Don’t Hate On The Sidekick, and Other Gripes

We used to say we liked or didn’t like something, now that language is so much harsher and it’s pulling me down.

I recently watched Shang-Chi and have to say I really enjoyed it. Yes I am a Marvel fan, in fact at one time avidly consumed a great number of Marvel comics though that was quite a number of years ago. I am also a fan of action movies, I really enjoy watching and dissecting fight sequences. To this end I have seen a number of posts come across my social media feeds that are trying to harsh my buzz of enjoyment, though the one by the bus driver dissecting the bus fight scene, with a knowledge of busses, and the San Fran streets was actually accurate and funny.

Now I seldom give the haters time in my thoughts, there is much to much to do than worry about that stuff, but a couple of things just got under my skin enough for me to have a mini rant about it, so I figured rather than just ranting at my family, who I know have similar opinions about these things to me, I figured I’d put my thoughts in your heads.

Bwah ha ha!!! This is just my first step towards world domination.

No not really, again, I’m far to busy to bother myself with that kind of devious planning.

Firstly…

Marvel haven’t learnt anything, they still insist on having big CG fight sequences in their third act. Here’s my thought on that, if you could tell them where to find a trained water dragon who was willing to be used in such a manner, and a soul stealer/dweller in darkness with handlers to keep things in check, I’m sure Disney/Marvel, would have jumped at the chance to film that stuff in camera. I know I would have, oh and to actually ride a dragon, gotta say that’s a bit of a fantasy of mine, so please I’m happy to be pointed in the right direction there.

But sadly to the best of my knowledge, and it wouldn’t be a lie to say I’ve done a bit of research on dragons, (having you know, included them in my first novel series and all) they don’t really exist. So I suggest you all just deal with it and move on.

Secondly…

The big fight sequence at the end didn’t do the family story justice. Hmmmmmm. Really? I mean father and son have issues, father and son fight, finally father sees the truth and sacrifices for the son – sort of I mean someone was going to die and he’d been the idiot that let the baddie out of the prison. As for family though, the whole point was Shang-Chi finally finding balance to the duality that was his upbringing. Also he reunited with his sister, and his mother’s family that he never knew. Besides let’s face it, all we really wanted out of the family thing was to see Michelle Yeoh’s character kick her nephew’s ass, coz, well Michelle Yeoh.

Neither of those things were what initially tweaked at my ire, so let’s look at point number three…

‘Of course the funny sidekick makes the crucial shot to end the battle… how unrealistic.’

OMG

This is your nit picky complaint. Right then let me address how you are an asshat for this thought for well… reasons:

Katy is a loyal friend, she stays with Shang-Chi even when it looks as though the world around him/them is falling to shit. Loyal friend. (of course it helps that she doesn’t really have a job that matters, but then neither did our erstwhile hero. Loyalty is one of the most important things in life, did you people learn nothing from Samwise Gamgee? On a slightly more serious note, as one who has worked in a high risk job, knowing someone has your back makes it easier to face the bad.

Never underestimate the power of someone with the ability to make you laugh or smile when things get bleak.

Just because someone hasn’t done something before (like archery) doesn’t mean they can’t do it well. (The first time I went axe throwing I scored enough to be invited to join the local league.)

She wasn’t trained. Well not everyone that ends up in a battle has the luxury of being trained for it. Many ordinary people fight well because they are fighting for their friends and family, a powerful motivator to do the best you can, no matter the circumstances and the size/type of enemy facing you.

Look if I’m going to be completely honest in this piece, I wasn’t all that impressed when I found they had cast Awkwafina in this role, not for any particularly geeky reason coming from a comic purist perspective. I just didn’t like it because I thought, what a crock, some rapper taking a role from a good actor. I had dismissed her without really looking at what she had done, I didn’t know she was a Golden Globe winner, I dismissed her because I thought her first album was…. Well let’s just say not great. And I totally forgot she was in Jumanji 2 as well.

Here’s the thing, she was a good fit for that role. She made Katy real. Sure there were times I thought Katy was really annoying, I thought her mother had a point, but those sort of things were what made her real. That and her betting on Shang to lose the cage fight. She got friendship, and when she said the words, they didn’t just feel like a line. Sure maybe a chunk of that is because that’s what friendship means to me. Katy’s down to earth realness, her lack of special training, and superpowers are what make her relatable. None, or well at least not many of us are likely to be able to relate to the guy whose father raised him to be an assassin. But the young woman struggling to find where she fits in, and is being encouraged to fit in even though the fit is uncomfortable… that is relatable.

Shang-Chi has the character arc, Katy is soul.

I’m happy to say I was wrong about the actress. But never diss the power of the sidekick, the unenhanced, the little guy, and their ability to buck the odds, by guts and determination. (Again I say to you LOTR - Hobbits!!)

Super hero movies are fun, but we wouldn’t be nearly as invested if there wasn’t a human element to draw us into the stories.

Here’s my final thought:

Ignorance isn’t a place to stay, hating on something because you can, isn’t were you should be living, and yet all too often people chuck their deck chairs our there, under the umbrella of opinion and wax lyrical seemingly fuelled by the need to bring someone/something down, believing their bullshit opinion means something more. I never want to be that person. Strive to learn, to see other opinions and stop hating just because you can. If you don’t like what other’s create, create something yourself and put it out there. If you can’t, then shut up.

Sure have an opinion, we all do, just don’t think yours means anything more than anyone else’s.

And last time for good measure…. Don’t hate on the sidekick.