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

 "Is this what you wanted?!"
-Xu Shang-Chi



Parking valet Shaun (Simu Liu) is living a normal unremarkable life in San Francisco until he is attacked by a group of warriors on a bus.  Shaun is pulled back into a world he tried to escape where he must face his past, his family, and his father.


What Works:

I really wasn't expecting a whole lot from Shang-Chi.  It looked like a fairly typical Marvel origin story.  There isn't necessarily anything wrong with that.  Marvel has given us some excellent superhero origin stories over the year, but I was hoping for something a little different.  While we don't really get anything truly different, we do get a really solid and well made origin story and parts of the movie are excellent.

The best parts of the movie are the action sequences.  All of them are really good, but the bus sequence and the scaffolding sequence really stand out.  These are two of the best action sequences in the entire MCU and they aren't fantastical or too over the top.  They are extremely well shot and a lot of fun with creative use of the setting.

Going along with that, the cinematography is beautiful.  The action sequences have fluid camera movement and some awesome long takes.  At times, it reminded me of John Wick, and that is high praise.

While most of the characters weren't extremely well defined, it turns out they didn't have to be.  The main crux of this movie is a broken family trying to come back together, sometimes in twisted and toxic ways.  These characters aren't especially developed, but their relationships are.  This is a family drama and it works because you can relate to their family issues, even if they are dialed up to 11 here.  The emotional catharsis between the family members are another highlight of the film.

I really liked the chemistry between Liu and Awkwafina.  They mesh well together and have a lot of fun moments.  I love every role I've ever seen Awkwafina play.  She's such a fun prescence and is an excellent fish-out-of-water character.

Finally, Wenwu (Tony Leung) is an excellent antagonist and may be the best developed character in the film.  Some of the best Marvel villains have been the ones with familial connections.  Loki and Thanos come to mind.  Wenwu is the father of Shang-Chi and that emotional bond over their years of history makes the conflict really work well.


What Sucks:

There is a ton of lore and history that goes into this movie.  And I mean a ton.  I'm sure I missed parts of it because there was so much and I definitely want to rewatch the film.  There were aspects of the history and artifacts that weren't elaborated on much or explained well, which lessened the stakes of the film at times.

Finally, I have a few minor complaints with the humor and CGI.  Not all of the jokes landed and there were a couple of spots where the visuals didn't look great, but, again, these are minor complains.


Verdict:

Shang-Chi was a pleasant surprise for me.  It's a solid origin story with amazing action sequences, fun performances, interesting personal conflicts, and a great antagonist.  Not all of it worked for me, but I suspect that could change on a rewatch.  The point is, this movie has definitely got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good 


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