Celebrity Life

Marvel fans, assemble. Marvel Studios is all set to woo the audience this year with its new superhero movie, set to release in Hong Kong on 2 September, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The film follows protagonist Shang-Chi as he finds himself trapped in a family legacy.

His past threatens to ruin his life in San Francisco, US, when he unwittingly gets involved with the covert and notorious Ten Rings — a criminal organisation headed by his father Wenwu, or The Mandarin.

The trailer, released on 25 June 2021, packs quite the punch with adrenaline-fuelling action scenes, along with a look into Shang-Chi's relationship with Wenwu, who is seen warning him that “you can’t run from the past.”

Shang-Chi will go down in history for being the first Marvel movie with a superhero of Asian descent played by Simu Liu, while actors like Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Benedict Wong, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Dallas Liu, Ronny Chieng and Jodi Long make up the cast. Additionally, director Destin Daniel Cretton and screenwriter Dave Callaham have Asian roots. 

Reprising their characters Abomination from The Incredible Hulk (2008) and Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3 (2013), Tim Roth and Ben Kingsley will also be seen in the film. 

Talking about Asian representation in the movies, Liu in an interview with Bloomberg said, "I want everybody to know that they're seen and that they matter and they should be proud of who they are." 

After Black Panther (2018), Marvel Studios has taken another step towards inclusivity and diverse representation with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The former witnessed groundbreaking commercial and critical success, as many lauded the film for its representation of black culture. Black Panther’s cast included the late Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke and Letitia Wright, and the film received a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96 percent. 

Meanwhile, Shang-Chi premiered on 16 August in Los Angeles, US, with great fanfare as many hailed its well-choreographed action sequences and taut storyline. Here are some reactions the film has received so far.  

Based on the Shang-Chi comic series, the Marvel superhero was created in the 1970s. Comic artist and writer Jim Starlin and writer Steve Englehart collaborated to create superhero Shang-Chi who “seeks peace and harmony in a weary world while opposing those who would tear it down.” In the comics, the superhero, whose name means “rising and advancing of the spirit,” is a skilled martial arts warrior.   

(Main and Featured image: The Direct)

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