It seems that there is no stopping the MCU from churning out superhero blockbusters that continue to dominate movie theaters across the globe. Phase 4 seems to be getting off to an interesting start with its many ups and downs. Aside from seeing familiar characters, we would also get the chance to be introduced to newer characters to add to the ever-expanding franchise. Shang Chi Legend of the Ten Rings seems to be new territory as it would be the MCU’s chance to tell a material arts movie with a superhero twist. While not the best movie from the MCU, Shang Chi proves itself worthy enough to stack up to the other solo adventures with its unique action set pieces and overall fun storytelling.
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) works with his best friend Katie (Awkwafina) as a parking valet in San Fransico when they are suddenly attacked on a bus by the Ten Rings Organization as he loses his pendent to them as a result. Shang-Chi realizes that his past is coming back to haunt him so he and a reluctant Katie decide to go to China to confront the ten rings organization only to find their father (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) who is planning to invade the mythical land of Ta lo to resurrect his wife from thousands of years ago. Shang Chi gets the help of his sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) and The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) from Iron Man 3 to go to Ta Lo to warn the people about Shang-chi's father’s coming invasion before he begins his attack plan.
The Story does have familiar elements from other Martial Arts movies as well as Chosen one story at that, but it’s its execution and ability to still bring the same amount of fun and action-packed awesomeness that we have come to expect from the MCU. One thing I respect is seeing the majority of the cast are Chinese which makes the movie one the most culturally unique superhero films since Black Panther. Sometimes you’ll even get to see the characters speak in Chinese which only adds to how much the MCU wanted to get Chinese culture down to a tee. Even though it’s all fictional, the way the movie integrates Chinese mythology and beliefs into the story and gives them an action-packed twist is very cool and also makes the worldbuilding very interesting. If there were anything I would change it would be that the movie has some very slow moments that often begged of me to get to the action stuff already. Not to mention that sometimes the motivations of Shang Chi’s Father are not fully explained and seem rather rushed at times. The story does a good enough job and the result is very fun even if some aspects could be better.
The Characters on paper seem to come down to characters that we’ve seen done before in other movies and yet the filmmakers of the MCU found a way to make them enjoyable and engaging. Shang Chi is a decent enough character and even though his character growth may seem familiar and a bit underdeveloped, actor Simu Liu brings enough of a good performance to make him charming enough to get by. Katie is played by the same actress who played Sisu in Raya and the Last Dragon, Awkwafina. She can get annoying sometimes but she was overall enjoyable and having a lot of fun in her respective role. Ben Kingsly returns as the Mandarin who at first I thought was a bad idea seeing that I didn’t like him in Iron Man 3 all that much. Still, I got to give credit that he wasn’t entirely pointless as he did also provide some decent comedy and likable moments which surprised me to an extent. Then there is Shang Chi’s Father played by Tony Leung Chiu-wai who does a decent enough job even though his motivation and reasons for doing the things he is doing could be better explained.
The cinemotogrpy takes it upon itself to show a Chinese material arts MCU movie and needless to say they do deliver especially in the action sequences. We start off in your typical San Fransico town but then as the film goes on we get to see Macau China followed by the mythical land of Ta Lo where Shang Chi’s aunt is found. Ta Lo in particular is the most interesting visual-wise as we get to see Chinese mythical beasts and creatures you would most likely see in Chinese paintings. Then there is the very good action. The martial arts fighting in this movie feels fast and fluid and the stunt work feels very impressive especially if it’s just people fighting without powers to aid them. The use of the ten rings in the movie are just as impressive and the way they are used to attack can lead to some interesting visual choices. It may not be groundbreaking when compared to the action in other MCU films, but the visuals do their job very convincingly to warrant a thumbs up to the filmmakers.
The music was conducted by Joel P West who brings a Chinese twist to your traditional Orchestrated music score. The action scenes in particular bring the music to exciting new heights and make you feel like you are on the edge of your seat. The only thing about the music I don’t really like are the inserted modern songs that seem like an afterthought and they are not that good compared to the rest of the soundtrack. The overall score is good even if it may not be a standout compared to the Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy Movies.
Shang-Chi Legend of the Ten Rings proves itself to be a worthy addition to the MCU’s lineup of blockbusters and I am more than looking forward to seeing what’s in store for these characters in the future MCU films. The movie’s likable characters, decent storytelling, and pretty good visuals and music help make this movie another success that may not live up to the best MCU films, yet it still does a pretty good job regardless. If you are looking for a material arts movie with a superhero twist, this is a good movie that will surely deliver in a lot of areas even if it may lack in others.
(Final Grade: B+)