Been reading that a lot of mainlanders have a lot of grief over this. I thought it was great. Opinions?
I'm just amazed how many Chinese actors and actresses are in it. Not many hong Kong actors can be in a Hollywood marvel film. This is the the first and it's a great start.
I didn't like it as much ... pretty stereotypical of Asian, or the perception of Chinese / Asian movies - kung fu, dragons. As for the main actor, I think Eddie Peng would have been a better choice. Totally don't think Simu Liu carried the role well at all. Tony Leung isn't as interesting as I had hoped either - compared to his previous movies / series, he's pretty sleepy, as in, lack of experessions. I would give total ratings below average if it weren't for the jokes by Awkwafina; and even that, I wouldn't give it more than 6 / 6.5 out of 10 at most. Just my 2 cents.
it is good to see chinese actors in american films. it was a good origin story bout 7/8 for me. it is a very tipical asian tropes
My overall opinion is that, given the history (or lack thereof) of Asian participation in American media overall, I think it was a tremendously successful effort. Granted, it does almost nothing towards understanding Chinese history and is only a peripheral exposure to the mystique of Chinese mythology, albeit the story is solely Marvel fantasy. But insofar as getting real honest Asian faces on American screens, under a tremendously popular marquis of the MCU, I think it was a boon. My point is, as a focus of ethnic pride and cultural advancement it was a plus, and the thing was also a lot of fun despite the predictability of it. Awkwafina is awesome in terms of her career ladder, having gone from a simple YouTube content creator to a recognizable Hollywood name in a few short years. She does that 'lovable sidekick' with an Asian twist in many endearing ways and that's why she's in so many recent films. I mean, who would have thought that this goofy fast talking little Chinese Korean girl from Forest Hills, Queens, who started out with a vulgar song about her coochie would snowball into a net worth of over $8 million and counting? The other Asian star I have to commend is Ronnie Cheng, who is really a stand up comic. I'm glad he's grown from the Angry Chinese (too confrontational) style and just delivers well timed jokes like a normal comedian. His role as the eccentric emcee of an underground fight club was well cast and fit him to a tee. Tony Leung, is well acknowledged as a great star throughout Asia for years. But IMHO, his talents in a movie like this is a waste in the equivalent of casting a top tiered Hollywood name in a B movie with an indy budget and production values (picture Peter Dinklage in 'Knights of Badassdom' 2013). Sure, we all recognize him but for me at least, I couldn't get past the question of 'Yeah, I know who he is, but what's he doing in this movie?' I guess he took the role simply to expand Chinese participation in American media. I mean, I seriously doubt he needs the money. Finally, Simu Liu; having seen him in the Canadian sitcom 'Kim's Convenience' for a few seasons, I thought he was a capable character actor but never envisioned him being cast as a martial arts super hero. Further, for those of us old guys that actually bought and read the original marvel comics off of news stands back in the 1970's, he looks nothing like the Shang-Chi of Marvel pedigree. In fact, Simu Liu looks more like an accountant or an IT guy. He has a history as a stock photo model and it fits his image. He doesn't fill the persona of a rugged martial artist. My choice would have been more of a Dustin Nguyen sort. Despite this though, I think he did an admirable job and his future is probably going to be golden for new roles now. In summation, I think many of the disparaging comments from Mainland China are valid vis a vis Chinese culture, except that they miss the point, which IMHO, is an American fantasy movie using the allure of Chinese myth dovetailed into an MCU to provide entertainment in that realm. It was never intended to showcase anything of Chinese culture any more than to use it as window dressing.
