The wait is finally over. Marvel’s 25th superhero movie “Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings” has come out, directed by Destin Cretton. The movie stars Canadian actor and stuntman Simu Lui, Nora Lum, a.k.a, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung and many others. To be honest, the trailer for the movie did not have us as enthusiastic as the other MCU movies. But after we watched it, let’s just say we have some distinct views. So, was this just another superhero movie from MCU, or is it going to leave a mark in the market? Let’s find out.
Just as with any other MCU movie, we get a very straightforward heroic story. The movie is basically about Shang-Chi, also known as Shaun, played by Simu Lui. Despite moving on from his past life, Shaun was forced to confront his destiny after being drawn into a mysterious and dangerous group, called the Ten Rings, run by his father Xu Wenwu. The story is very likable and relatable. We have Shaun, who has run away from what everyone thinks his destiny should be, which is very relatable to this generation. But Shaun comes back to save the day for his family, just like our other heroes.
The highlight of the movie has to be the Kung-Fu styled fighting. Using Kung-Fu as the primary style for all the action scenes was a truly nice refreshment to our eyes. It is a very efficient and fun addition to the MCU movies. If you are a fan of “House of Flying Daggers” or “The Karate Kid” film series like I am, you are going to love this movie. With amazing fight choreography, this movie is definitely going to win a lot of hearts with its action scenes.
The way this movie incorporated Kung-Fu and Chinese culture was fascinating. We even got to see some fresh, cool imaginative creatures, but with a hinge of Chinese traditions, which worked wonders for the viewers. The costumes and landscape, along with the Kung -Fu, really pulled the movie together. There’s so much going on in the movie, but it does not overwhelm you at all and that’s just jaw dropping.
The one thing I was afraid of, that being a story about a new hero, we won’t get a satisfactory back story about the origins. But fortunately, Marvel proved us wrong. The movie started with Xu Wenwe, and how he became the leader of Ten Rings. We had a very satisfying background of Shang-Chi and how he was brought up. And the best part is it was a quick and smooth succession from the past to the present.
Now, let’s talk about the cast. I think we can undoubtedly say all the actors were very well chosen. We loved the characters, especially Shang-Chi. And we don’t need to say more about Awkwafina. She was excellent, as usual. But I think the best character was Wenwe. This is old news for Marvel to make us fall in love with the villain, but Wenwe’s character was outstanding. A man who is so hard-hearted and cold, yet so caring and considerable- very well done by the actor, Tony Leung.
The character development of the members was particularly well done and with good timing. Not giving us everything at once, but feeding us bit by bit with the ‘present and to flashback and back in the moment’ approach worked wonders for plot development.
Talking about comedic relief, which a must have in Marvel movies. Unlike many MCU creations, the comedic effects were very well done here. They did not ruin any important scene with a dumb humour dialogue. The character of Awkwafina as Katy was so enjoyable throughout the movie. She not only brings in a good laugh, but at times came as a very mature and grounding character, which we loved.
The MCU gave us so much in this movie, but it made us remember its roots with the final battle. Although the basic form of fighting is Kung-Fu, the final battle gave us “Infinity War” and “Endgame” vibes. The pacing of the movie was impressive. It was a 2 hours and 12 mins movie, but you will appreciate every bit. A good plot, perfect action scenes, excellent comic relief and catastrophe, the movie gave us all. In terms of entertainment, hands down, you are going to love it. I have already watched it 2 times, I am going to watch it again, and am sure I am going to love it. So, what are you waiting for? Go watch it today. For more superhero movies, check out “The Suicide Squad” and “Godzilla v/s Kingkong”.