Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Composite Score: 81.89
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Ben Kingsley, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Michelle Yeoh, Wah Yuen, and Florian Munteanu
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writers: Dave Callahan, Destin Daniel Cretton, and Andrew Lanham
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Kung-Fu, Superhero
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language
Box Office: $432.24 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is arguably the best content that Marvel Studios has put out since Avengers: Endgame back in 2019, and it is undoubtedly the best of their introductions to new characters that we’ve gotten in that time. Shang-Chi has the classic superhero(?) origin story wrapped neatly up within an homage to classic kung-fu films that also contains themes of family struggles and the experiences of young Asian-Americans in the modern age. It blends these concepts together well to create one of my personal favorite superhero films (it’s one of the only movies I’ve seen multiple times in theaters since 2020 happened) and a film that I think is worth watching for more than just its action and connection to the wider MCU.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
The final act of Shang-Chi is all over the place, introducing a new villain at the last second and shifting away somewhat from the basic kung-fu action sequences that we had been getting up until that point. It suddenly shifts from an intimate family quarrel between Shang-Chi and Wenwu into a sky fight between an ancient Chinese dragon and an eldritch horror that eats souls – not my favorite choice. That portion of the story and action feels as though it was pulled from a different script and inserted into this one to give the film higher stakes and make Shang-Chi into a major superhero from the jump (not just kung-fu master who hangs out with real superheroes or something). Because of its addition, you lose a little bit of the emotional weight that comes with Wenwu’s defeat and passing the Ten Rings on to Shang-Chi.
Some people will also point to the addition of Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery (the fake “Mandarin” from Iron Man 3) as being unnecessary and drawing away from the film’s greatness in an almost Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars fashion. On the one hand this holds true: he offers very little aside from comic relief and the ability to communicate with the creature that can lead them to the dimension of Ta Lo, which could easily have been any of the other characters in the film. I do think that his inclusion brings a little bit of “meta”-ness to the film, and it works for me, but not everyone will agree.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Shang-Chi has some of the most unique fights of any Marvel film. As a kung-fu master, he has many opportunities to showcase his martial arts skills against various foes in a variety of ways. In this sense, the film becomes a kung-fu movie in the vein of Enter the Dragon or Police Story with fights against single characters, fights against groups, fights on buses, fights on scaffolding, fights against family members, training montages, and most anything else you might want from a kung-fu action film. The best action sequences come with the fight on the bus with the Ten Rings assassins and Razor Fist and the chase fight on the scaffolding in Macau. Both are incredibly unique in the MCU and highly entertaining action pieces in their own right.
Shang-Chi’s exploration of family dynamics and the Asian-American experience has been heralded as a major contribution to the film’s success in this new phase of MCU films. Writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton brought much of his own experience to those aspects of the film, and it shows through clearly while you are watching. The family interactions first with Katy’s (Awkwafina) family and then with Shang-Chi’s father and sister both feel incredibly genuine and lived-in, making the film more personal for its audience through the authenticity that Cretton brings to it. The family dynamics are also a major driving force for much of the film’s plot, bringing them to the center and helping keep the audience engaged. Even its use of the Chinese language throughout (the opening five or ten minutes are entirely in Chinese) helps this feel more like a writer-director passion project and less like a major American studio film.
Authenticity in its subject matter, great casting, and solid kung-fu action sequences are what make Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings not only one of the best MCU films but also one of the Greatest Films of All Time. The inclusion of questionable comic relief and only okay third act hold it back somewhat from reaching the highest heights, but it is Great nonetheless. Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung, and Meng’er Zhang all bring their A-game to this one, and I love it every time I watch it. It is worth watching and rewatching – check it out on Disney+.