Wenwu and Ying Li's first encounter, for example, is a clear homage to wuxia films using the same Hong Kong cinema-inspired wire work popularized in western cinema by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
That might be true to a point, but it is all done in service to staples of modern Chinese artwork. RELATED: Why Abomination Looks Different in Shang-Chi Than He Did in Incredible HulkĪt first glance, director Destin Daniel Cretton's entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks like simply another film filled with wild martial-arts sequences for its own sake. China and Chinese culture in popular American films that aren't The Joy Luck Club tend to focus heavily on martial arts or some form of mysticism centered on a misunderstanding of chi. As exciting as certain symbols can look on screen, or as intriguing as classic Chinese beliefs might be, there is more meaning attached to each of these cultural facets than spectacle and Shang-Chi almost conveys that. Virtually no Asian cultures have been explored thoroughly enough in mainstream western films to avoid presenting certain cultural elements as gimmicks. It's not perfect, but it is certainly a huge step in the right direction when it comes to taking another culture seriously.
But that is exactly why Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings feels so important. That's not to say anyone should be satisfied with representation in mainstream film and television as it stands. When all is said and done, it must be acknowledged that Hollywood has come a long way in terms of representation.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, now in theaters.