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eleanorjaneSeen it, finally!
After waiting patiently to see this on Disney+, I was not at all disappointed. I thought the opening of the movie was super strong, throwing us right into several awesome action sequences, nearly back to back. In fact, I thought all of the fights and action set pieces were fantastic, with the exception of the climactic fight. So often I think directors pour too much into the final fight or action sequence, and it becomes little more than a spectacle. Because it has to be the most epic fight in the movie, I often feel kind of disconnected from the final fight - it's just a big show, nothing visceral or real. But given the phenomenon is so prevalent in moviemaking, maybe the problem is with me, not the movies.
Stuff I loved:
* The love story between Li and Wenwu, told largely through a single transformative fight scene.
* Everything about Katy, who is just unapologetically great. I also loved her fast friendship with Xialing.
* Trevor! MORRIS! ♥
* Holy shit Tony Leung has all the charisma in the universe, doesn't he?
* I really liked that this wasn't just the story of "Wenwu pressures his son to return to the fold" that the trailers implied. Wenwu's whole approach to family and his kids was complicated and fascinating.
* Ta Lo, omg, I loved it so much. I really hope we get to see more of what's their in their dimension - I want to see their cities!
Stuff I didn't love:
First, I thought Shang-Chi himself was underwhelming compared with many of the other characters in the movie. When Nan asks him if he knows who he is, I realised that I had no clue who he was supposed to be - he was a rather bland blank slate compared with all the stronger characters around him. This is not Simu Liu’s fault, who acted the hell out of what he was given.
Second, and relatedly, the focus on Shang Chi looks rather contrived when his kickass, driven sister is right next to him. Why does he get the rings and the power to fight like his mother did when his sister (who should surely be a far better fighter given the way they've spent their respective decades) is right there? This is where Shang-Chi feeling like a blander character really let the movie down for me - he’s front and center because he’s the guy. It felt like Ant-man and Hope all over again, except that at least the Ant-man movie tells us Hank was wrong to overlook his daughter.
That aside, I did love the movie. (If feminist rage was a dealbreaker I’d have stopped watching movies long before this.) I thought Ta Lo was gorgeous and imaginative, and although the plot was somewhat formulaic, I really appreciated the way they handled Wenwu as a villain. I can’t wait to see more of Ta Lo’s universe.
After waiting patiently to see this on Disney+, I was not at all disappointed. I thought the opening of the movie was super strong, throwing us right into several awesome action sequences, nearly back to back. In fact, I thought all of the fights and action set pieces were fantastic, with the exception of the climactic fight. So often I think directors pour too much into the final fight or action sequence, and it becomes little more than a spectacle. Because it has to be the most epic fight in the movie, I often feel kind of disconnected from the final fight - it's just a big show, nothing visceral or real. But given the phenomenon is so prevalent in moviemaking, maybe the problem is with me, not the movies.
Stuff I loved:
* The love story between Li and Wenwu, told largely through a single transformative fight scene.
* Everything about Katy, who is just unapologetically great. I also loved her fast friendship with Xialing.
* Trevor! MORRIS! ♥
* Holy shit Tony Leung has all the charisma in the universe, doesn't he?
* I really liked that this wasn't just the story of "Wenwu pressures his son to return to the fold" that the trailers implied. Wenwu's whole approach to family and his kids was complicated and fascinating.
* Ta Lo, omg, I loved it so much. I really hope we get to see more of what's their in their dimension - I want to see their cities!
Stuff I didn't love:
First, I thought Shang-Chi himself was underwhelming compared with many of the other characters in the movie. When Nan asks him if he knows who he is, I realised that I had no clue who he was supposed to be - he was a rather bland blank slate compared with all the stronger characters around him. This is not Simu Liu’s fault, who acted the hell out of what he was given.
Second, and relatedly, the focus on Shang Chi looks rather contrived when his kickass, driven sister is right next to him. Why does he get the rings and the power to fight like his mother did when his sister (who should surely be a far better fighter given the way they've spent their respective decades) is right there? This is where Shang-Chi feeling like a blander character really let the movie down for me - he’s front and center because he’s the guy. It felt like Ant-man and Hope all over again, except that at least the Ant-man movie tells us Hank was wrong to overlook his daughter.
That aside, I did love the movie. (If feminist rage was a dealbreaker I’d have stopped watching movies long before this.) I thought Ta Lo was gorgeous and imaginative, and although the plot was somewhat formulaic, I really appreciated the way they handled Wenwu as a villain. I can’t wait to see more of Ta Lo’s universe.