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> Shang chi Shang Chi had some good long-shot Wuxia-style scenes. It wasn't as good as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" but unlike the rest of the Marvel film

> Shang chi Shang Chi had some good long-shot Wuxia-style scenes. It wasn't as good as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" but unlike the rest of the Marvel films, Shang Chi actually had proper fight scenes in them. But you're right in that most Marvel scenes make no damn sense from an action perspective. I'm constantly annoyed by their cuts personally. I'm just surprised that you threw Shang Chi into the same boat, because Shang Chi had more proper action shots than I can remember. I'm not talking about the CGI-dragon fight at the end (which went back into the Marvel mold of CGI + jump cuts). I'm talking about like, the first scene between Ying Li and Weng Wu (Shang-Chi's mother and father). Or the Bus-fight, which was pretty good IMO. At least, good by Marvel standards (which are pretty bad). It doesn't hold a candle compared to a good Jackie Chan scene, but at least they kept the camera still _SOMETIMES_ in Shang-Chi, rather than never keeping the damn camera still. ------- That being said, I enjoy Marvel films. I just wish they shot the action better.

oneoff786 5y ago
I thought Shang chi was very disappointing as a martial arts film. The choreography seemed weak. The bus fight was decent. Jackie Chan portrays himself as an incredible fighter but always very human. Shang chi, in my opinion, portrayed himself as a… pretty good fighter but weirdly powerful. Marvel’s best raw martial arts fights were probably on the likes of Daredevil (Netflix), Winter Soldier, and the Falcon Series. But I don’t feel they’ve gotten Kung fu or traditional Chinese stuff down well ever.
- dragontamer 5y ago
  I bring up "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" because its also on the same fantasy scale as Shang Chi and other Marvel films. The feats are fully superhuman, and super-physical. Physics just don't work like that. > Marvel’s best raw martial arts fights were probably on the likes of Daredevil (Netflix), Winter Soldier, and the Falcon Series. That's called "Street Level" superheroes. There are superpowers, but they're much toned down. Its a different genre.
WalterBright 5y ago
> It wasn't as good as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" I saw it, it was all people swinging around on wires with the wires painted out. By the arc of their movement, I knew where the wires were, anyway. The whole thing just looked silly.
- dragontamer 5y ago
  Wuxia theater is older than film... deriving from a culture that's thousands of years old. Ancient theater, literary prose, philosophy, martial arts, and yes... swinging around on wires on stage. EDIT: I distinctly remember some of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" weapon-scenes to be incredible katas that formed a cohesive story. Its an element of dance and martial arts, less practical and less pragmatic but beautiful nonetheless. A lot of them didn't involve wires at all. I'm not necessarily saying you should like Wuxia, but perhaps you should try to understand it? Its definitely not about being believable, any more so than Odysseus's voyage was believable. (Or perhaps: an opera about a princess who falls asleep because of a sewing needle, and a prince who fights a dragon so that he could wake her up by kissing her). --------- Shang-Chi had an element of Wuxia in it. Not a lot, but enough for me to get what they were going for.
  - WalterBright 5y ago
    Sorry, I'd never heard of Wuxia, but the use of wires was common in the movies. The reviews of the movie at the time were all about the flying around, which just didn't look like much to me.
    - oneoff786 5y ago
      The original matrix films did this much better imo. They had the Wuxia floatiness but it felt more… constrained with a modern vibe?
      - dragontamer 5y ago
        https://youtu.be/mf0reiFb3ks https://youtu.be/mf0reiFb3ks The Matrix had no kata that was anywhere near as good as this duel from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Like, Keanu Reeves studied Kung Fu. These actresses are king Fu, and the difference is huge. -------- Matrix 2 had a weapons kata demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXGE0vuuaDo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXGE0vuuaDo Its not quite as good.

oneoff786 5y ago

I thought Shang chi was very disappointing as a martial arts film. The choreography seemed weak. The bus fight was decent. Jackie Chan portrays himself as an incredible fighter but always very human. Shang chi, in my opinion, portrayed himself as a… pretty good fighter but weirdly powerful. Marvel’s best raw martial arts fights were probably on the likes of Daredevil (Netflix), Winter Soldier, and the Falcon Series. But I don’t feel they’ve gotten Kung fu or traditional Chinese stuff down well ever.

dragontamer 5y ago
I bring up "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" because its also on the same fantasy scale as Shang Chi and other Marvel films. The feats are fully superhuman, and super-physical. Physics just don't work like that. > Marvel’s best raw martial arts fights were probably on the likes of Daredevil (Netflix), Winter Soldier, and the Falcon Series. That's called "Street Level" superheroes. There are superpowers, but they're much toned down. Its a different genre.

WalterBright 5y ago

> It wasn't as good as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" I saw it, it was all people swinging around on wires with the wires painted out. By the arc of their movement, I knew where the wires were, anyway. The whole thing just looked silly.

dragontamer 5y ago
Wuxia theater is older than film... deriving from a culture that's thousands of years old. Ancient theater, literary prose, philosophy, martial arts, and yes... swinging around on wires on stage. EDIT: I distinctly remember some of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" weapon-scenes to be incredible katas that formed a cohesive story. Its an element of dance and martial arts, less practical and less pragmatic but beautiful nonetheless. A lot of them didn't involve wires at all. I'm not necessarily saying you should like Wuxia, but perhaps you should try to understand it? Its definitely not about being believable, any more so than Odysseus's voyage was believable. (Or perhaps: an opera about a princess who falls asleep because of a sewing needle, and a prince who fights a dragon so that he could wake her up by kissing her). --------- Shang-Chi had an element of Wuxia in it. Not a lot, but enough for me to get what they were going for.
- WalterBright 5y ago
  Sorry, I'd never heard of Wuxia, but the use of wires was common in the movies. The reviews of the movie at the time were all about the flying around, which just didn't look like much to me.
  - oneoff786 5y ago
    The original matrix films did this much better imo. They had the Wuxia floatiness but it felt more… constrained with a modern vibe?
    - dragontamer 5y ago
      https://youtu.be/mf0reiFb3ks https://youtu.be/mf0reiFb3ks The Matrix had no kata that was anywhere near as good as this duel from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Like, Keanu Reeves studied Kung Fu. These actresses are king Fu, and the difference is huge. -------- Matrix 2 had a weapons kata demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXGE0vuuaDo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXGE0vuuaDo Its not quite as good.