Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 2021
After some delays, Marvel has started Phase Four in earnest, and this movie introduces us to a new character named Shang-Chi played by Simu Liu. This movie has nothing to do with the rest of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe so far except for two appearances by minor characters from other films. The title character is born in China but moves to San Francisco as a teenager, but still everyone seems to know martial arts. His father is a bad guy who possesses the ten rings which give him great powers and keep him young (he is hundreds or thousands of years old). Shang-Chi’s best American friend is Awkwafina who he works with parking cars, a job they seem to both love. Awkwafina has been growing on me and she provides some needed comic relief, but otherwise you kind of wonder why she is being brought along. There is a good story here about Shang-Chi’s family and as he figures out that he needs to do more than park cars. While the movie is entertaining, it does start to sag a little under the weight of everything it sets up. Shang-Chi is a little plain as a superhero despite his unique origin story. He doesn’t really get a chance to shine as they are introducing a lot of different characters. I certainly wouldn’t put the movie in the top tier of Marvel movies, but it isn’t bad either. I‘m giving it a low B+ which may be a bit generous.
Written: 07 Sep 2021
Owned on: Digital