Shang-Chi and the Legend Of the Ten Rings
Director: Destin Daniel CrettonCast Headliners: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng'er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, Michelle Yeoh, surprises
Original Release Date : September 3rd, 2021 Theatrical-Only until Disney + Later
It feels like a long time since the Marvel MCU got an entirely NEW hero. Sure we had Captain Marvel in 2019 and Black Panther in 2018 both special in their own ways but their iconic nature was well known / foreshadowed / previously introduced. It really then is since 2015's Ant-Man since we have met someone entirely new and fresh. This absence makes Shang-Chi and the Legend Of The Ten Rings so welcome and the good news is that it's perhaps the best thing of 'Phase 4” to date in its triumphant return to the theatrical-only big screens.
There's various flashbacks to times ancient and less-so but primarily like so many Phase 4 MCU products this takes place sometime shortly after the events of Infinity War / Endgame in a new corner of San Francisco. “Shaun” / Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) lives a simple life of a valet driver by day with his will-they, won't-they high school friend / potential love Katy (Awkwafina). Their lives are soon interrupted in an incredible bus-set action sequence by evil minions of the 10 Rings organization (they of Iron Man 1 and 3!) triggering an epic fantastical quest across the states, world, and far beyond.
Because it turns out Shang is something far more than he a simple 20something. He's heir to the very same criminal empire hunting him which makes for a fascinating plot and premise. His own father Wenwu / “The Real Mandarin” (Tony Leung) after the Stark years were posers in-lore: sorry Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley although there's an amazing film top highlight must-be-seen surprise relating to the later) has left Shang and his estranged sister Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) behind but now wants to take them back by force to unlock secrets of the long lost dimension of Ta Lo for evil yet tragically personal reasons.
As with most Marvel superhero (although this often pushes that definition of genre feel into something freshly new) films a highlight is the warm humor of the core cast. More on this in a bit but aside being fiercely capable in combat Liu's Shang-Chi is a charming and fun lead. He brings to the performance a bit of that classic “everyman” take with a dual role of a haunted feels-laced past. His banter is especially great with Awkwafina's Katy. Katy brings some of the most laughs being even moreso the common view of the film with some great sassy comeback and unique perspective. Meng'er Zhang's role in the plot takes a while to appear but she is just as cool and confident as her brother with some slight quips mixed in. Other late-game allies like Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh) and even briefly wizard MCU alumni Wong (Benedict Wong) aside others add to the fun crew dynamic that's going on.
What is a hero without their villains and in that Wenwu is an absolute highlight. The very best villains are dense and with such accuracy to say that Leung brings his a-game in the performance. The seemingly ageless, thousand-year old Wenwu is fearsome with his titular ten-rings magical artifacts letting him brutal magic in combat and that's not entirely without some fun quips himself. The best villains have a mix of an evil plan and a sympathetic angle that brings some emotional feels to what's going on so Wenwu strongly delivers on that as his quest relates to the death of the siblings' mother Jiang Li(Fala Chen). By all account he's an iconic evil overlord for the record books. Unfortunately as cool as they may appear more henchman level foes like Razorfist (Florian Munteanu) and Death Dealer (Andy Le) serve better as obstacles in action set pieces than dialogue drivers trending towards generic however that's just how martial arts flicks can go.
Possibly more than anything that point is what is the great part of Shang-Chi: the action!! Director Destin Daniel Cretton (an Asian-American which is great for a movie so important for its representation within superhero cinema) brings to life some exhilarating sequences. The movie brings two forms of great martial arts / kung-fu hi-jinx unique amongst all others on the big screen so far. There's gritty, Bruce Lee style frenetic kinetic action such as the bus sequences and others on earth. Then there's parts that should not be spoiled (aside some beautiful trailer glimpses) of more “wuxia” high-fantasy style influences that are perhaps more epic than anything else in the MCU to date they of supernatural elements, creatures , and more. Perhaps it's CGI overload at times and it keeps going and going and going but the climax is something surprisingly wild. Music by composer Joel P.West and many licensed / original pop and rap songs add to the unique ambiance.
This is a really strong debut and a gem of Phase 4 so far. It may be a bit long and suffer from usual Act 3 CGI fireworks / other minor character flaws but the journey, laughs, and action are worth it. Marvel has once again brought an obscure comic character into mainstream blockbuster excellence in a distinctly new way which one should be glad for. Now one can't wait to see where these characters go next...make sure to stay through both credits scenes! 8.3 out of 10
