Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings – Movie Review

Shanghi And The Legend Of The Ten Ring incursions a delicate balance. It reflects the real life complicated conflict between first generation Asian American children and the wishes of their settler parents, while also serving up the energetic action scenes as per the standards of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Director Dustin Daniel dexterously manipulates both of these lofty goals logging an entry in the Marvel Universe that's both, emotionally resonant and delightfully exciting enough to outweigh its occasionally uneven visuals.

Dustin Daniel - Movie Director

Simu Liu makes his mark on the MCU as its latest superhero Shang Chi who must face his past finally take responsibility and stand up to his father while also attempting to forgive himself for his participation in the sins that first tore their family. In this, the movie attempts to balance a trickle of big concepts. Some of which deal with issues directly adjusted to the children of immigrants. Whose past do you follow, the one designed for you or the one you make for yourself.

Simu Liu - Shang-Chi

It is an exciting, if not clear way to frame the hero's expedition for a major superhero film starring actors of Asian descent. Speaking of our leads Liu and Awkwafina have an easy and genuine chemistry that sells the idea of Shang-Chi and Katie as a capable duo for many adventures to come. Their friendship anchors the film and it's refreshing to have a duo with an already built up faith making it easier to trust that she would still stay by his side after learning about his mysteries side.

Awkwafina - Katie

Simply put Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings has the best action scenes of any MCU movie to date. Fights are filmed with a dynamic energy that moves lithely with the action and keeps us right in the middle of it all. Shang-Chi’s own natural drives and training are showcased in big action scenes where he and Katie basically rebuild classic moments from Speed and Rush Hour 2. The Wusihan fight scenes in the mystical land of Talo lean into the realm's magical realism. As a means of characterization, it's nice to finally see an emphasis on different martial arts styles as a physical and mental practice in the MCU. Learning his mother's fighting style not only helps Shang-Chi face off against his father but allows him to access the heart of the dragon within himself.

It's unfortunate that while the fights are well shot some of the other visual effects are uneven. Halo scenery looks cartoonish with punitive lighting that halts any sort of illusion that filming took place anywhere other than a green screen stage. It is a small thing but when the third act is set completely in this pocket length, it becomes frantically bad.

Tony Leung - Wenwu

Tony Leung, Wenwu, is one of Marvel's most compassionate and complex rivals. Thanks in part to the way in which his unwise actions pit him against his kids. When Wenmu first meets and fights Jiang Nan, who becomes his wife and mother to his children, it's literally life changing and electrifying. The cinematography of their fight, slows down to highlight their longing glances and we are reminded of how well Lung plays a tragic romantic hero when he loses her. It's this unsettled sorrow which is love persevering after all that drives Wenwu into desperate action and the focus on his emotional arc ends up sidelining our main character for longer than would be ideal. But it also allows Shang-Chi to become the hero we come to know him to be.

Michelle Yeoh - Jiang Nan

Interestingly enough for all its appearances and references to the larger MCU, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is not observing for any external endorsement. The story stands completely on its own and you almost forget that Shang-Chi and Katie are set to become important players in the MCU.

What does remind us that this is a Marvel movie is the withheld knowledge about the rings and Talos magic that are clearly being saved for a later reveal. Otherwise strong film is weakened by the MCU's insistence on taking advantage of our trust in that these things will be explained in later projects.

Director Destin Daniel expertly links Shang-Chi’s personal stakes with the greater MCU by way of an sensitively complex villain, a planetary cast with bizarre chemistry and implausible action sequences. The visuals of a magical world like Talo could look more uniform and the lack of experience seemingly withheld for future MCU reveals is frustrating. But these deficiencies are not conspicuous, as the rest of the movie has so much to offer.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings carefully avoids the usual Asian VS Asian American cultural expectations of dealing with anguish and assuming accountability by forgiving generational sins and claiming a future where destiny and choice can coexist.