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As a female comics fan, I subscribe to the notion that Gail Simone has my best interests at heart. And so when I saw a post from her Domino arc describing Shang-Chi as “Fine as Five Fridays” I knew I was going to have to see this movie.

For the plot, of course. Definitely the plot.

But for real. If you’re on the edge of whether or not to go see Shang-Chi, it’s not the plot that’s going to pull you in. It’s not Simu Liu’s abs either (although they are a perk!). It’s the heart that the actors give to their performances. 

This film has an incredible way of tying together the ideas of forgiveness and guilt, belonging and isolation, love and loss, and how the people grow and change from generation to generation.  Each character has an arc framed by the expectations of others and their own actions. 

Shang-Chi’s arc deals with the guilt he feels for carrying out the assassination of the rival gang leader who killed his mother, as well as guilt for leaving his sister, Xu Xialing, with his emotionally abusive father, Xu Wenwu. He’s also attempting to handle his anger at his father for shutting down after the death of Ying Li, Shang-Chi’s mother. During his time at Ta Lo, his mother’s mythical village, his aunt helps him find the balance in his sense of identity by combining everything his father taught him with all the heart of what his mother taught him. 

Xu Xialing has an arc that deals with the societal limitations placed upon her because she’s female. She teaches herself to fight, sets up an underground cage fighting ring, and partners with a giant dragon to save her brother’s behind during the final fight against soul consuming demons. And then she takes over the Ten Rings gang after the death of Xu Wenwu. 

Coming in, I knew Wenwu was a new character for the film. In the comics, Shang-Chi’s father and the leader of the Ten Rings organization is Fu Manchu. Yes. That Fu Manchu. There was no way he would have worked in a modern MCU story, as his entire character in media is an offensive stereotype. Xu Wenwu is leaps and bounds a better character. Tony Leung, who plays Xu Wenwu, is a huge star in Hong Kong, and his performance here is exactly why. Even when I hate Wenwu for being an emotionally manipulative and abusive father, I understand and see how his choices are shaped by his grief. It doesn’t excuse his behavior, but it adds a layer of depth that’s relatable. In turn, Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi responds by denouncing his father, but with such a level of passion and dedication that reflects his father. It brings to mind the whole thing about turning into our parents as we get older. In Shang-Chi, this becomes the basis of the plot. Shang-Chi takes on his mother’s role and Xu Xialing takes on their father’s, subverting the societal expectations set on the siblings by nature of their gender. 

For me, that was a huge positive for the film. As a female comics fan, we so often see female characters set into submissive or minor roles in favor of the male heroes. Xialing combats that by being straight-up kick ass. She takes no shit and I love her. I was a little sad to see her character as masculinized as I felt she was. She displayed very little emotion, was often gruff, and stylized in costume design in a more male way. Even in the after credits scene, her body language as she sits in the chair is masculine (gotta love the man-spreading).

In comparison, Awkawfina’s Katy blends the feminine and masculine energies in a way I prefer. I think of all the characters in the film, Katy was the one that I related to the most. Her story arc is based around the idea of risk vs. reward. She and Shang-Chi are both perfectly content with their lives and jobs as valets, spending their free time at karaokes. They even reject the idea of “growing up” to their friends. But when Shang-Chi is in trouble, she insists on coming with him. And when they’re in Ta Lo, she learns how to shoot a bow. The wise old grandmother character says to her “if you aim at nothing, you hit nothing.” That was my favorite line in the whole movie. Katy ends up being a pretty dang good shot and shoots the scary soul eating monster in the neck after learning how to control her nerves. But we still see her having more emotions than Xialing, including several hints towards romantic feelings for Shang-Chi. Understandable.  But there’s no confirmation of a romance between the two and instead their relation focuses on their friendship and “found family” status together. Seeing Xialing, Katy, Ying Li and her sister, Ying Nan, in positions of honor, dignity, and strength during the final battle in Ta Lo was a far better representation of female empowerment that “she’s not alone” in Endgame. (Sorry, not Sorry. That scene was a shot to appease the female fanbase without doing the actual work needed to back it and I’m still disappointed.). Instead, Xialing, Katy, and Ying Nan, played by the incredible Michelle Yeoh, create a backbone of support for Shang-Chi in a way that makes it clear that he would be incapable of victory without them.  Plus, the mmid and post credits scenes both set up futures for Xialing and Katy in the MCU and I am really excited to see their characters developed even more in the future. 

I’m not saying that the film or the way it interacts with its female characters is perfect. I have a lot of issues with Ying Li and Xu Wenwu and what their relationship means and demonstrates in terms of growth and change as people, as well as the implications of the Women in Refrigerators trope in regards to Ying Li and her character development. But that’s honestly a topic for another post, and not my review of how worth your time Shang-Chi is. Because it really is beautiful. The fights are incredible, the story is solid, and I am now holding my breath for a future scene with Xialing and Yelena kicking ass with and or against Kate Bishop because  I’m not sure anything makes me happier than seeing these women powering the future of the MCU. 

So, for the final score of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? I’m gonna follow Gail’s example and rate it “Fine out of Five Fridays”. 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now playing in theaters. Please observe your local theater’s health and safety guidelines when attending a showing.