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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an MCU film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and released in 2021. The movie follows Shang-Chi, a young man, who is forced to confront his past when his father comes searching for him. I was excited for this movie going in, and it still managed to blow me away. Shang-Chi is everything I have been wanting from Marvel. While Loki was a breath of fresh air that had me excited for the future, Shang-Chi feels like a leap in the right direction. Not only is this one of the best MCU movies, but it's just a great movie. While it isn't perfect, I still absolutely adored it.
One of the reasons I love this movie so much, and one of the reasons I think it is one of the best Marvel movies, is because it avoids so many pitfalls Marvel is becoming known for. I love the MCU, and while I’m not one of the people who thinks the “marvel formula” is inherently bad, I do think it has its fair share of flaws. Oftentimes movies in the MCU rely too heavily on comedy, which can hurt emotional or dramatic moments. At times action can fall victim to choppy editing and quick cuts, making it incoherent. Many of the movies forgo a sense of individuality for the sake of maintaining the feel of a connected universe. Visuals and filming techniques can be unexciting, and CGI is occasionally overused. Villains are sometimes forgettable and lacking any depth. These are just some of the issues present in many Marvel movies. Not all, but definitely a good few. Even when these issues are present it doesn’t necessarily mean they ruin the film, but these are common criticisms that I can agree with at times. These issues can often hold the movies or shows back. Even the best MCU movies can suffer from at least one of these problems. Being such a big fan of these movies and Marvel itself, these issues don't particularly bother me, but I can see the merit in them. I can also admit that these issues can be annoying and I find myself wishing they would move past them.
Shang-Chi, similar to Loki, works to separate itself from many of these criticisms. It feels almost entirely unique, to the point that you may forget you're watching a Marvel movie entirely. While not every MCU movie needs to be completely different from anything we’ve seen before, I think this variety is welcome. With the number of films, and now shows, that Marvel Studios releases every year, burn out can occur. I think these movies are at their best when they take risks, try different things, and embrace the craziness of their comic book roots. The best Marvel movies feel like the visions of directors telling an epic, emotional, and impactful story. Stories spanning several films crafting something fun, satisfying, and unlike anything else. The best MCU movies manage to find a balance between standing on their own as a great movie, and also fitting into the larger story of the Marvel universe. Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War, are just a few examples of Marvel movies like this. And that brings us to Shang-Chi, a Marvel movie that manages to find this perfect balance.
The style of this movie, specifically the look and sound of it, is entirely unique and amazing. This may just be my favorite MCU score. It mixes in traditional Chinese music, with hip hop to great success. It creates a bombastic and powerful sound that helps to elevate the action. But it can also be beautifully majestic, mythical, and magical. It perfectly introduces and immerses you into the new world we discover in Shang-Chi, similar to how Black Panther's score introduces the audience to the world of Wakanda. It’s memorable and unique, and perfectly sets the tone of the film, fitting any scene. The visuals are also a highlight of the film. Like most Marvel movies the visual effects and CGI are as close to perfect as possible. The movie is full of vibrant colors, which sets it apart visually from other MCU films. The cinematography is good overall, with some seriously incredible shots in this film. The designs of creatures, environments, and locations really makes this movie unique. From the creatures inspired by Chinese myth, to the locations displaying adaptations of beautiful Chinese architecture. The setting in China and others in the movie are so different and welcome. They feel perfect for the story, and they're easily some of the best in the MCU. The overall look and sound of this film feels lovingly and thoughtfully made.
To me the action of Shang-Chi is where the movie shines the most. This is a martial arts movie and it really nails all of the action. This movie easily has the best fight scenes of any in the MCU. Fights are creative, hard hitting, and each one is different from the last. The story is perfectly integrated into them, and they give lots of great emotional moments. The choreography is spectacular, and they are all beautifully shot. I stated before that Marvel movies can sometimes film action scenes poorly, particularly in the case of hand to hand combat. In Shang-Chi that issue is completely gone. The fights are displayed perfectly to the viewer. They’re shot in a way that lets the choreography speak for them, with wide or sweeping shots. The fights utilize the environment, different weaponry, show character development, and are incredibly entertaining. They never overstay their welcome and I love how they pay homage to classic kung fu or martial arts films. Whether the action is very grounded and simple, or massive in its scale it works perfectly. The action and fight scenes alone are reason enough to see this movie.
I think the story and characters are all great as well. Shang-Chi is a very likeable protagonist and he quickly became one of my favorite characters in any Marvel movie. This movie handles his origin story in a refreshing way compared to many superhero origins. Him becoming a hero has more to do with an internal conflict than a physical one, and I really like that. All of the characters are likeable, and their performances are good. Simu Liu does a great job as Shang-Chi, as does Awkwafina as his friend Katy. Their friendship dynamic feels very realistic and avoids the cliches often used between best friends in movies. Tony Leung Chiu-wai is great as Shang-Chi’s father. He plays one of the best villains in the MCU, someone with real growth and change. His actions are reasonable and while his logic is flawed you can understand his perspective. Scenes between him and Shang-Chi are great, and I think they are some of the more emotionally powerful in the MCU. The story itself is great, it's simple, character driven, and fun. It fits a classic hero's journey style story, and I think it works really well. While there is a lot of exposition it doesn't feel unnatural or forced, it fits well into the film. I also like that the movie occasionally uses Mandarin with English subtitles at times. It’s just another way the movie fully embraces its setting.
I don’t really have any issues with the movie. The pacing is great, despite it dragging just slightly near the middle. I fully enjoyed Shang-Chi, it gave me everything I wanted and more. It tells a fun, satisfying, epic story. Filled with great characters and an exciting new world within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film feels dynamic and different in its tone and visual style from other entries into the MCU. One area I was worried about before seeing it was the comedy. I was worried it would be forced into the film as it often is in other Marvel projects. While it is still pretty typical Marvel style humor I think it's used well, and the charming characters make it work. Additionally, once the movie reaches its third act there is little to no comedy until the end.
Shang-Chi and Loki are exactly what I’ve wanted from Marvel. I’m more excited than ever to see if future movies and shows can follow their example in telling new stories in different ways. It’s good to see the issues in many Marvel projects be corrected, and I hope they continue to improve. Shang-Chi is a great movie that I really love. I’m very excited to see more of this world and these characters and how they fit into the coming Marvel phases. I think this movie can be enjoyed by anyone, it stands alone well, so even those unfamiliar with all of the MCU can enjoy it. I can’t wait to watch it again, and I can easily see this moving into my top 5 favorite Marvel movies.
Objective Score:
9/10
Personal Score:
9.5/10
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3.5/5
Action-Adventure/Superhero
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) lives a regular life in San Francisco as Shaun until, his past catches up with him, and he’s thrown back into a world of violence, tough love and martial arts mastery.
SPOILER WARNING
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Shang-Chi) is not flawless but, amidst the kinetic kung-fu action sequences and surprisingly good sense of humour, there is a certain level of enjoyability to it that elevates it beyond Marvel’s previous 2021 film entry, Black Widow. Regardless of its problems, it will be at least memorable for its ground-breaking, and unfortunately overdue, Asian representation for superhero cinema. It continues the trend of Marvel’s inability to sustain the same quality of the catalogue that was being put out leading up to and including Avengers: Endgame (I quite liked Spider-Man: Far From Home too) but I did have a good time, all things considered.
If you’re hoping for top-tier Marvel action, then… probably just go watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Bad joke, I apologise (although you should go see it if you haven’t already)! Seriously though, Shang-Chi does have some of the best action that Marvel has to offer. What’s particularly admirable about it is that it’s unique and defined. Liu, coming from a stuntman background, is more than believable at pulling the sequences off, and one of my biggest takeaways from the film (especially the first act) is that Shang-Chi undoubtedly kicks ass. A particularly impressive fight between Shang-Chi and the masked enforcer of his father’s orders had a certain visual flair to it, with the purple of the city’s neon lights influencing the cinematography at this point, but the strongest element of the sequence was that it felt less like a brawl and more like art. All throughout, the smoot yet sophisticated choreography accentuates the originality and distinction of the film overall, compared to the rest of the MCU. Shang-Chi starts strong and then falters in the third act, largely because of the CGI overload that causes the film to lose its authenticity. The action works at its best when it’s more grounded, so the film shoots itself in the foot when it climaxes in the titular hero firing ambiguous energy beams, while riding a mystical dragon in a computer-generated forest world. Perplexingly enough, after years and years of Marvel being able to hone it, the film showcases some of their ropiest CGI ever. Major use of green-screens and special effects isn’t inherently a problem but the execution of it here is probably the weakest element of the film, as little seemed to be shot on location and the CGI was simply unbelievable, which really takes you out of the experience. It’s often undermining to sequences which otherwise could have been things of visual beauty. A confrontation between Shang-Chi’s parents during their initial meeting was an impressive demonstration of martial arts being so refined that it felt like a dance, but the patchy green-screen was distracting the whole way through. I will elaborate on my issues with the film as a whole but I’ll reorient my focus back onto the good for now.
Liu presents a charming, likeable lead in the titular role and, as previously mentioned, he excels in the movie’s action sequences. From not seeing him in a film before watching Shang-Chi, there does seem to be a limit to his acting ability and range but I feel that the script also doesn’t give him too much to work with. Driving the storyline is an interesting dynamic between him and his power-hungry, seemingly immortal father Wenwu (Tony Leung), who puts him through brutal training as a child and ultimately becomes one of the better villains of the MCU. He’s no Thanos but Leung’s performance makes him stand out and his past history of ruling with the Ten Rings adds something fresh to the Marvel canon (and offers potential for a spin-off series, which I think is perfectly feasible, as I wouldn’t have been surprised if a spin-off centred around Black Widow’s sandwich from Avengers: Endgame was announced, at this point). Seriously though, a Ten Rings series set back around the time of the organisation’s beginning millennia ago, as an epic tale of power struggles, conquest and treachery, with creative influence from Peter Jackson or the Game of Thrones team, would actually be awesome, although I know that that epic a property would sadly never happen. Anyway, I apologise for getting off track, so back to Shang-Chi. Liu and Leung confidently sell the family drama, rooted in past trauma, side of it, and I like that Shang-Chi ends in a battle between father and son, as it adds a personal, tragic touch that Marvel films often don’t possess in the dynamic between their protagonist/s and antagonist/s. Another positive aspect was that Liu and Awkwafina, in the role of Shang-Chi’s best friend, Katy, have good chemistry.
While I wasn’t sure what she, a regular, non-super-powered-or-trained-in-combat human being, was still doing in the central plot towards the end of the film, her character brings fun and light-hearted comic relief to the table, to balance out the intensity of some of the story beats. Though there was a certain line that felt a bit on-the-nose regarding their ongoing status as friends, I was very happy to see two lead straight characters of opposite sexes not being awkwardly forced by the writers to be romantically involved. Ben Kingsley’s welcome return as the fake ‘Mandarin’, Trevor Slattery, reeled in some good laughs too. It felt ridiculous for him to appear again after his quite literal joke of a character in Iron Man 3, but he was charismatic and funny enough that I could push past it for the sake of enjoyment. Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen and Michelle Yeoh are all pretty good too, as Shang-Chi’s sister, mother and aunt. While Chen doesn’t get the spotlight, thanks to fridging, she leaves a mark as a mysterious and powerful guardian of the secret haven Ta-Lo, and the graceful love interest of Wenwu. Zhang and Yeoh get plenty of opportunities to be badass, despite the explanation for the former’s fighting ability and skill being ludicrous. However, it’s easy to overlook this kind of issue when the choreography is often so cool. Zhang’s similarly rocky relationship with her and Shang-Chi’s father adds to the central theme of emotional estrangement, while she also portrays well the long-brewing rage at her brother for abandoning her. Yeoh doesn’t have too much to do with her character but she’s a solid addition to the team of protagonists, in the aspect that she adds of immense prowess and experience coming with seniority.
From that paragraph, you might be expecting top-tier Marvel, so take heed when I recommend lowering your expectations, because Shang-Chi is fun but there are problems here aplenty. Firstly, the film is a blaring example of what doesn’t work about the ‘MCU formula’, as the film applies to it to its own detriment. While I’ve already gone into detail about how weak the CGI is, there are issues with the pacing and the third act too. The longer that parts of the film went on without an action sequence, the more I lost interest, simply because the acting and the script weren’t strong enough to fully sustain extended sections of things like quieter character moments. Mostly averse to the typical cheesiness and anti-climactic abruption of stories that heavily use flashbacks, Shang-Chi overall does a good job of weaving them into the plot, especially since there’s the hook of interesting world-building in each one. However, they commit the cardinal sin of doing that annoying thing where a character is about to die so they replay some shots from previous flashbacks to remind the audience that they’re meant to be sad about the character dying. While not the main issue with it, this is the kind of thing that made the third act lose its steam. It’s hard to connect with the emotion of a scene that feels such a need to spoon-feed the audience with uninspired dialogue and cliché character moments. Compared to some of the worst comic-book films, Shang-Chi’s third act is far from a mess but I did leave the film with the feeling that it was one of the weaker elements, letting it down. Another problem is that Shang-Chi feels a bit like it’s trying to break free of the mould but that it’s being held back by the aforementioned often formulaic style of the MCU.
Smaller things like cameos from Wong and Abomination felt shoehorned in, almost as if the audience wasn’t allowed to forget that this couldn’t solely be a standalone martial arts flick. I took a particular issue with how they utilised Abomination because the trailers were edited in a way that made it seem like Shang-Chi was going to have a fight with him, but he only briefly appears with Wong and then disappears for the rest of the film. In no way is Shang-Chi the first to do this sneaky kind of move but I strongly dislike it when studios do this, as it feels cheap and disrespectful to the fans. Finally, I’m gonna have to say it. Somebody has to. Why did they call it Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings?! It’s comparable to calling Tony Stark’s classic first MCU outing Iron Man and the Terrorists Who Kidnapped Him in the Desert. Admittedly, it’s not really a problem unless you’re writing a review and don’t want to have to keep repeating that long a name. But still, calling it simply Shang-Chi would have been fine, as the eponymous hero is kind of, you know, the main character of the film centred around him. I apologise again for getting a bit carried away, I’ve been reviewing various arthouse films recently and it’s a lot harder to crack jokes about and make fun of various elements of them, rather than blockbusters which are predominantly made to entertain. I promise that that was the end of my direct criticisms of Shang-Chi, in this review.
One way that the film builds character and atmosphere well is through the score (composed by Joel P West), which feels more subtle and unique than that of your typical comic-book film. I may be wrong but I believe that, in Shang-Chi’s theme, I picked up on use of the pentatonic scale, a common feature of traditional Chinese music, and the instrumentation seemed to include or imitate the ‘dizi’ (which is like a bamboo flute) and/or the similar, but gentler sounding ‘xiao’. (Disclaimer: my research into traditional Chinese instrumentation only began for the first time around 20 minutes ago from when I’m currently writing this line, so I’d love to hear feedback in the comments if you have any about the ins and outs of traditional Chinese music, to learn more). My ultimate point here is that I appreciate the smaller aspects like music being considered in such detail to pay tribute to and not forget the main character’s cultural background. I dug the score and I’m glad to see the lack of creative restraint that Marvel seems to offer its skilled composers, as it allows many of them to feel separate and defined.
Lastly, another major take-away I have from Shang-Chi: holy crap, the action was shot well. The film’s fight sequences serve as the antithesis to Black Widow in this regard, in which they were mostly boringly choreographed and weren’t given enough space to breathe, due to partly sloppy camerawork, and choppy editing. However, Shang-Chi demonstrated much talent behind the camera in this department, and the awesome martial arts sequences were treated with the attitude that every shot counted and that using lots of quick cuts to help cover up things like stunt doubles wasn’t going to be a viable option. The different camera angles that were adopted in these action sequences effectively portrayed every single punch, kick and parry, so that the fights felt more whole and consequently enjoyable. It would be a wise decision for Marvel to double down on these kinds of choreographers and offer them more projects, because their techniques work and can drastically help fights feel more grounded, as they’re taking place in what feels closer to real time. Overall, Shang-Chi is unlikely to disappoint casual martial arts fans.
In conclusion, Phase 4 has been a rocky start to the MCU post-Endgame but Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is enjoyable and promising enough to have been worth the wait. I would recommend this film to fans of comic-book movies and kinetic action-adventures, as well as anybody excited to get back into the cinema for a blockbuster after so long.
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9.5/10
So where do I begin? This film deserved the round of applause it got when it ended in my cinema screen. I won't make this review too long as I will post a longer version with more spoilers on my Tumblr. So the main things that stood out to me in this film where the incredible fight scenes, I love how they mixed the traditional martial arts film style like in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the fights scenes that needed to be more fantasy based and happened in the magic realm, and then more hardcore fighting martial arts in the real world fight scenes. For me the magic aspect and the martial arts aspect were evenly balanced, there wasn't too much of either of them so you never got bored of seeing them. I did feel like the big battle scene focused too much on the dragon and not the powers of the ten rings, and correct me if i'm wrong but don't all ten rings have different powers? We only saw maybe 2 or 3 of those powers and they were very weak.
I can understand Shang-chi not knowing how to use the rings to their full potential but his father was over 1000 years old and only used the same power and that did get pretty boring after awhile. The graphics and cinematography were amazing though, it’s not often I come out of the cinema and think wow I want to live there. The CGI at the beginning on the bus scene was a bit patchy but they made up for it when introducing us to the magic side of this story and the mythical creatures, such as the Kitsune and the Dragon. The comedy was good, glad Marvel has stuck with that lighthearted feel, it did feel a little out of place or scripted sometimes but it wasn't bad. I'm glad they referenced the Blip and the Mandarin from Iron Man, it really helped bring this film into the MCU and connect loose ends from years before. Oh and the Mandarine, or Tony, I can say he was so funny and I love that they brought him into this film. All in all this was a great introduction to Shang-Chi’s character and his sister's character who we find out has her own plans and her own part to play in the MCU in later years. I'm glad they didn't just toss the sister to the side like they usually do in films.
By @filmography007
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Shang Chi and the legend of the ten rings
2021
12A
director: Destin Daniel Cretton
starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Ben Kingsley, Tony Leung, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Michelle Yeoh, Wah Yeun, Florian Munteanu etc
Shang Chi (Simu Liu) the master of unarmed weaponry-based kung Fu. Is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the ten rings organisation. Wow what a film Shang Chi was and one of the strongest additions to the MCU.
My first few positives would be the character background and set up. As well as the fantastic cinematography, worldbuilding and action. As well as the likeable characters and performances. I really liked that the film went into the character background for the Mandarin and the mythology of the ten rings and how he got them, with an action packed and well explained opening sequence that set the tone for the film very well, offering something different from the MCU from the very first scene. I also thought the set up was strong, the film established Shang Chi and his life without his dad excellently, making you connect to the characters, but also did a great job at setting up the villain’s intentions well and developing the plot nicely. The cinematography in this film had to be some of the most beautiful visuals I have seen from the MCU. There were so many beautifully shot scenes especially within the action scenes with mid or long shots where you could actually see what was happening. The colour grading and scope of the film was seriously impressive, I was in awe. I also thought the action was probably the strongest I have seen from the MCU. The action was incredibly choreographed, very entertaining, and incorporated Asian culture and kung fu and they were so well shot it was one of the films strongest elements. The worldbuilding was also very strong. This film introduced us to such a rich and beautiful new world, it was beautiful and well explained and really explored in a lot of detail but left more to be explored for the future. This film was like seeing Wakanda for the first time. The film had such likeable characters. Particularly with Shang Chi and Katy (Awkwafina) all of the new characters introduced were instantly likeable and I connected with them quickly. This was also helped by the fantastic Chemistry between the whole cast, everyone worked amazing together, especially Simu Liu and Awkwafina who were both amazing here, and did amazing performances. They both had loads of charm and charisma. Other cast standouts were Tony Leung, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Yeoh and Menger Zhang.
My next few positives would be the humour and sound design. The family dynamic and character depth. As well as the fun cameos and Plot twists. The soundtrack for the film was also excellent, it gave the action scenes in particular an intense atmosphere and really elevated a lot of the scenes well. I really liked the family dynamic the film had. Having the villain be Shang Chi’s father and his mother and sister be involved was a great idea. It made the film more personal to the characters and increased the stakes for the characters, they had a connection and the conflict between the different members of the family was very well written. This gave characters like Shang Chi and the Mandarin a lot more character depth. The mandarin was so crushed by his wife’s death because she made him a good man, and his quest to find his wife really gave him some emotional depth, and Shang Chi’s attempt to live a normal life and escape his father’s shadow, but also look for his dads love and acceptance was really well handled, as well as his character decisions involving his sister and his regret over his mother gave his character a good amount of layers. The cameos in this film were a lot of fun, there was a few Easter eggs sprinkled throughout but it still felt like its own film. But having Wong back was a great surprise and that was in the trailer so not a spoiler. I also thought the plot twists were strong. The twists involving the family’s secrets and the new world were well executed, unexpected and added some great layers to the film, it never once got boring.
I did have a few minor issues. The villain was underused going into the final act, there was a few issues with the creative decisions in the final act. And there was a slight overusage of flashbacks. I did find that the mandarin was taken out of a big chunk of the film in order to delay the final act and expand the story world more, it would have been nice for his character to be incorporated within the plot as a whole instead of being used for more flashbacks. I did find that there were too many flashbacks. A lot of them served the plot well and had purpose, but some of them felt unneeded and repetitive and were occasionally jarring. There were just a few creative decisions in the final act I wasn’t fond of. There was some overusage of CGI that took me out of a couple of scenes, and there was a deux ex Machina with Katy that was slightly cheesy to me.
My final few positives would be the set pieces. Great development to the plot and balance to the villain. As well as interesting elements, great dialogue, and a great final act. The films set locations were beautiful, they really captured the magic of the world as well as Asian culture, the representation for the Asian community in this film was excellent. The plot development was also excellent, the twists gave the film multiple layers to work with, and the different acts flowed well, with constant new elements being added to keep the film feeling fresh. I also thought the film did an excellent job at making the audience sympathise with the Mandarin but also making it clear he was still the villain, as the film showed what kind of man he used to be with his wife I understood him wanting to be reunited with her, but the film excellently balanced this with his cruel and controlling behaviour to make him one of the strongest villains I have seen in a while in the MCU. I also thought there was a lot of interesting elements to the story world. The world of Ta lo was fascinating, and the film went into great detail of the culture and the lives of the people living there which was fascinating. The dialogue was also great, raising great themes of acceptance, family and grief that was excellently told through the lines of dialogue that felt personal to the characters and were very well written. The final act was also amazing. They went all out with the visuals and action. In a thrilling, exciting and breath-taking final act that conclude the story and the character arcs excellently and setting up Chang Chi’s future in the MCU very well.
Overall, Shang Chi has a few structure issues and falls into some MCU tropes with the CGI in the final act. But this film was visually stunning, with some of the best worldbuilding and action from the MCU. With star making performances from Simu Liu and Awkwafina. Also, with amazing Asian representation. This has really taken the MCU in a different direction and is one of their strongest origin stories.
Overall rating 92/100
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Everyday I wake up saying “man I am such a nerd”. And it’s movies like this that make me understand why it’s not a bad thing. So Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton who previously directed Just Mercy in 2019. It tells the story of Shang-Chi. A man who is trying to live a life away from his father but is brought back by him for a dangerous task. I was really looking forward to this. I thought the trailers were really cool and I have a soft spot for new heroes being introduced into the MCU. Mainly because we have never seen them before and so there’s this wonder when you go into an MCU origin movie for a new hero and man did I love it. I had such a good time with Shang-Chi. This movie reminded me a lot of Aquaman from 2018 but while Aquaman was a great movie because of its silliness, this movie is great because it takes itself seriously and I think it knocked itself out of the park. Right off the bat the action sequences are phenomenal. Literally after every one was done I said “holy shit that was awesome” and trust me I said that a lot in this movie.
The action is honestly really hard hitting and intense and if this director wants to team with James Gunn on a new Mortal Kombat movie, I think it would be the greatest video game movie of all time. The acting across the board was great. Simu Liu proves that he is here to stay in the MCU. He was awesome in the movie and I cannot wait to see what he does next as the character. Awkwafina as his friend Katy I thought was really charming and hilarious. She had the potential to be annoying but for me wasn’t at all. The standout for me here though was Tony Chiu-Wai Leung. This guy as the true Mandarin was amazing. I loved his story and I really loved his performance. No disrespect to everyone else but man he was just so good. The soundtrack for the movie was really good. It reminded me a lot of Black Panther in a really good way. This is gonna sound strange but I want to mention the ten rings themselves. I say that because the way they’re utilized in the movie are amazing.
The way they were used in the action sequences were so amazing and I loved seeing them in action. The sound design for them was also very well done. You felt the impact of every time someone was hit with them and it was very well handled. I think the story in the movie was very well done and the third act was legit awesome. Again it reminded me a lot of Aquaman but in all the right ways. I thought the finale was just so much fun and had so many great moments. My only real negative with the movie is that the second act slowed things down a bit. For me personally it didn’t bug me as much as it probably will a lot of people because most that watch movies don’t have patience and claim a movie is boring when nothing is happening. Sorry conversation for another time. Guys I had a great time with Shang-Chi. I thought it was a really great origin story and I can’t wait to see what this crew does next both in and out of the MCU. I’m giving Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings a 8.5/10
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