Review: Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
September 6, 2021Beware, the following review contains mild spoilers, but nothing that will give away the movie. Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is another Marvel Studios hit, deeply rooted in decades of comic-book lore stemming back to the early 1970s. This movie is stunning. Chinese Martial Arts were at the core of the origins of this character, and he has been a prominent comic-book hero in the Marvel Universe since. Eventually, he was recruited into the Avengers by Cap and Iron Man in the ‘Marvel NOW!’ comic run from 2012-2015.
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is another Marvel Studios hit, deeply rooted in decades of comic-book lore stemming back to the early 1970s.
Now, I understand that Marvel Studios has been following a sort of blueprint for introducing new ‘Avenger-Level’ heroes in their movies. Some people find them to be lackluster, and I fully understand. These movies are full-blown comic-book-super-hero films and if that’s not your thing, then by all means, feel free to disagree with what I’m about to say.
New Avenger
This movie is fucking awesome. Simu Liu crushes this role all the way around, and when he walks out of the dust with the Ten Rings swirling around him glowing golden-orange, I went nuts. This is the modern-day Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) movie we need that’s actually not DBZ.
Shang is raised as an assassin by his father, Wenwu, from 7 until 14, until his father sends him on his first mission. Shang does not return and runs away from home, starting a new life in California. Wenwu is the head of the criminal enterprise ‘The Ten Rings,’ yes that’s right, the same Ten Rings that captured Tony Stark in Iron Man 1, but not to worry, everything gets ironed out about ‘The Mandarin’ in this film.
After ten years of living on his own, Shang is found by his father’s goons. A badass fight scene takes place down and around the San Francisco streets, making for an entertaining introduction to Shang-Chi’s fighting capabilities as we see his true self revealed. The fighting was superb, like, really well choreographed and shot. This movie is Kung-Fu, so prepare for glorious fight scenes and on the bus, Shang is very Jackie Chan-esque, it’s so much fun.
Review final thoughts
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is a great film, and I would say 10/10 for a Marvel Origins Movie.
Like all well done Marvel Studios movies introducing a new hero, this one creates its own corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where the hero’s story can grow and hold itself up. By executing this flawlessly, the director allows the viewer to care about what they are watching. ‘Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings’ does this expertly. This movie is fun, exciting, and yes, they put together a really well-thought-out story that is beautifully cohesive with every aspect of this film.
This one is most definitely a win for the Asian community, and it’s a win for anyone who enjoys EPIC super-hero flicks! Have you seen it? What was your favorite part?
P.S. When Shang is riding the Dragon… HOLY SHIT!!
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