Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) Review

 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Shang-Chi follows Shang-Chi, a warrior trained since birth who left the assassin life his father raised him in to live a normal life. When his deceased mother calls to his father though--the dangerous Wenwu, ruler of the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi must find his sister and stop him before he unleashes an unstoppable evil. 

Just as I was waning in hope after the decently mediocre Black Widow, Shang-Chi comes in and kicks all sorts of ass and jump starts Marvel’s Phase 4 (for real this time). Let me start by just saying that this film was nothing short of epic. As of fan of the classic Bruce Lee flicks of the 70s, this was such a welcome journey into a relatively untapped genre for superheroes (sorry Iron Fist), as well as a beautiful look into various Asian cultures and the lore they contain. I’d say this easily has some of the best fight choreography we’ve seen yet out of Marvel because it seamlessly blends the realism of true martial arts, with the unruly spectacle of those big CGI battles. It’s all very kinetic in it’s motion and timing, flawlessly allowing the energy from one fight to flow into the next, allowing for 2+ hour movie to fly by, leaving you craving more when it’s all over. 

While a lot of the generic humor and dialogue was misplaced and frankly a bit odd, it’s when this film really dives into its characters and themes that it shines brightest. Marvel has been at it’s very best when it anchors it’s stories on self discovery and family, and Shang-Chi is essentially about finding that balance, between the anger of his father and the compassion of his mother, thus joining the two to harness the true power of the ten rings, something his father could never quite do. That mix of spectacle and heart really differentiates Shang-Chi from much of what has come before because you feel his pain, his anger, and every ounce of love for even the most morally grey of people, such as his father. 

We also get a fantastic cast of mostly Asian actors and actresses (a first!), featuring Andy Le, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Yeoh, Florian Munteanu, Fala Chen, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, and Simu Liu. God, Leung is such a good villain because while he is a bad and fearsome dude, you sympathize with him and his motivations as a father and husband. His performance brings out the very best in Liu and allows him to really reach such an emotional depth that is deeply evident in both his actions, making Shang-Chi an immediate favorite for me. 

Shang-Chi, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is genuinely one of Marvel’s most visually exciting and emotionally packed films to date, that builds on so much culture and mythology that will leave you speechless and wanting so much more, while making a total badass out of yet another lesser known Marvel hero. 

9.3/10