Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings is the latest Marvel Studios film that tells the story of Shang-Chi, a young and professionally trained martial artist who hails from a family of powerful fighters. After relocating to San Francisco, Shang-Chi, who goes by the name of Shaun, finds his past life quickly catching up with him. Unable to run away any longer, Shang-Chi is forced to return to China, where he discovers his family’s complicated history and realizes that he holds an important role in saving the world from a soul-eating creature.
Before I end up spoiling any more of the movie, I’ll stop here and let you give the official trailer some love. The trailer itself should give you all the reasons to buy a ticket and watch the movie yourself, but if it doesn’t, let me try to convince you!
1. It’s the first Marvel Studios film with an almost entirely Asian American cast.
Historically, Asian representation in the entertainment industry has been extremely limited. Hollywood has continuously portrayed Asian characters in stereotypical ways that reinforce the model minority myth, Yellow peril, and so forth. However, movies like Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings show progress in the right direction. I won’t spoil it, but the movie has subtle references to Asian culture and the Asian American experience, which I really appreciate, as it’s relatable and realistic. If you want to support Asian representation in Hollywood, I highly recommend watching the movie!
2. It’s part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe series.
If you’re a big fan of Marvel movies like Spiderman, Iron Man, and Avengers, then you will love Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings. Shang-Chi is another significant superhero within Marvel Comics. The movie definitely has all the actions and humor that you would expect from other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, so make sure to check it out. On the plus side, the cinematography is amazing. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you watch the movie!
3. It includes many popular Asian actors.
If you loved the actors and actresses from Crazy Rich Asians and Kim’s Convenience, then make sure to give Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings a shot. Many of the same actors and actresses are in this movie, such as Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Michelle Yeoh!
Similarly, popular actors and actresses from mainland China and Hong Kong that I grew up watching, such as Fala Chen, Yuen Wah, and Tony Leung, also play important characters in Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings. In my opinion, these actors and actresses give the movie so much more depth. Not only are they able to fluently speak the Chinese language in the movie, but you can also tell that they themselves have truly lived the Asian experience. Too many times, Hollywood casts non-Asians or white-passing Asians in Asian roles who may not necessarily be connected to the Asian culture. However, this is certainly not the case for Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings, which I greatly appreciate!