Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the 424th episode of the Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Spencer Gilbert, Danielle Radford and Lon Harris. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the 2021 superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It was published on November 23, 2021. It is 6 minutes and 29 seconds long. It has been viewed over 300,000 times.
Script[]
Disney gave Cap and Tony Chinese cell phones (shows both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers with Vivo phones), replaced a Tibetan hero with Tilda Swinton, and thanked prison camp bureaucrats at the end of Mulan. (shows the credits of Mulan (2020) thanking the CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Committee) But now, the Magic Kingdom will pander to the Middle Kingdom by... making a pretty kickass martial arts movie. Okay; it's better than that time they dropped a full episode of ER: Shanghai into Iron Man 3. (shows bits of the China-exclusive content in Iron Man 3) I am shocked this wasn't in the American cut...
Shang-Chi (and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
For the very first time, the MCU is bringing a martial arts master from the comics to the screen -- (shows a clip from Iron Fist) Yep, the very first time.
Danny: The Iron Fist.
Lalalalalala! Sorry, can't hear you! -- as audiences finally get to know Shang-Chi, a guy whose most relatable quality is that he's also getting to know Shang-Chi.
Katy: Who are you?
Ying Nan: Your mother knew who she was. Do you?
Katy: Who the hell are you?!
Shang-Chi: I'm not... who you think I am.
Just like Spider-Man, he's a parker with a secret identity, because underneath his obligatory aaaaabs, beats the heart of a martial arts master-- (shows Xialing knocking out Shang-Chi with a single kick) ...martial arts expert-- (montage of Shang-Chi getting knocked back by kicks) ...martial arts enthusiast. But nothing will come between this one-punch man-child and the ultimate power fantasy... No, not joining the Avengers; kicking your father's ass. Oedipus Punch! (shows Shang-Chi knocking down Wenwu with a staff)
The MCU's greatest threat has returned: bad dads. (shows Wenwu alongside Red Guardian, Thanos, Howard Stark, and Ego the Living Planet) Tony Leung shines as the most seamless example yet of digitally de-aged actors. What do you mean, he still looks like that? Wow... Not bad. Kneel before this ancient warlord, who still doesn't know the difference between rings and bracelets, who gave up all his power for a lady who blew him in the wooooods. In addition to his ten magic bracelets, he also commands the Ten Rings, a secret group like Hydra, or S.H.I.E.L.D., or S.W.O.R.D., or the Skrulls, or the Hand, or the Eternals. But what sets them apart from Marvel's other Illuminatis -- and presumably Marvel's Illuminati -- is that the Ten Rings provide exciting new opportunities in the world of evil franchising.
Wenwu: He appropriated the Ten Rings. My Ten Rings.
"Open up a Ten Rings in a country near you! We're more than just an evil franchise; we're an evil family! (20% cash down payment required.)"
Journey to Ta Lo -- presumably the inspiration for ancient Chinese legends, ancient Middle-earth legends...
"Ying Li": (in Chinese) Save me, my dear.
Sauron: (as Frodo fiddles with the One Ring) Baggins...
...and legendary Pokémon -- for a film that blends the action comedy of a Jackie Chan flick with the high-flying combat of wuxia and the CGI toilet slurry of a Marvel third act (shows Shang-Chi launching his rings at the Dweller-in-Darkness), because while an emotional, expertly-choreographed martial arts showdown between father and son is cool, isn't it way cooler when a bunch of weightless polygons smash into each other? No? Then why does it keep happening?! (shows the final battles from Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Guardians of the Galaxy)
Shaun won't have to fight alone. He's joined by his sister Xialing, who learned to fight just by auditing classes at Murder University; Trevor Slattery, who pissed nerds off so much in Iron Man 3 that his only friend is a psychic chicken made out of butts --
Katy: Where's his face?
(in a Homer Simpson impression) Mmm... Psychic butt chicken... Awww... -- and Awkwafina, who pulls off four classic Marvel roles at the same time: platonic love interest, reaction face-giver, the "that just happened" sidekick...
Katy: --a guy with a freaking machete for an arm just chopped our bus in half! / --Shaun used the Ten Rings to, like, do this, like, crazy Kamehameha fireball that exploded the thing... / --that dragon vomited a magical water map, and now I have no idea what's real.
...and Hawkeye. (Katy launches a magic arrow at the Dweller-in-Darkness, killing it) Upgrade!
So for a franchise whose roots are an openly racist money grab (shows an issue of Master of Kung Fu featuring Fu Manchu), enjoy a film that does its part to smash those stereotypes, except the one about Asian dudes being the biggest sneakerheads, in this solid martial arts fantasy flick full of fun characters, that refreshingly stands on its own without resorting to crossovers and team-ups... until after the credits, of course.
Wong: They don't match any artifacts from our codex.
Bruce Banner: They're not vibranium.
Captain Marvel: Not like any alien tech I've seen.
This could've been an email.
Starring: Destiny's Child Soldier (Simu Liu as Xu Shang-Chi/"Shaun"); Ring Pop (Tony Leung as Xu Wenwu/"The Mandarin"); House of Flying Swagger (Meng'er Zhang as Xu Xialing); The Human Calendar (Awkwafina as Katy)...
Katy: --we've been friends for 10 years, okay? You know I'm not an idiot. / I have been by your side for half your life. / Your dad... trained you to be an assassin when you were seven. He sent you on a hit... at 14.
...Can You Punch with All the Colors of the Wind (Fala Chen as Ying Li); Deputy Dawg (Benedict Wong as Wong); Hahaha! I'm Sorry, Your Name Is... Is Razor Fist? (Florian Munteanu as Razor Fist); Aunt Ma'am (Michelle Yeoh as Ying Nan); Render the Last Dragon (Great Protector); Your Soul Is Mine (Dweller-in-Darkness); A Normal Day on the SF Metro (Shang-Chi fighting on a bus); and How Marvel Casts Its Male Heroes.
Jon Jon: Love that guy. Now take your shirt off.
Once Upon a Time in a China-Adjacent Pocket Dimension
The honest title for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was ‘Once Upon a Time in a China-Adjacent Pocket Dimension’. Titles designed by Robert Holtby.
Hmm, so Shang-Chi works with cars, he's not proud of who he used to be, and he has a difficult relationship with his dad? Something about that backstory seems... convenient. (shows a scene from Kim's Convenience)
Viewer's Comments[]
Please say, "I like chicken nachos on Thanksgiving." - Derek Johnson
Say "Skidamarink a dink a dink, Skidamarink a doo, I love you." - James Vance
Trivia[]
Reception[]
Production Credits[]
Voice Narration: Jon Bailey aka Epic Voice Guy
Title Design: Robert Holtby
Written by: Spencer Gilbert, Danielle Radford, & Lon Harris
Produced by: Spencer Gilbert
Associate Producer: Ryan O'Toole
Edited by: Kevin Williamsen & Randy Whitlock
Post-Production Supervisor: Emin Bassavand
Post-Production Coordinator: Mikołaj Kossakowski
Assistant Editor: Rebecca Castaneda
Director of Video Production: Max Dionne
Executive Producer: Roth Cornet
