Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) is a welcome entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This origin story contains compelling lead characters, charming visuals, and downright entertaining action.
After leaving his home, Shang-Chi is drawn back into his father’s mystical crime organization known as The Ten Rings. He is forced to confront his past in this epic tale.
Simu Liu debuts in Hollywood as the title character known as Shang-Chi or Shaun. He portrays the character as a good-natured and nice person trying to live a quiet life. Liu has a knack for action roles and can use his emotional range when called upon.
Marvel has a way of finding actors that are not household names and making them into one. Think of Chis Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Robert Downey Jr. Liu has a chance of following in their footsteps.
Awkwafina serves as an adequate sidekick delivering some funny moments. Meng’er Zhang gives a steely performance as Shang-Chi’s sister. The character I wanted to see the most was Tony Chiu-Wai Leung as The Mandarin. Technically, The Mandarin was in Iron Man 3 (2013), but that portrayal was royally botched. They save it in this film and give what we wanted all along. That is an impressive villain wielding heavy power.
The number one thing about this movie is it is some of the best action. Action is never bad in Marvel, but this is a different level. The movie incorporates many styles of Kung Fu artfully choreographed on the battlefield. The scaffolding fight scene is a great example. Anytime the ten rings are used, you cannot look away. The sounds, colors, and direction makes it thrilling to view.
The visuals are dazzling at times. This film proves that you can be creative with action movies to incorporate exceptional visual treats. It seems most do not even try. They ranged from using neon signs in backdrops to simple yet beautiful nature shots. Films like James Bond’s Skyfall have done it, and Shang-Chi continues.
Another aspect I liked about this film is they kept the other superheroes' presence to a minimum. This was a Shang-Chi origin movie. Sometimes Marvel likes to insert characters into movies where they do not belong, but it did not happen here. It is refreshing to get a straightforward origin story. “Straight-forward” may not be the best descriptor, but it gets my point across.
***Avert your eyes from this paragraph if you have not seen the movie due to a spoiler. My only real gripe is they missed a huge character development opportunity with Shang-Chi. He briefly admits that he killed his mother’s killers. It felt like an afterthought. For real effect, they should have shown the scene. It is no darker than other scenes with death Marvel has presented, so it is a missed opportunity.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is worth a watch. See it in theaters or wait until it is on Disney+. Grab a couple of friends and have a good time. My film rating is an A-.
If you like the movie’s action, check out other Marvel creations like Daredevil on Netflix.
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