Marvel has finally presented us with the second film of the fourth phase of its cinematic universe. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings follows the footsteps of Black Widow, which was released earlier in the summer.
In Shang-Chi, Destin Cretton tells a story of a seemingly typical millennial who involuntarily needs to face the past he wanted to forget as the mysterious Ten Rings organisation enters his life.
Similar to Black Widow, Shang-Chi is not exactly a classic superhero movie. It talks more about the heroes as people, sharing their stories and emotions. While it is an understandable step, this is not the main reason why superhero movies are so incredibly popular. Of course, there are still a few action scenes in Shang-Chi but not many of them are of Marvel’s usual standard. They feel more like combat scenes from a stereotypical action blockbuster. There is nothing impressive about the big dragons or trolls featured in Shang-Chi which we have seen countless times in other films.
The plot in itself is not the most sophisticated or dramatic and works especially well in the beginning but the effect wears off as it progresses. However, the main characters do enough to keep the viewers hooked. They are charismatic enough to be fun but at the same time do not make the movie too comical.
Speaking of the characters, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is the first Asian superhero to get a film in the Marvel Universe. Overall, the whole Asian theme in Shang-Chi looked vibrant and refreshing. Even though it felt generalised, the new surroundings, culture and languages are always great to see, especially in something Hollywood produced.
Another great thing about Shang-Chi is the graphics. The ancient village, army costumes,
and weaponry all looked absolutely stunning, making the viewer look closely at and appreciate every small detail appearing on the screen.
As with other Marvel films, Shang-Chi has two post-credit scenes after titles with each of them shedding some light on Shang Chi’s future and his place in the universe. Shang-Chi is a film which is needed to move the Universe forward, and it does so better than Black Widow. However, Cretton’s film would mostly be appreciated by hardcore Marvel fans, while for general audiences it may be a pass as it is uneventful, long and pretty average.
3/5 stars
Credit: TheMovieDB
