Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 … And a complicated tale of Public Domain.

Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu was created by Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart as the heroic son of Sax Rohmer's infamous supervillain Fu Manchu, who, in addition to being a racially insensitive character, is also not completely in the public domain. What would happen if he had a movie?

Simple. Retool Fu Manchu into The Mandarin, Iron Man's archenemy, a character impersonated in Iron Man 3 by Ben Kingsley's washed-up character actor Trevor Slattery. The end result, written by director Destin Daniel Cretton with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Who is Shang-Chi? He (Simu Liu) is the son of the long-lived warlord Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), aka The Mandarin. Wenwu leads the ominous Ten Rings Organization, named for his magical arm rings. Wenwu tried to be a family man until his enemies killed his wife (Fala Chen). So he trained Shang-Chi and his sister, Xialing (Meng'er Zhang), to be killers. Shang-Chi escaped to San Francisco as "Shaun," and is now a hotel valet with his pal, Katy (Awkwafina).

Shang-Chi reveals his martial artistry when the Ten Rings come calling. They take him, Xialing and Katy back to their compound. Wenwu wants to find Ta Lo, his wife's mystical home village, where he thinks she's being held. He needs his kids' pendants to help find it. And if Ta Lo won't let him free her, he'll kill everything. Shang-Chi won't stand for it and he and the others make it to Ta Lo first. It's a good thing; turns out Wenwu's being tricked into releasing the ominous Dweller in Darkness.

Its supporting cast is good. Katy is a great sidekick, equally funny and battle ready. She gets even better when she helps defeat the Dweller. Xialing and Shang-Chi's aunt, Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh), is a warm presence. The aforementioned Trevor Slattery returns for some more comic relief; he's even better now than he was then. Special mention goes to Morris the Hundun, a faceless winged six-legged fuzzy creature. He's surprisingly cuddly. 

Now for the main family relationship. Shang-Chi is a decent hero made compelling by his strained family relationship. Xialing vents a lot of frustration when she reunites with Shang-Chi in the ring of her fight club. The flashbacks to their brutal training spells it out clearly. We see Wenwu be a great family man until his wife's murder. It's brutal to see him and Shang-Chi blame each other for her death. Their climactic fight lets them vent their own frustration perfectly. 

Let's talk about the technical style. Ta Lo and Xialing's fight club are excellent creations of production designer Sue Chan. Ta Lo, in particular, is populated by splendid mythological creatures from Guardian Lions to Nine-Tail Foxes. The Dweller-in-Darkness, and its good counterpart, The Great Protector, are formidable CGI dragons. And here's hoping the Academy take notice of costume designer Kym Barrett and her opulent wardrobe for Ta Lo's residents. The action is great, even if it felt like some parts were edited too fast. Still, the bus fight with the Ten Rings is an exciting showcase for martial arts and San Francisco scenery. Joel P. West's majestic score suits the film perfectly.

A few story beats sound cliched. But Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings perked my interest in one of Marvel's least well-known characters. Its end credits promise "The Ten Rings will Return;" how will they factor in the MCU? Its mid-credits scene promises the Ten Ring artifacts will play an important role somehow. These scenes leave us with a few interesting thoughts. Stay safe if you see it in theaters now. It'll be available on Disney Plus sometime later. Whichever the format, see it on the largest screen you can.