Shang-Chi & The Legend of the Ten Rings Review: Phase 4's First New and Unique Hero Tale

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Phase 4’s First New and Unique Hero Tale

By Liam Crampton

2019 marked the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s third phase with the box office shattering finale, Avengers: Endgame, and Tom Holland’s second movie as the friendly neighborhood hero, Spider-Man: Far From Home. 2021 sparked the official beginning of the fourth phase with a trio of series, WandaVision, Falcon & The Winter Soldier, and Loki, as well as a prequel movie about Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow. All of these entries to the MCU featured familiar faces within the Marvel world, but it hadn’t been since early 2019 with Captain Marvel that we’ve been given a new face to help save the world, and after the events of Avengers: Endgame, it is clear that heroes are needed.

Enter Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, the son of a man named Wenwu, the wielder of the ten rings, played by Tony Leung. These ten rings granted Wenwu eternal life and godlike strength, that he used to gain power and harm others for many years. It wasn’t until he visited the magical village of Ta Lo when he met his wife, Ying Li at the entrance, the only person ever to be able to match him in a fight. The two put their powers aside to raise a family together with their children, Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing, but years later, their mother’s passing changes the family for good.

In the present, Shang-Chi, now living in San Francisco under the name Shaun, is working as a garage parker at a hotel with his best friend Katy, played by Awkwafina. On their way to work one day they are attacked by a group of mysterious men, in which Shaun reveals himself to be very skilled in martial arts and takes them out.

A mysterious postcard leads him to meet up with his sister in Macau, whom he hasn’t seen in years and eventually the siblings reunion is joined by their father, who claims their mother is alive. He tells the siblings that he believes that the village of Ta Lo is holding their mother captive, but neither the siblings, nor Katy who came along, are buying it. The three, alongside a familiar face from a previous Marvel movie, take a trip to Ta Lo in hopes of stopping their father from destroying their mother’s home village.

Shang-Chi’s story is a straightforward, yet enjoyable one. When it comes to story writing it does not break the boundary but it does just what it needs to do. The inner conflict of the family is easy to understand and you can sympathize with both sides. Wenwu isn’t particularly someone to be perceived as good, but he’s not someone who screams the word “evil” either.

Shang-Chi has some of, if not the best action scenes in the entire MCU. Whereas most Superhero movies revolve around flashy powers and weapons, in Shang-Chi the superpowers intertwine with martial arts resulting in consistently gorgeous combat that feel as if you are choreographed dance number. No punch or kick is wasted, every second of the fight your eyes are glued to the screen.

The visuals and effects excel in all categories. The village of Ta Lo is the best example of this. When the three get to the village you are met with breathtaking scenery that rivals the lost city of Wakanda and the Realm of Asgard. Mythical creatures, and beautiful natural structures like grassy mountains bring Ta Lo village to life. The final fight takes place in Ta Lo and as the movie hits its climax, it shows off some of the most impressive CGI and special effects the Marvel Universe has to offer.

Shang-Chi’s soundtrack is one of the best Marvel has to offer. Based around the mainly Asian music label, 88rising, the music proves itself to be a strongpoint in this film. From hardcore trap to smooth R&B tunes there are plenty of songs that fans find themself coming back to after watching, such as Anderson .Paak’s “Fire in the Sky”, NIKI’s “Every Summertime” and Rich Brian’s collaboration with Dreamville’s EARTHGANG on “Act Up”. Asian artists and many more came together to help bring this movie to life, and it’s safe to say that they accomplished their mission.

The MCU is no stranger to diversity, as many of it’s heroes and villains stem from minority backgrounds. Black Panther was a smash hit within the African American community, and one of Marvel’s biggest movies to date. Marvel fans of all races loved seeing the late Chadwick Boseman, an African American man, play T’Challa, the Black Panther as he fought for the African country of Wakanda. Similarly, Shang-Chi has become huge in the Chinese and Asian community as they now have an iconic Asian superhero to their name. Chinese culture plays a big role in Shang-Chi, just as Black culture did in Black Panther. From the martial arts, outfits, settings and symbolism, Shang-Chi captures Chinese culture in a non stereotypical way, rather one that can be appreciated and mesmerized by many.

There aren’t many big criticisms with this movie, but if there is one thing to point out is that the acting wasn’t always the best. Zhang Meng’er, the actress that played Xialing, had some points in which her acting seemed awkward or off, but alas this was her first major role in her acting career, so such a task was not very easy to pull off. She did an alright job for someone new and her small hiccups do not distract from the movie very much, if at all. Outside of that, the cast did alright but in comparison with some of the acting in the other marvel movies, it found itself on the lesser half of the scale.

Despite minor criticisms, Shang-Chi is a phenomenal theatrical experience. Phase 4’s introduction to the newest face of the MCU is one that will be remembered for a long time. It has been stated that this is not the last we will see of Shang-Chi, Xialing and Katy in the MCU leaving fans to be very excited for what's to come. There is a mid-credits scene that seems like it could open a large door in the future, in which some old faces make an appearance for the first time since the events of Avengers: EndGame, so make sure not to walk out of the theater too early. You don’t have to be a Marvel fan to enjoy Shang-Chi, it’s a movie that anyone can get something out of and is a ton of fun to watch.