Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review: Marvel's Asian Avenger Finally Jumpstarts Phase 4

Release date: September 3, 2021
Running time: 132 minutes
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writers: David Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton & Andrew Lanham|
Starring: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng with Michelle Yeoh

Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a very good Marvel movie and a fitting way to kung fu kick Phase 4 into action.  The movie has a solid mix of interesting characters, mystery, fighting, and humor to make the relatively long runtime feel like it zooms by.  But first, the thing that is most enjoyable about this film is the clear Asian influences.  From the Asian cast (including some heavy hitting stars like Awkwafina, Ronny Chieng, and Michelle Yeoh), to the little bits of Asian culture and mythology throughout, it feels like care was taken to ensure a level of cultural appreciation.  And it was fun to see many facets, from an idyllic setting to the neon lit lights of Macau, this movie goes to many places and all of them are interesting.  

And Shang-Chi also makes sure to keep the action strong, with some really impressive fights throughout.  The film takes a while to establish itself before the fight sequences start, but when they do they are quite enjoyable.  There are hard hits and plenty of high flying action.  And to top it all off, the effects are top notch.  But the film also has a nice balance of comedy as well, which is helped by the presence of the hilarious Awkwafina and Ronny Chieng.  They both add plenty of humor to the overall story and make it so that a fairly serious story has moments of levity.  

And overall, this is just a great start to an exciting new phase in the Marvel universe.  I was not sure how they were going to follow up on Phase 3, and despite the strong start with Spider-Man Far From Home, the release of Black Widow made me concerned that perhaps Marvel couldn't get out from under the giant shadow that the main avengers left.  However, Shang-Chi shows that there are plenty of exciting stories left in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that the roster of characters can be expanded even further.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings kung fu kicks MCU Phase 4 into high gear, with a great Asian cast and focus on Asian culture, high flying action, and plenty of humor.

Watch it.

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters on September 3, 2021.  For showtimes, click here.

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