Shang Chi Review: An Easy-to-digest Origin Story!

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the 25th film in the illustrious Marvel Cinematic Universe, is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and stars Simu Liu as the titular character with Awkwafina and Meng’er Zhang in the primary roles. So, as far as the track record of MCU origin goes, there are great introductory movies to characters like Iron Man, Black Panther, and more, decent ones like Ant-Man and Thor, and even bad ones like Captain Marvel and Black Widow. When it comes to Shang Chi, I would say that this film is a fairly entertaining and a decent introduction to the character and it did a satisfactory job in introducing the audience to the entire lore.

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So, Shang Chi begins in San Francisco with our title character fighting a group of deadly assassins affiliated with the Ten Rings organization in China. After recognizing that his past, which he taught he left behind for good, had come back to haunt him, he reunites with his sister to resolve the situation.

Beginning with the story of Shang Chi, this is a good, straightforward, and easy-to-follow origin story. It solely centered on setting up the character, his (Shang Chi’s) dynamic with his family, and giving the audience a taste of the world of Ta Lo and Ten Rings.

What I liked the most about this film is that Marvel Cinematic Universe tends to pack in a ton of lore in its origin stories, and it gets a little complicated to follow every now and then, however, for a person like me who did not know much about this character, they did a decent job in getting me up to speed.

Moving on to the entertainment factor, the comedy, particularly from the female lead, Awkwafina, delivered for the most part. Just like every other Marvel film, the quick wit and the funny one-liners were funny, but they also fall flat sometimes. However, the action sequences were some of the best I’ve seen in any Marvel film. They’re beautifully shot, choreographed, and deliver on that martial arts promise that you usually expect from an Asian-centric film.

On to the negatives, Shang Chi suffers for a decent amount as far as the screenplay and the process of navigating the storyline goes. It becomes too convenient sometimes and doesn’t cleverly transition or allow time for significant scenes to build up with emotion and suspense. Also, I’m well aware of the fact that these films do not work in tandem with reality, but as I criticized before, this film gets comfortable and would’ve been better with some solid writing.

Performances, Simu Liu, is decent. I dont see him becoming a charismatic central character like Tony Stark or Thor. Nevertheless, he did well with what he’s offered, and I have no complaints. The remainder of the leads, Awkwafina and Meng’er Zhang, were pleasing in their roles. MCU, except for a very distinct few, suffers from the lack of intriguing villains, and this trend also continues in Shang Chi, with the antagonist(s) not being much of a threat.

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From a technical standpoint, the film looked good on the big screen, the VFX is up to Marvel’s standards. And Joel P. West’s background score blended well the vibe and the overall narrative.

Overall, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is just like every other Marvel film, it narrates an easy-to-digest origin story, delivers with regard to kick-ass action scenes, and is a fun watch at the theaters. However, will you miss anything by avoiding it at cinemas and waiting for the Disney+ release? No!

‘Shang Chi’ Rating – 3.25/5

Images via Marvel Studios