Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues on to to its fourth phase with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. With a primary focus on Asian culture, the film sees Xu Shang-Chi, a martial artist, hiding out in San Francisco so as to escape from his father, the head of the crime organization the Ten Rings. When his father, Xu Wenwu and the inspiration for Iron Man 3's Mandarin, manages to find Shang-Chi and his sister after so many years, he tries to convince them that their long departed mother is being kept hostage in her old village in another dimension. With the threat of Wenwu's criminal army as well as his use of the powerful ten rings that grant him immortality and power, the siblings have to protect the village with help from the imprisoned Trevor Slattery, the fake Mandarin, and the people of the village with their mystical weapons and creatures so as to keep a powerful evil from escaping. While WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier did focus on a post Endgame-snapped world, this is the first film in the MCU that does take place mainly after that. But the movie never makes it too clear how long it's been and doesn't use much of that throughout the whole run. Despite this, it's still a well written and directed entry that gives a compelling villain with noble, though misguided, goals. Destin Daniel Cretton's direction does an amazing job especially in how it handles flashbacks to Shang-Chi and his sister's Xialing's childhood from idyllic to after their mother is killed and their father becomes colder and trains his son to kill while neglecting his daughter. One huge issue with the writing is that it never explains what keeps Wenwu from taking over the world despite the army he amasses and the power of the rings that has kept him alive for thousands of years. But this being the MCU, one can infer that there may have been threats that challenged him as we do get cameos from Doctor Strange's Wong. The cast that includes Simu Liu playing the title character, Tony Leung as his father, Meng'er Zhang portraying Xialing, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi's best friend, and supporting characters played by Ben Kingsley, Michelle Yeoh, and Fala Chen who all provided strong, funny, and powerful performances. Similar to Black Panther and how it handled African culture, the exploration and representation towards Asian culture is not only detailed but also handled in a very respectful manner especially in the way it depicts various Chinese mythological creatures and doesn't over explains each one. Having a hero whose comic book roots lie in the kung fu craze of the early 1970s, this film's biggest strength is the use of martial arts in its action sequences. Thanks to stunt coordinator Brad Allen, who recently passed away, we not only get great fight scenes but also many that almost feel like a dance. Of course much of that is also thanks to William Pope's lush cinematography, the editing not being overdone, Joel P. West's Asian inspired scoring, and well made effects that don't interfere with the fight scenes. Between the powerful performances, strong action scenes, and compelling story with great use of Asian culture it's no wonder Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has become a box office record breaker even through the pandemic. Over all: 100%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

3. The Green Knight

4. Candyman 2021

5. The Suicide Squad

6. Free Guy

7. Nobody

8. Black Widow

9. A Quiet Place Part II

10. Respect

11. Raya and the Last Dragon

12. Jungle Cruise

13. Cruella

14. Wrath of Man

15. F9

16. Snake Eyes

17. Old

18. Space Jam: A New Legacy