by Tony Leung). The men he fought off were sent by his father to retrieve the pendant, which was a gift from his mother, Ying Li (played by Fala Chen), was said to show the way home. He tells her he needs to go to China to find his sister, Xu Xialing (played by Meng'er Zhang) and Katy insists on going along. Upon finding his sister at her underground club in Macau, the club is descended upon with numerous Ten Rings soldiers. Unable to escape, Shang, Katy, and Xu are taken to the Ten Rings compound. There, they discover their father intends to use both their pendants to unlock the path to the fabled mythical village of Ta Lo, where their mother was from. He is convinced the villagers are holding her captive and refusing to release her back to him, despite both Shang and Xu knowing full well she died a long time ago. He will do anything to get her back, including burning the entire village to the ground. Knowing they have to escape the compound and find a way to Ta Lo ahead of their father to warn them, they get an assist from a very unlikely source: former British Actor Trevor Slattery (played by Ben Kingsley), who previously posed as The Mandarin and was subsequently captured by Xu Wenwu and has been acting as a bit of a court jester for him and his men. With some help from Trevor's Hundun companion, they are able to escape and find the village. Upon their arrival, they meet their Aunt, Ying Nan (played by Michelle Yeoh) who explains that their father is being manipulated by an ancient evil force imprisoned in the mountain beyond the village, posing as his beloved to manipulate him to come to Ta Lo and set him free. If that were to happen, it could bring about the end of the world. Knowing they can't let that happen, Shang, Xu Xialing, and Katy along with the Ta Lo village prepare to do whatever is necessary to make sure Xu Wenwu does not succeed in his mission.    

The film was directed by Destin Dellan Cretton from a script he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham. They strike a fantastic balance with this film between incredible action sequences, awe inspiring fantasy, genuine heartfelt emotion, and some seriously gut busting funny moments. The filmmakers drew inspiration from some classic martial arts films when crafting the film's big fight sequences, turning to frequent Jackie Chan collaborator and supervising stunt coordinator Brad Allen to help craft some memorable sequences, including the early bus fight and the fight on the scaffolding outside Xu Xialing's building. I loved the way both fights escalated and continuously raised the stakes for our characters as the sequences progressed as it effortlessly moved from one character to another in the ensuing chaos while working in genuine and frequently amusing surprises. The filmmakers also craft some really impressive and unique fantasy sequences as well, including the reveal of the map to Ta Lo using water from a water fountain freezing into a map and a gateway into the same village being a rapidly changing maze through a dense bamboo forest. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg for some of the crazy visuals the filmmakers managed to create throughout the film. Also, the filmmakers really know how to lay the groundwork and then pay off some great gags in the film in true Brick Joke fashion that had me laughing my butt off. 

Simu Liu is great in the title role of Shang Chi who really captures his character's struggles as he tries to figure out where he belongs and what he wants from his life. He knows he can't follow in his father's footsteps, especially after his mother died and is just kind of sliding by with Katy not really making any decisions and instead passing time in a dead end job and partying with his friend. It's only when he's drawn back into his father and his sister's worlds that his is forced to confront his future. Awkwafina's role of Katy is primarily as comic relief, but the filmmaker's do give her a really nice arc that she handles beautifully. Her character, much like Shang Chi, is feeling lost in her life as she struggles finding the right path as previous attempts haven't worked out. Yet on her journey she starts to see her worth and a place in the world beside her best friend. Tony Leung gives a lot of depth to his villain character as Xu Wenwu. His character has been basically immortal due to his possession of the ten rings he wears that allowed him to wield unimaginable power. Yet, he fell in love and set aside that quest for power for a time. And now that same love is what is driving him again with an obsession to reclaim it, even blinded by it oblivious to the dark forces manipulating him. Leung does an amazing job portraying all the different aspects of his character, giving him a well rounded and nuanced character that is very uncommon, and also a breath of fresh air. Meng'er Zhang does well as Xu Xialing, who much like Shang Chi is hiding from their father, growing her own empire after a lifetime of being shut out of his. You really get a sense of her character's animosity towards that fact as it comes through wonderfully in her performance. As always, it is a delight to see Michelle Yeoh show up in a movie. While her role is largely to deliver much needed exposition, she handles it wonderfully. There is a fantastic scene between her and Simu Liu that was performed incredibly well between the two of them that just took my breath away. Finally, I have to say that Ben Kingsley's return appearance as Trevor Slattery provided a great deal of joy. I always loved his performance in Iron Man 3 as this space cadet Shakespearean actor and seeing him come back here, now sober but no less eccentric just cracked me up to no end. 

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is easily one of the best Marvel movies I have seen in recent memory. Everything about this entry feels fresh and exciting. For all the action and effects, it's the story and performances that really make it resonate. There is an unexpected emotional depth to this movie, beyond all the action, spectacle and laughter. It's those aspects, handled with great care by the filmmakers that really made the film most impressive for me. I loved every minute of this movie and I can't wait to watch it again. 

Candyman (2021)

 

The new iteration of Candyman is a unique film that functions both as a direct sequel to the original 1992 film as well as a film that can stand on it's own. Filled with imaginative imagery and a compelling new story that both honors the original film and carves it's own path, this is one frightfully entertaining new addition to the Candyman legacy.  

Anthony McCoy (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a visual artist working in Chicago and living with his girlfriend, art gallery director Brianna Cartwright (played by Teyonah Parris). One night, Brianna's brother Troy (played by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) is visiting with his boyfriend Grady (played by Kyle Kaminsky) and while waiting for dinner to be ready Troy enthralls the group with the urban legend of Helen Lyle, who had apparently gone on a killing spree through the Cabrini-Green projects before abducting a baby and attempting to sacrifice it before self-immolating in a massive bonfire. Interested in the story and searching for inspiration, Anthony decides to check out the remains of the old Cabrini-Green projects and it is there he meets a local laundromat owner, William Burke (played by Colman Domingo) who tells Anthony the story of Candyman and the fact that he can be summoned when someone looks into a mirror and says his name 5 times. Once summoned, he will kill whoever summoned them as well as anyone else in the room too. Inspired by the story, Anthony creates a series of paintings based on the legend. What begins as inspiration soon becomes obsession for Anthony as the legend begins to spread again, leading to a new wave of deaths. 

The film was directed by Nia DaCosta from a script she co-wrote with Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. I was impressed with the way the three of them re-visited the iconic character of Candyman as well and the events of the original film showing how the events of that film have been filtered and warped through 30 years of storytelling to become a urban legend in it's own right. I love that DaCosta opted not to utilize footage from the original film for flashbacks but rather use shadow puppetry to portray the various legends told throughout the film. This is a great touch because it is not only a unique choice but adds a real spooky mood to the film as well. I also loved how the film showed how the urban legend had grown and changed over the years with different years adds some interesting new angles to the film. They then take it further, borrowing a page from the original film, using them to examine real world issues including racial violence and gentrification. No doubt some people will call this movie "woke" but they need to go back and watch the original again. The new film continues and builds on the same themes quite well, I thought. 

The acting in the film is quite good led by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Anthony who does a great job portraying his character's increasing obsession with the titular urban legend and how it grows over the course of the movie as Anthony discovers more and more about his connection to those legends. Teyonah Parris also does well in a very well worn role in these types of movies as the concerned girlfriend but does a great job of making Brianna a smart and capable heroine in her own right. There's a great moment late in the movie when she's trying to figure out what's going on and opens a door to a dark basement. She takes one look, says "Nope!" and closes the door. It's one of the best laughs in the movie and she sells it perfectly. Colman Domingo also has a good turn as William Burke, who first sets Anthony on his journey in the story. There is something off about the character, still haunting the remains of Cabrini-Green and running this old run-down laundromat that seems a bit off. He really makes an impression with his short amount of screen time. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Kyle Kaminsky are delightful as well in the supporting roles as Brianna's brother Troy and his boyfriend Grady as both make the most of their screen time and create such an endearing couple.

Nia DaCosta's latest iteration of Candyman is one that manages to both be able to stand on it's own as well as function as a faithful sequel to the 1992 original film. I imagine anyone who knows the original film well, as I do, will have a different viewing experience with this film than someone coming in to it new, but that's ok. Either way you see it, it is still a genuinely frightening and fun film with maybe a little more weight to it than your average horror movie. Yet, it carries that weight well just like the original film did.