By John Mineses
Staff Writer
“Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” broke the box office and cultural expectations, being Marvel’s first Asian-led superhero blockbuster.
Released on September 3, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is still rolling with momentum since its Labor Day weekend opening, earning $321 million worldwide as of Sept. 20, 2021.
The film breaks barriers by introducing Marvel’s first Asian superhero to theatres and adding more Asian actors to Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The film stars Asian and Asian-American activists Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Meng’er Zhang. British-Chinese actor Benedict Wong also reprises his character from “Doctor Strange” as Wong.
The Equinox reached out to FDU’s diverse community of students to get their thoughts.
“I think it’s amazing that there is an Asian-American superhero because we can relate to Shaun and Katie’s experiences,” said Maryrose Pasumbal, a senior biology major, via text message. “The younger audience now has someone to look up to who’s a bit like them.”
The story of Shang-Chi’s journey home to defend his mother’s land against the Ten Rings was one that many fans loved. The presence of Chinese culture throughout the film was amazing for many.
Although, not all students were very impressed by the story that was told.
“… Perhaps a little bit more of a backstory and context, and perhaps a better sense of danger would have been nice. I feel like it all fell apart in the third act,” said Kenny Lo, a junior communication major and former Equinox student lifestyle editor, via Instagram DM. “I feel like it was on par with some of Marvel’s average films.”
The importance of representation still shone through despite the criticism.
“I had high hopes for this movie, and I was like ‘eh, it’s alright.’ I wanted it to be really good for an Asian-American film. I definitely felt represented, I was just expecting this really… great film,” Lo said.
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings” looks to become a permanent fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the mid-credits scene we see Shang-Chi meet with Wong, Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), and Bruce Banner (The Incredible Hulk), showing his future as an official member of the Avengers.
We also see a teaser of Shang-Chi’s sister, Xialing, running the Ten Rings before the text “The Ten Rings Will Return” is displayed on the screen, hinting at a sequel to the film.
It looks like the future is bright for Marvel’s new cast of Asian heroes.
As Bruce Banner says to Shang-Chi at the end of the film, “Welcome to the Circus” — a seemingly nice welcome to the Avengers’ newest hero.
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Photo Courtesy of IMDB
