I truly enjoyed watching this with someone who could get/explain some of the cultural references in the film...As a white American, I can enjoy the film without that knowledge, but it's so much better to me when I know that information....And to know it was done well, and with care is also nice. (For instance, I knew about the Chinese water dragon, and sort of about the lion, but I did not know that all the creatures in Ta-Lo came from Chinese myth/legend)
look up Dr. Jon Tam's video on shang chi "is shang chi culturally offensive", probably has the best explanation on the cultural references in shang chi
Obviously the creatures in Ta-lo would be based on Chinese myth. They are in an old CHINESE mythical place after all. Why would the filmmakers just have random creatures?
The director, writers and actors had a lot of discussion of when, where and why the characters would be speaking Chinese or English which is a detail I loved. Also Meng'er Zhang, who played Xialing and is also her first ever on screen role, acted as a dialect coach for the others since she speaks Mandarin Chinese
Razorfist (The one-handed guy) actually has more of a backstory than was shown in the movie. He was raised in the Ten Rings, and views Wen Wu (Mandarin) as a father figure. Hence why he always seems grumpy around Shang-Chi, and is more sympathetic to Wen Wu's pain.
I had a feeling that George as a Chinese immigrant would be able to name what kind of mythical creature Morris was, and hearing him give insights like that is probably my favorite part of your reaction. Well, that, and Simone squeeing over Morris, but come on, you'd have to be some kind of stone hearted jackass not to find that fun and adorable.
Captain Marvel also deliberately didn't have a 'love interest' character, just a very good friendship with the Maria Rambeau character - mother of Monica who showed up in WandaVision.
I think the purpose of the soul sucker battle was that Shang-Chi had to accept both sides of himself to truly be a hero--he rejected the rings when he took them by force, but in the end accepted them when they were given freely, and he has accepted his mother's heritage with the air power, so only when he combined the two did he become his full self... which couldn't happen until after Wenwu's death, so he needed a big challenge to succeed at with his full hero power. But yes, it definitely didn't have the emotional resonance of the fight with his father. It makes symbolic sense, but maybe not as much emotional sense.
That opening fight scenes is why I love ballet. Emotion express without words. George thank you for explaining the Chinese myths and creatures. It made this movie so much better to me.
As a native San Franciscan, I love the great local color touches they included. The 1 California is an actual city bus line, and I loved that they have Shang Chi living on Clement. They could have had him stereotypically living in Chinatown, but instead they locate him in the Richmond district, a less known neighborhood but still one with a strong Asian presence.
@@MikeTaffet most of the outside of the bus scenery in San Francisco was actually cgi. The film crew built a green screen arena around a bus rigged onto a contraption so they technicians could control its movement. The only real footage from San Francisco is the part where the bus drives over all the luxury cars. Source: shang chi behind the scenes documentary on Disney plus
@@itsatrap9229 They said they had an unit shooting the street and bus scene in San Francisco for all the outside-of-window shots. Then they "stitched" them togeter with the actions inside the bus.
The bus camera dude was in Spiderman Homecoming, as the "Do a flip" guy at the beginning of the movie, and in a deleted scene Razorfist (the big Romanian) was telling Shaung-Chi about how he was adopted by Shaung's Dad
There's a couple of deleted scenes where they flesh out the character of the henchman with the sword arm, and he explains that the dad found him as a one-armed orphan in Romania and took him in and raised him pretty much as his son after Shang-Chi left and that's how he became his right-hand man. They even had a scene where they're at the dinner table after the dad captures them in Macau and he and Ling start arguing a bit because she starts making fun of his code name Razorfist, much like siblings, and the dad shuts them down saying something like "Mattias can call himself whatever he wants, Ling." In another deleted scene he gives Katey a pep talk during the final battle with the soul-sucking creatures that results in her shooting the Dweller In Darkness in the neck. I think they should've kept those scenes because they give the Mandarin more depth and also explain why Lin was able to take over the Ten Rings so easily and even clearly has Razorfist's loyalty at the end of the movie. They grew up together like siblings. Also, there is a romantic interest but it's subtler because the characters don't want to acknowledge it just yet. At the end of the movie when Shang-Chi and Katey step through Wong's portal they hold hands. That's not something you do with your bro like a casual everyday thing, right? Again, in a deleted scene Ling asks Katey if she and Shang-Chi are together and she says she doesn't want to ruin their friendship but doesn't deny she likes him like that and Ling's dialogue implies she can tell Shang-Chi likes Katey back. Granted, deleted scenes may or may not be canon to the story ultimately released, but at least they show that they did have a potential romantic relationship between Shang-Chi and Katey in mind. TL:DR: I liked this movie's deleted scenes.🙂
Two questions: 1. How can he be anyones right hand man if he doesn’t have a right hand? 2. Does the sword live inside his arm like wolverines claws? How does it get deployed?
@@jmhaces I think I prefer what Shang and Katie have in the final version of the movie more than a romantic relatipnship honestly, just more refreshing. They have chemistry, sure, but there's no real reason to force them together honestly.
@@MikeTaffet I've always assumed it is nanomachines like what Iron Man/Spiderman uses for all their current suits; objects just materialize out of nowhere. Do people ask where Spidey's spider claws are stored in his suit.
Great reactions! I love watching with you guys. 25:10 Tony Leung (Wenwu) is so good. Look at his eyes. No wonder people call him "The actor that acts with his eyes".
"I speak ABC" may be my favorite line. Also, there was a minor martial thing in the finale fight: Shang-Chi kind of Kameamea-ed the Dweller in Darkness with the Rings.
Kamehameha*, Akira Toriyama named the move after the Hawaiian king at his wife's suggestion because it sounded cool and had Kame in it which sounds the same as the Japanese word for turtle.
I loved hearing George’s info on some of the Chinese cultural things I wasn’t aware of the first time I watched the film - such as the ‘wonton’ creature!
I also loved the clarity of the Mandarin. Watching intros to the big epic films helped me in my Mandarin studies because they're some of the most perfect, slow, and clear samples of the language I could find at the time. It's like they took a newscast and slowed it down. But this has almost immediately become my favorite MCU film. It was captivating and self-contained. Can't ask for anything more!
A representative from The Ten Rings was in Ant-Man to get the Yellow Jacket (Pym Particle) technology. He had a Ten Rings tattoo on his neck like the guy in the MCU One Shot, "All Hail The King," where The Ten Rings tell Trevor that the real Mandarin wanted to see him (before he was killed).
Seeing Michelle Yeoh in this makes me really want you to react to 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' (one of my favorite films of all time), but I'm also guessing at least one of you has already seen it. Or watch Tony Leung in 'Hero' or 'Hard Boiled'.
George mentioned some incredible facts about bamboo but there's also a tree that can walk it's called the walking palm and can walk due to its incredible root system.
The highlight of the film for me was when Yuen Wah shows up out of no where. As I made my journey through the classics of Hong Kong cinema, he was always a favorite. His cigar puffing factory owner in Dragons Forever is an all time great.
George, if you ever wonder why people tune in for you, part of it is those epic gaming references. Laughing my ass off at that nice Kingdom Come Deliverance drop there, excellent game, and excellent reference sir
Shang Chi finally succeeds when he acknowledges that he is both a part of his mother and his father, that acceptance of who he is and where he comes from allows for that connection to the Great Protector, and when he finally defeats the Dweller in Darkness, he uses both the skills of his mother and the skills of his father.
The Ten Rings don't just got back to Iron man 3, but all the way back to Iron Man 1. The terror organization that attacked Tony's convoy and kidnapped him, causing him to build his first Iron Man suit, was part of the Ten Rings. The Mandarin is Iron Man's arch enemy in the comics, though his original depiction wasn't exactly racially sensitive. The same can be said for Shang-Chi's father, who is not the Mandarin in the source material, but a different character all together. Personally I thought the movie was great and Shang-Chi himself is really likeable. He's probably my favorite character in the MCU now that Steve is gone. Bamboo is a type of grass, yes.
I personally wish the fight with the CGI monster could have involved the father some more: If when the monster broke free, and he realizes his mistake, if he and Shang-chi had worked together for a while melding their styles, until ultimately Xu Wenwu sacrifices himself.
Wenwu was too emotionally crushed after realizing that he wasn’t rescuing his wife and that she was truly gone and never coming back. He had no fight in him at that point.
An ending I just thought of, but they could have done the possession route. Like the Soul Eater injects the Mandarin's corroded soul back into his body to count the Ten Rings, so Shang-Chi has to destroy an even more twisted version of his father. This could have also been a thing with the Death Dealer vs. Xialing (the specific fighter that beat Shang-Chi's training into him), since the Death Dealer just died suddenly with any closure on his story contributions. There could have even been a point where Xialing and Shang-Chi switched opponents, so Shang-Chi could confront the person who hurt him and Xialing could confront the person who ignored her.
Love that flirt-fighting was a thing in the beginning. Almost expected the same when Shang Chi fought Wei Wu. :-) Also, the serial number on the tail of the helicopter has 888 in it. Nice little hidden nod to the superstitious Chinese out there.
While having more of a fight between/with the father would have been cool I dont think there was really time for much more and I felt it was rather fitting that the interaction shang chi had with his father basically mirrored the fight his mother had with him blow for blow which also lead to the father changing his mind in a big way. Definitely looking forward to more and wonder if this means they are going to introduce the Makluan into the MCU.
Idk if anyone else has noticed (it took me like 10 watches to notice 😂😂) but the move that Shang Chi uses to kill the Dweller in Darkness is the same move that his father uses on him in their fight right before he dies (in fact, it’s like the 2nd to last thing he does). Just like Shang Chi, his father sends the rings into the earth/mountain, does a bunch of stuff, and then does the same cool arm thing TL make the remaining rings to come back out. Similarly, Shang Chi sends the rings into the mouth of the Dweller, spins a bunch, then destroys the Dweller from within using the same arm move. It’s way cooler than how I’m explaining it 😂😂 but I just thought it was cool that even when they were fighting and even in his father’s death, he was still learning from him.
The scene where Shang Chi uses the rings to implode the Dweller in the Dark reminds me of Kung Fu Hustle when Stephen Chow's character falling from the sky uses the buddhist palm to defeat the beast. I'm guessing it was homage to it since there is a poster of Kung Fu Hustle in Shang Chi's room.
As a nonsequitur, an awesome series no one does reactions to is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. It looks like such nonsense, but by the end it all makes perfect sense, and I'd love to see your take on it.
@@ThreadBomb I was thinking US, I haven't seen the UK version. But while I know it has nothing to do with the books, despite being so surreal it's still some of the tightest writing I've ever seen.
Great reaction video you two! You the man George! You gave so much insight to the movie which I really appreciated! The story telling style of this film was different from all the other MCU films, but I loved it. Trevor (the chicken dish) to Morris: "Calm down mate! I'm not dead. It's just a performance. So get down here & play along." Also, where can I get a Hundun from? Mor-ris! Mor-ris!
I agree with your comment on it being a bummer on the last fight being all cgi...but the dweller in darkness is a doctor strange villan as well, so they kinda had to do it to set up future movies
I agree with George about the final fight. It was gorgeous and well done, but a more grounded martial arts fight would have been more fitting. The MCU has leaned too heavily into every third act being an epic CGI spectacle.
Loved this movie, it's up there with Iron Man 1 & Ant-Man with the humor. I recognized the nine tailed fox because I used to play Perfect World (FTP Chinese competitor for WoW) !
If you want to watch the most beautiful movie ever filmed IMHO, you need to see Hero starring Jet Li, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen, etc etc. The cinematography is STUNNING!
I lived for years in British Columbia and they used to show Hong Kong Kung Fu movies every Sat Night. I remember people like Yuen Wah, Sammo Hung and others popping up in those but I'll always remember Yuen best as the landlord from Kung Fu Hustle.
1:24 Funny you say that since Simu Liu is Chinese but in his big sitcom, Kim's Convenience, he played a Korean character. It's on Netflix BTW, it's really funny.
Agh seeing confirmation that I got all of the mythological creatures correct makes me happy. I've been trying to like- delve into different cultures and widen my horizons recently so yay! I got it right!
I ❤️ ! I love that they mixed comic story and ancient Asian lore! PS Michelle Yeoh ( The Auntie) studied in London! She Maysian and Speaks Mandrian & Cantonese quite fluently. The evil demon king is pretending to be the Moms Ghost and lead Dad to village to open the gate of hell, to create hell on earth. 🤕😭🥹🥰🥷🐉🎛🖥💖❤️
12:49 Yep and the same guy who went on a rampage throughout Harlem, killed several people including several soldiers that were on his side, and even go so far as preventing Hulk from saving the General and Betty while the helicopter is about to catch fire.
Ok...now I have to have my parents watch this to see if they recognize the mythical creatures. I was born here and only know some Chinese mythology so thanks George for pointing those out!
wasn't in convenient that Trevor just happened to be in the dungeon and just happened to have a beast to guide them and just happened to be able to communicate with and just happened to know how to get through the maze? happens all the time when you have get to an impossible place.
I gotta say, or type, rewatching this(watched it when initially released), it was so funny in the beginning with Simone going from all feminine trying to pronounce the director's name to gangsta with "D.D.C.!"🤣
Don't forget to watch "Everything Everywhere All At Once", which features a lot of cast and crew in common with this movie and was filmed right before it.
Ben Kingsley is actually half Indian, which is how he was able to play Ghandi but for some reason everyone mistakes him for just plain white or brittish
Tony Leung is a god. First he's a leading light of HK cinema. Then Wong Kar Wai is like 'let's do Cannes' and Tony gets the Palme D'or. Then he's offered an MCU blockbuster and he creates the best antagonist performance in the franchise and drops a billion dollar hit on the new phase. We're not worthy.
Great reaction, however I would’ve loved it if you actually talked about the movie afterwards, detailing what you liked, what you didn’t like, talked about your favourite characters and so on. Apart from that it was great. I also think the ending was perfect, especially Tony Leung’s arc, and how that ended. And it was also great to see Yuen Wah, I just wished he was given more to do fighting wise, especially considering what we know he is capable of doing. Also fun fact if some didn’t know, Yuen Wah was Bruce Lee’s friend and was one of the main stuntmen on Enter the Dragon.
The bus fight is the best fight scene in the MCU. Followed closely by the scaffolding fight. It's not the first time love interests haven't happened (The Winter Soldier [Sharon Carter wasn't a love interest - even if she wasn't related to Steve], Doctor Stranger [they were broken up in that movie], Ragnarok, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, and this movie don't have them), but when they do have love interests in them, said storylines aren't front and center by any means (B or C storylines at best) and in some cases aren't officially love interests (as mentioned with Dr. Strange above), so much as portrayed as potential or former love interests or side stories when they are love interests.
The moment razor fist tell Wenwu about finding his kids and he showed emotion because in the deleted scene Wenwu adopted Mattias aka razor fist as a child
The moment razor fist tells Wenwu about finding his kids and showing emotion because in the deleted scene Wenwu adopted a Romanian child named Mattias aka Razor Fist
Apart from wiring and CGI, the Kung Fu is legit, really. I love that this movie uses both Mandarin and English to tell the story. Great choices by the director. Also the fight Choreograph was on Jackie Chan's stunt team, so you couldn't expect better... Great movie, right guys?
I think the guy with one hand (Razor Fist/Mattias) is actually adopted by Wenwu when he was a child. So he is technically an adoptive brother of Shang Chi and Xia Ling. That is why he is so loyal to the Ten Rings.
I hated the Kung-Fu movies as a kid and didn't know how this one would hit me in my MCU addiction. This movie was AWESOME! The fight between the mom and dad was beautiful. I have to say, I love it even more with George's insightful details. I am exceedingly happy Morris is a cultural being and not an off the cuff MCU critter. Thanks for a really fun reaction!
A lot of people were let down by the CGI finale. I thought there should have been a final battle with some sort of Shadow warrior, like Shang Chi fighting a truly evil version of his father inside the soul sucker.
I truly enjoyed watching this with someone who could get/explain some of the cultural references in the film...As a white American, I can enjoy the film without that knowledge, but it's so much better to me when I know that information....And to know it was done well, and with care is also nice. (For instance, I knew about the Chinese water dragon, and sort of about the lion, but I did not know that all the creatures in Ta-Lo came from Chinese myth/legend)
look up Dr. Jon Tam's video on shang chi "is shang chi culturally offensive", probably has the best explanation on the cultural references in shang chi
Out of all the reactors I love to watch, this was the first one I clicked on for that reason.
Obviously the creatures in Ta-lo would be based on Chinese myth. They are in an old CHINESE mythical place after all. Why would the filmmakers just have random creatures?
@@Emma88178 Because its marvel and not real lifer lmao not everyone know that
The director, writers and actors had a lot of discussion of when, where and why the characters would be speaking Chinese or English which is a detail I loved. Also Meng'er Zhang, who played Xialing and is also her first ever on screen role, acted as a dialect coach for the others since she speaks Mandarin Chinese
“If you aim at nothing you hit nothing” is pretty similar to Wayne Gretzky’s “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”.
Razorfist (The one-handed guy) actually has more of a backstory than was shown in the movie. He was raised in the Ten Rings, and views Wen Wu (Mandarin) as a father figure. Hence why he always seems grumpy around Shang-Chi, and is more sympathetic to Wen Wu's pain.
I had a feeling that George as a Chinese immigrant would be able to name what kind of mythical creature Morris was, and hearing him give insights like that is probably my favorite part of your reaction. Well, that, and Simone squeeing over Morris, but come on, you'd have to be some kind of stone hearted jackass not to find that fun and adorable.
Captain Marvel also deliberately didn't have a 'love interest' character, just a very good friendship with the Maria Rambeau character - mother of Monica who showed up in WandaVision.
When Trevor showed up on screen at the theatre, I actually laughed out loud. Also, in case you were wondering, there is an official Morris plush.
Of course there is, that's why he's in the movie. MOICHUNDISE
Where's my Trevor plush?
I think the purpose of the soul sucker battle was that Shang-Chi had to accept both sides of himself to truly be a hero--he rejected the rings when he took them by force, but in the end accepted them when they were given freely, and he has accepted his mother's heritage with the air power, so only when he combined the two did he become his full self... which couldn't happen until after Wenwu's death, so he needed a big challenge to succeed at with his full hero power. But yes, it definitely didn't have the emotional resonance of the fight with his father. It makes symbolic sense, but maybe not as much emotional sense.
I got so excited when you started to talk about Ben Kingsley before starting the movie
That opening fight scenes is why I love ballet. Emotion express without words.
George thank you for explaining the Chinese myths and creatures. It made this movie so much better to me.
I absolutely love the glee in Georges face throughout this. As a Sinhalese dude, I hope to see and feel that same way.
As a native San Franciscan, I love the great local color touches they included. The 1 California is an actual city bus line, and I loved that they have Shang Chi living on Clement. They could have had him stereotypically living in Chinatown, but instead they locate him in the Richmond district, a less known neighborhood but still one with a strong Asian presence.
Agreed. Though, the bus did seem to get off route a bit. Still wondering how they made it all the way to Ghiradelli Sq
@@MikeTaffet Lol yes definitely, it's right up there with Bullitt
Oh my mistake. He was living on Euclid. But that's still in the Richmond District
@@MikeTaffet most of the outside of the bus scenery in San Francisco was actually cgi.
The film crew built a green screen arena around a bus rigged onto a contraption so they technicians could control its movement.
The only real footage from San Francisco is the part where the bus drives over all the luxury cars.
Source: shang chi behind the scenes documentary on Disney plus
@@itsatrap9229 They said they had an unit shooting the street and bus scene in San Francisco for all the outside-of-window shots. Then they "stitched" them togeter with the actions inside the bus.
The post card did NOT lead the father to her. He already knew very well where they both were. It brought them together to make them easier to get.
The Ten Rings are actually mentioned all the way back to the first Ironman movie. They had a hand in Stark's kidnapping.
The bus camera dude was in Spiderman Homecoming, as the "Do a flip" guy at the beginning of the movie, and in a deleted scene Razorfist (the big Romanian) was telling Shaung-Chi about how he was adopted by Shaung's Dad
Morris is the best. This movie is 10/10 for introducing me to Hundun, as it's one mythical creature I'd never heard of. And he's so adorable.
And I love that they're the origin of the word wanton! It fits with the chaos powers they have.
There's a couple of deleted scenes where they flesh out the character of the henchman with the sword arm, and he explains that the dad found him as a one-armed orphan in Romania and took him in and raised him pretty much as his son after Shang-Chi left and that's how he became his right-hand man. They even had a scene where they're at the dinner table after the dad captures them in Macau and he and Ling start arguing a bit because she starts making fun of his code name Razorfist, much like siblings, and the dad shuts them down saying something like "Mattias can call himself whatever he wants, Ling." In another deleted scene he gives Katey a pep talk during the final battle with the soul-sucking creatures that results in her shooting the Dweller In Darkness in the neck. I think they should've kept those scenes because they give the Mandarin more depth and also explain why Lin was able to take over the Ten Rings so easily and even clearly has Razorfist's loyalty at the end of the movie. They grew up together like siblings. Also, there is a romantic interest but it's subtler because the characters don't want to acknowledge it just yet. At the end of the movie when Shang-Chi and Katey step through Wong's portal they hold hands. That's not something you do with your bro like a casual everyday thing, right? Again, in a deleted scene Ling asks Katey if she and Shang-Chi are together and she says she doesn't want to ruin their friendship but doesn't deny she likes him like that and Ling's dialogue implies she can tell Shang-Chi likes Katey back. Granted, deleted scenes may or may not be canon to the story ultimately released, but at least they show that they did have a potential romantic relationship between Shang-Chi and Katey in mind.
TL:DR: I liked this movie's deleted scenes.🙂
Two questions: 1. How can he be anyones right hand man if he doesn’t have a right hand? 2. Does the sword live inside his arm like wolverines claws? How does it get deployed?
@@MikeTaffet The Mandarin said Mattias can call himself whatever he wants, Mike. Including his right hand man. 🙂
@@jmhaces I think I prefer what Shang and Katie have in the final version of the movie more than a romantic relatipnship honestly, just more refreshing. They have chemistry, sure, but there's no real reason to force them together honestly.
@@MikeTaffet I've always assumed it is nanomachines like what Iron Man/Spiderman uses for all their current suits; objects just materialize out of nowhere. Do people ask where Spidey's spider claws are stored in his suit.
Is there someplace we can watch these deleted scenes? They sound really cool
Great reactions! I love watching with you guys. 25:10 Tony Leung (Wenwu) is so good. Look at his eyes. No wonder people call him "The actor that acts with his eyes".
"I speak ABC" may be my favorite line. Also, there was a minor martial thing in the finale fight: Shang-Chi kind of Kameamea-ed the Dweller in Darkness with the Rings.
Kamehameha*, Akira Toriyama named the move after the Hawaiian king at his wife's suggestion because it sounded cool and had Kame in it which sounds the same as the Japanese word for turtle.
That "Or......" at the end with Wong was made even more enjoyable by the fact that I saw it coming. haha :)
“Is he bad or good?” Yes.
I wanted to hear George's reaction to the "I've eaten more Salt" crack. After hearing that one being explained it's *so* savage.
I loved hearing George’s info on some of the Chinese cultural things I wasn’t aware of the first time I watched the film - such as the ‘wonton’ creature!
I also loved the clarity of the Mandarin. Watching intros to the big epic films helped me in my Mandarin studies because they're some of the most perfect, slow, and clear samples of the language I could find at the time. It's like they took a newscast and slowed it down.
But this has almost immediately become my favorite MCU film. It was captivating and self-contained. Can't ask for anything more!
I saw both Shang-Chi and the Eternals last week. Shang-Chi was so much better. The action was amazing and it was so beautifully shot.
The Ten Rings were also mentioned in Iron Man -- when Tony was captured, Yinsen told him that was the name of the group that had captured him.
A representative from The Ten Rings was in Ant-Man to get the Yellow Jacket (Pym Particle) technology. He had a Ten Rings tattoo on his neck like the guy in the MCU One Shot, "All Hail The King," where The Ten Rings tell Trevor that the real Mandarin wanted to see him (before he was killed).
Seeing Michelle Yeoh in this makes me really want you to react to 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' (one of my favorite films of all time), but I'm also guessing at least one of you has already seen it. Or watch Tony Leung in 'Hero' or 'Hard Boiled'.
Or Chungking express
George mentioned some incredible facts about bamboo but there's also a tree that can walk it's called the walking palm and can walk due to its incredible root system.
I thought Rango made that up.
I love the way George pointed out some of the mythical creatures, I wanted to know more about this movie’s culture. I love it 😍
IT HAD BEGAN!!!!! Shang Chi is actually one of my top five favorite superheroes! Seeing him have his own solo movie put a huge smile on my face 😌
So nice to have George's background comments. That really enhanced my enjoyment.
Great review as always. George, you are the first reviewer to identify the various mythical creatures in this film, very informative, thanks!
I’m such a nerd that I get extra excited about your reactions when Simone wears a Critter shirt 🙂
And at 2:01... Cat Toss!
Yep. Same.
The highlight of the film for me was when Yuen Wah shows up out of no where. As I made my journey through the classics of Hong Kong cinema, he was always a favorite. His cigar puffing factory owner in Dragons Forever is an all time great.
Oh my god that IS him! So cool.
I love how Wong is always mooching off other people's food/borrowing money. 🤣
George, if you ever wonder why people tune in for you, part of it is those epic gaming references. Laughing my ass off at that nice Kingdom Come Deliverance drop there, excellent game, and excellent reference sir
Shang Chi finally succeeds when he acknowledges that he is both a part of his mother and his father, that acceptance of who he is and where he comes from allows for that connection to the Great Protector, and when he finally defeats the Dweller in Darkness, he uses both the skills of his mother and the skills of his father.
The Ten Rings don't just got back to Iron man 3, but all the way back to Iron Man 1. The terror organization that attacked Tony's convoy and kidnapped him, causing him to build his first Iron Man suit, was part of the Ten Rings.
The Mandarin is Iron Man's arch enemy in the comics, though his original depiction wasn't exactly racially sensitive. The same can be said for Shang-Chi's father, who is not the Mandarin in the source material, but a different character all together.
Personally I thought the movie was great and Shang-Chi himself is really likeable. He's probably my favorite character in the MCU now that Steve is gone.
Bamboo is a type of grass, yes.
Didn't Ivan Vanko have a Ten Rings tattoo (on his neck!) in IM2?
@@jean-paulaudette9246 no, but he is helped by a member of the ten rings in Iron Man 2. They provide the travel documents he uses to get to Monaco.
There’s a deleted scene where Wen Wu asks about the Afghanistan incident, confirming that it was him behind the Tony Stark kidnapping in Iron Man 1.
@AM3OBA There were several potential buyers, but one of them did have a Ten Rings neck tattoo, yes.
You actually know many Chinese culture ,that’s very good to see !!(ps: Hong Kong viewer) Tony Leung is the best:)
That Eastern vs Western Dragon Fight was epic.
...except that wasn't a western dragon. It was much more like a squid with wings and some other weird bits.
I personally wish the fight with the CGI monster could have involved the father some more: If when the monster broke free, and he realizes his mistake, if he and Shang-chi had worked together for a while melding their styles, until ultimately Xu Wenwu sacrifices himself.
Wenwu was too emotionally crushed after realizing that he wasn’t rescuing his wife and that she was truly gone and never coming back. He had no fight in him at that point.
What's this CGI monster you speak of? You mean the giant soul sucking bitch?
that also kinda undercuts the theme of Shang-chi being the combination of both his mother and father.
An ending I just thought of, but they could have done the possession route. Like the Soul Eater injects the Mandarin's corroded soul back into his body to count the Ten Rings, so Shang-Chi has to destroy an even more twisted version of his father. This could have also been a thing with the Death Dealer vs. Xialing (the specific fighter that beat Shang-Chi's training into him), since the Death Dealer just died suddenly with any closure on his story contributions. There could have even been a point where Xialing and Shang-Chi switched opponents, so Shang-Chi could confront the person who hurt him and Xialing could confront the person who ignored her.
Love that flirt-fighting was a thing in the beginning. Almost expected the same when Shang Chi fought Wei Wu. :-)
Also, the serial number on the tail of the helicopter has 888 in it. Nice little hidden nod to the superstitious Chinese out there.
Literally realized today that the actor that plays the Mandarian is 'Broken Sword' from the movie 'Hero' awesome actor.
As simone said Ben Kingsley's Liverpool accent is spot on as a Liverpudlian born and bred I have to agree
While having more of a fight between/with the father would have been cool I dont think there was really time for much more and I felt it was rather fitting that the interaction shang chi had with his father basically mirrored the fight his mother had with him blow for blow which also lead to the father changing his mind in a big way.
Definitely looking forward to more and wonder if this means they are going to introduce the Makluan into the MCU.
"Wait his dad is a bad guy?" I mean that was what the entire intro was trying to get across...
Idk if anyone else has noticed (it took me like 10 watches to notice 😂😂) but the move that Shang Chi uses to kill the Dweller in Darkness is the same move that his father uses on him in their fight right before he dies (in fact, it’s like the 2nd to last thing he does).
Just like Shang Chi, his father sends the rings into the earth/mountain, does a bunch of stuff, and then does the same cool arm thing TL make the remaining rings to come back out. Similarly, Shang Chi sends the rings into the mouth of the Dweller, spins a bunch, then destroys the Dweller from within using the same arm move.
It’s way cooler than how I’m explaining it 😂😂 but I just thought it was cool that even when they were fighting and even in his father’s death, he was still learning from him.
The scene where Shang Chi uses the rings to implode the Dweller in the Dark reminds me of Kung Fu Hustle when Stephen Chow's character falling from the sky uses the buddhist palm to defeat the beast. I'm guessing it was homage to it since there is a poster of Kung Fu Hustle in Shang Chi's room.
As a nonsequitur, an awesome series no one does reactions to is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. It looks like such nonsense, but by the end it all makes perfect sense, and I'd love to see your take on it.
Agreed, it was a big surprise. At first everything seems very random but there's a point to it all.
@@ThreadBomb I was thinking US, I haven't seen the UK version. But while I know it has nothing to do with the books, despite being so surreal it's still some of the tightest writing I've ever seen.
Great reaction video you two! You the man George! You gave so much insight to the movie which I really appreciated! The story telling style of this film was different from all the other MCU films, but I loved it. Trevor (the chicken dish) to Morris: "Calm down mate! I'm not dead. It's just a performance. So get down here & play along." Also, where can I get a Hundun from? Mor-ris! Mor-ris!
29:54 LOVE George's lil giggle there
I agree with your comment on it being a bummer on the last fight being all cgi...but the dweller in darkness is a doctor strange villan as well, so they kinda had to do it to set up future movies
Great vid! I loved George's identification of all the mythical creatures in the movie :)
I agree with George about the final fight. It was gorgeous and well done, but a more grounded martial arts fight would have been more fitting. The MCU has leaned too heavily into every third act being an epic CGI spectacle.
Loved this movie, it's up there with Iron Man 1 & Ant-Man with the humor. I recognized the nine tailed fox because I used to play Perfect World (FTP Chinese competitor for WoW) !
If you want to watch the most beautiful movie ever filmed IMHO, you need to see Hero starring Jet Li, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen, etc etc. The cinematography is STUNNING!
I was so happy when I realized that Guang Bo was Landlord from King Fu Hustle.
I lived for years in British Columbia and they used to show Hong Kong Kung Fu movies every Sat Night. I remember people like Yuen Wah, Sammo Hung and others popping up in those but I'll always remember Yuen best as the landlord from Kung Fu Hustle.
I loved the Corridor Crew video on the stunts and VFX in this movie; some really great scenes!
Also, your Chinese name is 五点钟?!
1:24 Funny you say that since Simu Liu is Chinese but in his big sitcom, Kim's Convenience, he played a Korean character. It's on Netflix BTW, it's really funny.
This is actually my favorite marvel movie, its just so good and refreshing.
Agh seeing confirmation that I got all of the mythological creatures correct makes me happy. I've been trying to like- delve into different cultures and widen my horizons recently so yay! I got it right!
I ❤️ ! I love that they mixed comic story and ancient Asian lore! PS Michelle Yeoh ( The Auntie) studied in London! She Maysian and Speaks Mandrian & Cantonese quite fluently. The evil demon king is pretending to be the Moms Ghost and lead Dad to village to open the gate of hell, to create hell on earth. 🤕😭🥹🥰🥷🐉🎛🖥💖❤️
12:49 Yep and the same guy who went on a rampage throughout Harlem, killed several people including several soldiers that were on his side, and even go so far as preventing Hulk from saving the General and Betty while the helicopter is about to catch fire.
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
hahaha love this call back 🤣
Props for the Grog shirt, there.
Ok...now I have to have my parents watch this to see if they recognize the mythical creatures. I was born here and only know some Chinese mythology so thanks George for pointing those out!
wasn't in convenient that Trevor just happened to be in the dungeon and just happened to have a beast to guide them and just happened to be able to communicate with and just happened to know how to get through the maze? happens all the time when you have get to an impossible place.
I love seeing how happy this movie made George.
23:41 Same for Japanese culture. Which is why you never stick your chopsticks (hashi, はし) straight up in your rice. It reminds people of a funeral.
I used to take Martial Arts specifically Issin-Ru Karate and made it to black belt, so I relate to him because of that!
I loved the KCD clip, I still play that game to this day, it’s so good.
I haven't checked but I guarantee plushy versions of Morris exist.
I gotta say, or type, rewatching this(watched it when initially released), it was so funny in the beginning with Simone going from all feminine trying to pronounce the director's name to gangsta with "D.D.C.!"🤣
Don't forget to watch "Everything Everywhere All At Once", which features a lot of cast and crew in common with this movie and was filmed right before it.
Ben Kingsley is actually half Indian, which is how he was able to play Ghandi but for some reason everyone mistakes him for just plain white or brittish
Hey the evil mouse streaming service now has an extended cut version. It adds so much story, character growth and action. Definitely worth a rewatch
Tony Leung is a god. First he's a leading light of HK cinema. Then Wong Kar Wai is like 'let's do Cannes' and Tony gets the Palme D'or. Then he's offered an MCU blockbuster and he creates the best antagonist performance in the franchise and drops a billion dollar hit on the new phase. We're not worthy.
Ben Kingslay portrayed the character named Trevor Slattery who was hired to play as fake Mandarin
This movie is one of my faves again by marvel really really good fight scenes loved how they were choreographed
Great reaction, however I would’ve loved it if you actually talked about the movie afterwards, detailing what you liked, what you didn’t like, talked about your favourite characters and so on. Apart from that it was great. I also think the ending was perfect, especially Tony Leung’s arc, and how that ended. And it was also great to see Yuen Wah, I just wished he was given more to do fighting wise, especially considering what we know he is capable of doing. Also fun fact if some didn’t know, Yuen Wah was Bruce Lee’s friend and was one of the main stuntmen on Enter the Dragon.
Oh Stephanie Hsu...sigh. I think i first saw her in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Was so glad to see her in EEAAO
I walked into this movie in the cinema without knowing anything. Surprisingly good.
This imo is the best movie reaction channel ever
I like George’s Lok’tar Ogar tattoo and adore Simone’s Strongjaw Ale shirt. :)
The bus fight is the best fight scene in the MCU. Followed closely by the scaffolding fight.
It's not the first time love interests haven't happened (The Winter Soldier [Sharon Carter wasn't a love interest - even if she wasn't related to Steve], Doctor Stranger [they were broken up in that movie], Ragnarok, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, and this movie don't have them), but when they do have love interests in them, said storylines aren't front and center by any means (B or C storylines at best) and in some cases aren't officially love interests (as mentioned with Dr. Strange above), so much as portrayed as potential or former love interests or side stories when they are love interests.
The moment razor fist tell Wenwu about finding his kids and he showed emotion because in the deleted scene Wenwu adopted Mattias aka razor fist as a child
There is a certain amount of irony about him being a stickler for pronunciations but pronouncing it "pronounce-nations", lol.
The moment razor fist tells Wenwu about finding his kids and showing emotion because in the deleted scene Wenwu adopted a Romanian child named Mattias aka Razor Fist
Apart from wiring and CGI, the Kung Fu is legit, really. I love that this movie uses both Mandarin and English to tell the story. Great choices by the director. Also the fight Choreograph was on Jackie Chan's stunt team, so you couldn't expect better... Great movie, right guys?
I think the guy with one hand (Razor Fist/Mattias) is actually adopted by Wenwu when he was a child. So he is technically an adoptive brother of Shang Chi and Xia Ling. That is why he is so loyal to the Ten Rings.
If u noticed, banner was in his astral form. Not his old human self
its a better way for shang chi to take care of the dad without having shang bear the burden of dealing the final blow
10:32 Kung Fu Hustle poster in the back :)
I wonder if a future movie will keep the plot point that the rings are the propulsion system of an alien space ship
I hated the Kung-Fu movies as a kid and didn't know how this one would hit me in my MCU addiction. This movie was AWESOME! The fight between the mom and dad was beautiful. I have to say, I love it even more with George's insightful details. I am exceedingly happy Morris is a cultural being and not an off the cuff MCU critter. Thanks for a really fun reaction!
thats joy from everything everywhere all at once
Trevor and Morris are just the best
excellent reaction 👏🏼👏🏼 also, love to see a fellow Critter!
A lot of people were let down by the CGI finale. I thought there should have been a final battle with some sort of Shadow warrior, like Shang Chi fighting a truly evil version of his father inside the soul sucker.