5-Minute Movie Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
8.7/10 — classic mash-up of faves

Synopsis/ idea: Shang-Chi, son of two fancy superhero parents, escapes to the States the burden of his dad’s wishes to revive his mom because being an assassin was … a lot for a teen. The 9-tailed fox appears in this show. So do dragons. This is a terrible synopsis. (Movie).
Why I started watching this show
After hearing rave reviews from friends, I was intrigued! I also followed Simu Liu on Instagram for a while and he has a really good social media presence, so this movie was top of mind for a long time. What really sealed the deal was when I found out Fala Chen (a long-time favourite actress that I’ve grown up with on Hong Kong tv shows) was also a part of this, and I needed to see this.
Three (3) reasons I recommend this show
[1] Did I mention there’s a DRAGON?!?!?
On the one hand, this seems like a spoiler. On the other hand, I would also find it hard to believe that a superhero movie centred on mythical Chinese legends would not have one of the most important mythical creatures: the dragon.
[2] The dynamic between Simu Liu and Awkwafina (Nora Lum) is incredible
I’ve known Awkwafina since she starred in Crazy Rich Asians and her personality and energy absolutely appeal to me. I’ve also seen parts of Kim’s Convenience that introduced me to Simu Liu, and have fallen in love with how down-to-earth he seems to be.
Take these separate ingredients of Things I Already Love and mash them up together, and you get the beautiful and hilarious dynamic between the two.
[3] I was really psyched to see Fala Chen and Tony Leung
Dear reader, I need you to understand that I grew up watching Fala Chen act in the TV shows that defined my childhood: Heart of Greed, Moonlit Resonance, Triumph in the Skies 2. These names may not mean anything to you, but they mean everything to me, as tv shows that released in the early 2000s that I’ve watched at least 3–5 times over.
And Tony Leung? Other than being in Infernal Affairs, he was a titan in the Hong Kong tv show and movie industry. He was popular in tv shows a bit before my time (e.g., 1980s to 1990s), but I still know him because of the endless references back to the classics.
My world of watching HK dramas and American movies has always been separate. I’ve always had to separate the HK part of me and the “American” (read: Canadian/growing up as part of the diaspora) part of me.
This is the first movie where both are integrated, beautifully, into one movie.
I am literally (read: figuratively) vibrating with validation.
One (1) thing I wish they did better
I found the opening of this movie kind of slow, especially for a superhero movie. At the same time, the scene where Ying Li and Fu Manchu first meet at the entrance of Ta Lo was so perfectly choreographed, I think it was worth the wait.
Hi I’m Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) and I’m finding that in reviewing TV shows, I ghetto relive the enjoyment that I had for each piece of the story and the characters I grew to love. Join me in this adventure!
