Fantasy Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Kevin

Code Monkey
Staff member
Title: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Tagline: You can't outrun your destiny.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Cast: Simu Liu, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Michelle Yeoh, Yuen Wah, Ben Kingsley, Florian Munteanu, Andy Le, Paul He, Jayden Tianyi Zhang, Elodie Fong, Arnold Sun, Stephanie Hsu, Kunal Dudheker, Tsai Chin, Jodi Long, Dallas Liu, Ronny Chieng, Daniel Liu, Stella Ye, Fernando Chien, Michael-Anthony Taylor, Zach Cherry, Raymond Ma, Lau Ga-Yung, Johnny Carr, Harmonie He, Lydia Sarks, Dee Bradley Baker, Benedict Wong, Jade Xu, Tim Roth, Mark Ruffalo, Brie Larson, David Chea, Bingchen Ye

Release: 2021-09-01

Runtime: 132

Plot: Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

 
I liked this one, it was a good action movie with some characters from the Marvel verse that are not as well known to the general public. I've always been a big of Asian mythology movies so seeing that influence with the Marvel budget makes for a good popcorn movie.

Ben Kingsley does a job of being the recognizable link between this movie and the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies. If you have Disney+, but sure to watch the 'one-shot' that shows how his "Mandarin" character ended up where he is found by Shang-Chi.

I have no complaints and there was only one thing that made me go "Huh? :thinking:" - the age of the main character. As you watch the movie it is revealed at what age Shang-Chi left his old life behind and how many years it has been since but Simu Liu, the actor portraying Shang-Chi, seems to be older than that.

Be sure to watch the post-credits scenes! A few other Marvel characters make an appearance and the scene help set up the next Dr. Strange movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
 
I liked it too!

The Ending Credits scene hints at a force or gem which is sending a message.
From what I could tell, they were only looking into one ring, hinting the possibility each of the 10 rings might hold its OWN gem.
So, In addition to the six infinity stones we now have 10 magical gems.

"However, the versions that fans see in the film are nothing like their comic counterparts, which are literal rings on the user's fingers."
"Each ring has a different power to be used, something which sounds a lot like the Infinity Stones that Thanos successfully used to wipe out half the world. Was this similarity accounted for when factoring in how to adapt the rings into live-action?"

So where did the inspiration for their final on-screen renditions on come from? Schwartz recalls watching a film called The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, where one of the weapons used in a key montage was "these Hun Gar Iron Rings."


How The Ten Rings' Powers Work In The MCU & Marvel Comics​

With the benefit of decades' worth of material, the power of the rings has been more specifically defined in the comics. Given names and even nicknames, each comes with a unique power befitting the soul trapped within. Here's a full list of each ring, what they were called, and, more importantly, what they allowed the Mandarin to do:

  • The first was known as the Matter-Rearranger Ring (a.k.a. Remaker). Worn on the Mandarin's right thumb, it enabled him to manipulate matter on an atomic level. This ring was used in a range of ways, from altering his own appearance and clothing to poisoning or even solidifying the air around his enemies.
  • The second, worn on the right index finger, was named the Impact Beam Ring (a.k.a. Influence). As glimpsed in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it was used to attack and propel enemies with a concussive blast. It could also be used to produce a beam that was more sonic in nature, incapacity enemies with high-intensity sound.
  • Next was the Vortex Beam Ring (a.k.a. Spin). Worn on the right middle finger, it was able to manipulate the air, even whipping it up in a Tornado-like fashion. As well as forming an effective attack on enemies, this particular ring also meant the Mandarin could levitate items or even himself.
  • The Disintegration Beam Ring (a.k.a. Spectral) was worn on the right ring finger. Producing a beam that destroys the bonds between atoms and molecules, this ring did exactly what it said on the label. In the comics, it was only inanimate objects that it could disintegrate. That could, however, be changed for the movie, making the Mandarin an even more considerable threat. Fortunately, the comics also gave heroes a fighting chance by giving the ring a need to recharge for 20 minutes between each use.
  • The Black Light Ring (a.k.a. Nightbringer) was worn on the right ring finger. As well as conceivably being able to expose Star-Lord's ship as a Jackson Pollock-esque nightmare, it utilized Darkforce energy to conjure an area of darkness around his vicinity.

  • Worn on the left thumb was its polar opposite, the White Light Ring (a.k.a. Daimonic). It allowed the Mandarin and conjure and manipulate electromagnetic energy. This resulted in several impressive functions including blinding enemies with intense light and reorganizing gravity fields in order to trap people. It also gifted him further ways of levitating items and himself, as well as the ability to manifest holographic projections and duplicates of himself.
  • The Flame-Blast Ring (a.k.a. Incandescence) adorned the left index finger. Another that did exactly as described, it produced fire blasts and could otherwise ignite surrounding areas and objects via infrared.
  • Glimpsed on the left ring finger, the Mento-Intensifier Ring (a.k.a. The Liar) enhanced the Mandarin's psionic energies. Not dissimilar from Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) in Loki, this ring allowed the Mandarin to project illusions into the minds of others and otherwise affect their senses to manipulate them. This ring could also be used to render enemies in a temporarily catatonic state.
  • The Electro-Blast Ring (a.k.a. Lightning) was worn on the left middle finger and produced the kind of electrical blasts to make even Thor think somebody was stealing his thunder.
  • Gracing the left little finger, the Ice Blast Ring (a.k.a. Zero) rounded out the Mandarin's control of the elements. Conjuring intense cold, he could trap enemies in ice blocks or manifest ice-based weapons.
I'm curious as to how the ring gems will align with the Infinity Stones? As you might recall from EndGame, the Infinity Stones were not destroyed, merely sent back to their respective timelines. They are still 'out there' and the Avenger team knows they exist.
 

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