“Shang- Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has finally arrived in theaters and was worth the delayed release due to the pandemic.
Saving this film for the big screen and not releasing it simultaneously on Disney + like fellow Marvel film “Black Widow” was the right decision by Disney, because this is a film that demands to be seen in a theater.
The visual in this film are unlike anything else in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), and the action scenes rival old school Jackie Chan films. That’s how good the fight choreography is in this epic film.
However, no film is great with just epic fight scenes. The story is emotional, complex, and hard-hitting.
“Shang- Chi” currently has an amazing 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus is “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn’t entirely free of Marvel’s familiar formula, but this exciting origin story expands the MCU in more ways than one.”
Audience scores are also great with a 98 percent and a consensus of “Shang-Chi covers new cultural ground for the MCU without losing any of the action, comedy, and emotion Marvel’s movies are known for.”
Michael Williams, 25, a King of Prussia resident said it was “Amazing. Not since Black Panther, has there been such a culturally relevant film. I will be seeing it in the theaters again, tomorrow.”
The heart of the film is a father and son story. The title character Shang-Chi is played by the amazing Simu Liu and is every bit as charming as fellow MCU actors such as Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans. The villain of the film (The Mandarin) is also played superbly by Tony Leung is not the typical mustache twirling villain and has a complexity not seen since Thanos or Killmonger.
Shang-Chi is an exciting, diverse new entry into this MCU saga and one that does for this character what Black Panther did for T’Challa. Embracing Chinese culture and mythology, there are no stereotypes to be found here, and each of the heroes and villains we meet are layered, well thought out additions to the ever-expanding MCU mythos.
This feels like a very special movie, and that mixture of martial arts and big CGI set pieces mesh together nicely to create something that feels wholly original and fresh. By the time the credits roll, the stage is set for a whole new style of storytelling, and we can only hope this same creative team reunites (including cinematographer William Pope and composer Joel P. West, both of whom excel here) for a sequel as soon as possible.
4 stars out of 4.
“Epic, emotional and a sight to behold”.
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is currently in theaters everywhere.