At last. After a whole host of leaks and hints and rumors and delays, here is our first proper, 100% official look at Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Let’s get right to it:
Whew, alright. Feels like there’s a lot to unpack in this — from karaoke sessions and over-bearing parents to mass battle scenes, some Crouching Tiger touches and possible Mulan references? Plus what looks to be some pretty impressive fight choreography. Oh, and Simu Liu looking seriously ready to kick ass.
Then there’s the soundtrack, which appears to feature a new Jackson Wang song. There’s been no official confirmation, but a post of the trailer by Wang’s label 88rising that tags the Hong Kong singer suggests this is the case.
In short, the “teaser trailer” certainly has people talking.
Marvel dropped the video as a birthday present for leading man Liu, whose reaction was, well…
GHUUFXDTGVXDFGHVCDDTGHUIKKBVCDSTYGHJHGGHHJBVGGFYFYGUBIH THIS IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/j1FD3Frpoo
— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) April 19, 2021
The trailer seemed to come as a birthday surprise for Liu, who had earlier tweeted that it was a few weeks away as he revealed a new poster for the movie:
Whoever said that you could only RECEIVE presents on your birthday? Today, I’m giving you your VERY FIRST LOOK at the teaser poster for @ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!!
Coming to theatres September 3rd (trailer drops in a few weeks).
WE’RE ALMOST THERE, PEOPLE!!!! pic.twitter.com/Kzgkg8djeQ
— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) April 19, 2021
And it wasn’t just him getting excited. Here’s one of many reactions to the new video, from Kung Fu star Olivia Liang:
me after watching the #ShangChi trailer and watching that fucking bus fight omgomgomg @SimuLiu pic.twitter.com/ziMCLiKptV
— Olivia Liang 🦋 梁安平 (@olivialiang_) April 19, 2021
Marvel unleashed the trailer with subtitles via their official social media accounts in China at the same time as launching it on Twitter and YouTube. Back in 2019, the mere announcement of Shang-Chi was enough to stir some controversy in the country — partly with its casting choices (see also: Mulan) and partly because of the hero’s connections to the Fu Manchu character. This, plus recent nationalist battles over films such as Nomadland, has some in the comments sections under Marvel’s posts bracing themselves for a conflict, but so far a lot of the reaction is positive from fans of the MCU.
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Responses from viewers on more general film accounts on sites such as the Twitter-like Weibo are a bit more mixed. Some raise the aforementioned complaints, some wonder whether it’ll be allowed to show in China, and others obsessed over what looks like an advert for ecommerce giant JD (Jingdong) in one fight scene backdrop.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi is Marvel’s first Asian-led superhero movie. Starring Awkwafina and Tony Leung alongside Liu, the film is set for cinemas in the US on September 3 after a number of delays due to the pandemic.
