SMR 360: Shang-Chi

3 Comments

1. 

   Indica.Arie

   10/01/2021 at 11:55 AM

   I LOVED this movie review! This was my first premium episode and I can’t wait to listen to more. I love everything about the way you both discussed this movie, the actors, the backstory and all of the details. I wasn’t surprised though because you always give the best recaps. I even love listening to the Walking Dead recaps and I stopped watching the day Carl got bit. Keep doing what you’re doing and I can’t wait to keep diving into these premium episodes.

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2. 

   SANDLERAGONY

   09/15/2021 at 4:22 PM

   Full disclosure: I’m an atheist, but if Marvel Studios were a crackpot religion, I might have to praise it like Dr. James Manning’s proselytizing from years ago.

   As I digress, Brother Rod & Sister Karen, Shang Chi out the gate is my favorite solo Marvel endeavor. All I wanted, was a top-notch action film from Marvel & I got so much more. Simu Liu’s sweet & smooth skill-set along with film’s entire choreography gives The Winter Soldier, Black Panther & Civil War a run for their money. Even with the CGI being a thing here, it’s hardly a dealbreaker, as it’s mostly fluid & it doesn’t detract from anything. For as good as Simu Liu, Awkwafina & Benedict Wong are, Tony Leung (Wenwu) & newcomer Meng’er Zhang (Xi Xialing) were exceptional. This is the first time I’ve seen Leung in a movie & his performance is so exceptional, I literally started looking for his work via streaming apps. It’s also his first Hollywood feature, as well. The Wenwu character, played by Leung, got me thinking on the annoying topic of sympathetic villains & should they be a thing, because of how Twitter feels about them. For instance, people got in their feelings about Hotep ass Killmonger, who has daddy issues & wanted to stomp a mudhole across the world for “his people” while doing horrific acts. Sure, he had certain layers that made him a relatable character & in some ways, a borderline hero, but like Thanos, The Grandmaster, Hela, Mysterio, Vulture & other villains, they go to far because they let guilt consume them to villainy. Wenwu’s the same way, because he blames himself for retiring those rings for love, when his wife dies saving Xi Xialing & Shang-Chi. His arc was brilliant as it was tragic. His guilt consume him to even getting lied to, thus killing him. Or as you put it, Rod, he got catfished. Anyway, Twitter & its stupid qualifiers for how film is to be portrayed, especially antagonists is simply stupid &, once again, performative bullshit for the lulls & concern trolls.

   As for Meng’er Zhang, who walked away married once filming wrapped on Shang Chi, she was excellent & will definitely be a problem with her being the new boss of those Ten Rings. She didn’t even know she was in a Marvel movie & beasted. Great film, saw it twice & loved it.

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3. 

   t0DDMF

   09/04/2021 at 11:59 PM

   Hey Rod and Karen,

   I really enjoyed this movie. Not much to add to your review, because y’all hit all of the the key points. The cast really came up big with all the performances. I agree, that this movie was effortlessly and unapologetically Chinese. All of the subtle nods to Chinese and Chinese American culture were brilliantly depicted. And finally, #DemArts y’all (shout out to FiyaStarter) . Fight choreography was excellent.

   Question: have you had the chance to watch Marvel Hot Shots: All Hail the King? It shows a release date of 2014, but i stumbled upon it on Disney+ last week. Its a 13 min short, set after Ironman 3. Trevor Slattery pretty much summarizes it in Shang-Chi, but it’s hilarious to see it play out.

   Lastly, we saw the standard version, so we got the following trailers:
   1. Venom
   2. Dunes
   3. Eternals
   4. The Kings Man
   5. Westside Story
   6. 007

   Looking forward to Venom (sigh), Eternals, the kings Man and 007.

   Thank you for all you do.

   Todd

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