Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings [Marvel]

pixelburp · 19-04-2021 2:48pm #1

A bit of a mouthful for a title, but a trailer finally popped up of the first MCU martial-arts film. I hope if nothing else, this is one of those rare Western martial arts films that remembers to just let the camera hold on the action - and not edit it to bits. Which, IMO, has been a distinct problem with MCU films (especially the Russo helmed ones)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giWIr7U1deA

Mr Crispy · 19-04-2021 3:31pm

This is the first Marvel headlining character I hadn't heard of before the film iteration. I just hope the fight scenes are better than those in Iron Fist!

Midnight_EG · 19-04-2021 3:34pm

Looks good as a stand-alone action movie but I don't know anything about Shang-Chi or his place in the comics and wider MCU

speedboatchase · 19-04-2021 3:53pm

This looks like an interesting way to decide if MCU fans will watch any old ****e. Remove the MCU branding and this looks like a Mortal Kombat spin-off, with nothing we haven't seen before and zero stars. But it's 'Phase Four' so... $800m worldwide.

pixelburp · 19-04-2021 4:11pm

speedboatchase wrote: »

This looks like an interesting way to decide if MCU fans will watch any old ****e. Remove the MCU branding and this looks like a Mortal Kombat spin-off, with nothing we haven't seen before and zero stars. But it's 'Phase Four' so... $800m worldwide.

Well, Marvel already has form here: pandering directly to the Chinese market via some incredibly clumsy interludes during Iron Man 3; I'd not be surprised if this adaptation was greenlit with half an eye on that audience. Not like that market isn't a prized pig in certain franchise circles.

So if it does well there, it won't really matter if the rest of the world goes "meh". As you say it's Phase 4, and pandemic starvation will make this the #1 movie of the year regardless. Purely from the POV of the martial arts genre, I hope for once Marvel let the action speak for itself.

Agent Coulson · 19-04-2021 4:17pm

I just want to find out how Trevor is!

mikhail · 19-04-2021 5:24pm

If the action isn't edited to ribbons, I'll give it a look. It looks a bit bland and generic though.

Sleepy · 19-04-2021 5:42pm

The quality of the scraps on the Luas Red Line looks to have improved at least...

pixelburp · 19-04-2021 6:59pm

mikhail wrote: »

If the action isn't edited to ribbons, I'll give it a look. It looks a bit bland and generic though.

I've brought it up already but it's truly, 100% my main worry. Martial arts movies are only as good as their choreography and given the MCU loves shuffling set pieces onto the second unit, maybe this time they'll have hired some proper experts in the field to shoot them. A couple of moments looked pretty cool TBH, while others looked too accentuated. We'll see.

More curious though was how the ostensible lead character spoke one line, a reaction at that, with Awkwafina getting more. Maybe it's just her being more famous, but I found it odd.

paulie1983 · 19-04-2021 7:40pm

Be nice to see the proper Mandarin in action especially after the Iron Man 3 mess.

Eduard Khil · 19-04-2021 7:46pm

Wonder will we see Danny Rand in any vein seems an ideal chance to reintroduce The Iron Fist

Varik · 19-04-2021 8:09pm

Eduard Khil wrote: »

Wonder will we see Danny Rand in any vein seems an ideal chance to reintroduce The Iron Fist

paulie1983 wrote: »

Be nice to see the proper Mandarin in action especially after the Iron Man 3 mess.

Not really going to be a proper Mandarin here either as they're combining multiple characters, and using alternate version of them.

Mandarin (who has 10 alien rings) and Shang-chi's father where they seem to be using the Battleworld version of him who lead the Ten rings.

The Battleworld version is set in a version of K'un Lun with a version of Danny Rand.

Slydice · 20-04-2021 12:28am

That looks cool enough. Some bits Ant-man-ish, some bits more hands-on actioney. Was that Madripoor in some of the shots?

Eduard Khil · 20-04-2021 11:21am

Crouching Tiger Tokyo Drift Bullet Proof Monk all got into a blender

Homelander · 20-04-2021 3:27pm

Even though my interest in the MCU post End-Game is dramatically waning, I'd still go watch it given that it's a little off the beaten track of the MCU, and also that Marvel's closest thing to a dud was probably Captain Marvel, and even then it was grand as a popcorn flick.

Chris_Heilong · 21-04-2021 11:53pm

Looks kind of dull at the moment and I have been a big fan of kung fu films since the 80s but it does not seem special yet and I hated that cgi scene with the dragons and the giant lion creature so hope there is less of that and more grounded fight scenes, However I never judge a movie wholly on its first trailer as usually trailers can give off the wrong impression so will wait until the next one comes out. Also the star just looks like an average joe and does not look like an actor at all.

p to the e · 22-04-2021 9:37am

I read on another forum (Re**it) that a few people were saying the film might not go down well in China as the lead actor was too ugly to play a Chinese hero. Apparently the male lead needs to be beautiful. Not handsome or rugged but beautiful. I've no skin in this game so can't confirm either way. As has already been mentioned this film will soar or flop based on its fight scenes.

Chris_Heilong · 22-04-2021 1:32pm

p to the e wrote: »

I read on another forum (Re**it) that a few people were saying the film might not go down well in China as the lead actor was too ugly to play a Chinese hero. Apparently the male lead needs to be beautiful. Not handsome or rugged but beautiful. I've no skin in this game so can't confirm either way. As has already been mentioned this film will soar or flop based on its fight scenes.

Knowing china so well I can understand that completely, the Americans always seem to put average looking Asians into roles but do not do the same thing for Black or White actors, it is like they do not get it.

Eduard Khil · 23-04-2021 10:39am

Jet Li was an average looking Asian man in most of his roles if you are looking for shaolin monk or Fu Manchu types to indicate intent or martial arts experience

silverharp · 23-04-2021 11:38am

were they hoping for chinese bucks?

pixelburp · 23-04-2021 11:58am

silverharp wrote: »

were they hoping for chinese bucks?

Given the shape of the worldwide box office, it's ... possible but debatable too - and not like anyone's going to come out and say "yeah, we want the Chinese box-office to gobble this up". It's likely Shang-Chi will have some Phase 4 overlaps, especially if "magic" is going to take centre-stage so it's not like the film's going to exist in its own narrative space either.

There is form here re. China. Iron Man 3 made a big, blunt swing towards the market with a crude interstitial only shown to that audience. Apparently, there was only 4 minutes added, included a commercial for milk, and weren't shot by Shane Black; they also starred Wang Xueqi and Fan Bingbing - who'd have been big stars there - so Marvel obviously threw some money at the idea.

The IP came about as a fairly overt attempt by Marvel to cash in on an interest in Martial Arts; if Wikipedia is to be believed, Marvel wanted the rights to adapt the TV show Kung-Fu; they couldn't get 'em and instead bought the use of Fu-Manchu (a character pretty-much synonymous these days with the "Yellow Peril" portrayal of Asian characters) and ran with it from there.

You can see one of the scenes here; not great quality or subtitled, so for all I know it's fake & from another, coincidental scene within another movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39m85puOQok

Mr Crispy · 25-06-2021 2:45am

New trailer;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YjFbMbfXaQ

Midnight_EG · 25-06-2021 7:17am

Fin Fang Foom underwater and Abomination in the cage fight... Interesting

pixelburp · 25-06-2021 9:18am

At least the lead spoke some lines this time. I dunno, still can't quite cut the mental gap between this and the MCU. Same with the other phase 4 stuff so far. No doubt about it, after the emotional crescendo of Endgame, I have never returned to that resting eagerness to learn what the next episode was (which the MCU basically functioned as). I want to know what the "in" here is beyond _Moar MCU_, cos I don't see it yet.

I hadn't realised just how wedded I was to the iconography and characters of the MCU til they were all removed from the equation.

FunLover18 · 25-06-2021 4:32pm

pixelburp wrote: »

At least the lead spoke some lines this time. I dunno, still can't quite cut the mental gap between this and the MCU. Same with the other phase 4 stuff so far. No doubt about it, after the emotional crescendo of Endgame, I have never returned to that resting eagerness to learn what the next episode was (which the MCU basically functioned as). I want to know what the "in" here is beyond _Moar MCU_, cos I don't see it yet.

I hadn't realised just how wedded I was to the iconography and characters of the MCU til they were all removed from the equation.

I'm trying to approach it as a new series rather than a new episode. Phases 1 through 3 are very much their own contained story so I'm going into Phase 4 as I went into Phase 1 with lower expectations. They're not going going to hit the ground running and we are going to have to sit through a few origins but hopefully we won't get anything like IM2 or TIH.

I really like the look of Shang-Shi, as someone mentioned earlier it feels very Black Panther in terms of world building.

pixelburp · 25-06-2021 5:02pm

FunLover18 wrote: »

I'm trying to approach it as a new series rather than a new episode. Phases 1 through 3 are very much their own contained story so I'm going into Phase 4 as I went into Phase 1 with lower expectations. They're not going going to hit the ground running and we are going to have to sit through a few origins but hopefully we won't get anything like IM2 or TIH.

I really like the look of Shang-Shi, as someone mentioned earlier it feels very Black Panther in terms of world building.

You're not wrong, and my conscious brain is trying to do this; maybe if The Eternals and Shang-Chi's trailers left me a bit more energised I'd be more pumped in turn for Phase IV; but knowing now the Big Guns are back with Marvel (ie, the X-Men), trotting out these D Listers for the brand new "season" feels a bit underwhelming. Now, we've seen what the MCU has done with the lesser characters, so I remain cautiously optimistic.

Cotts72 · 26-06-2021 3:04am

Thought this trailer was very promising, looking forward to it be now

Slydice · 26-06-2021 3:07am

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Abomination in the cage fight... Interesting

I was literally like .. HOLD UP! was that ABOMINATION!!!!

I guess it was.

Midnight_EG · 26-06-2021 10:55am

Slydice wrote: »

I was literally like .. HOLD UP! was that ABOMINATION!!!!

I guess it was.

It was, turn on subtitles and it confirms it

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings [Marvel]

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