My quick rating – 7.3/10. Nice to finally get the theatrical ball rolling for Phase 4 with Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Due to pandemic reasons, things were forced to be changed up a bit, and Disney+ has given us our intro into what a portion of this new saga was going to be. And yes, Black Widow was the first movie in the new phase, but that was a backstory for her character, so it really had little to do with where it is going. But this visual extravaganza jumps right in and introduces a completely new character as well. There really is a lot to admire about this movie, much more than the effects.
Right away, you’ll notice the first 10 or so minutes are in Chinese, which may seem like just storytelling, but I felt it was more a way of bringing a bit of the Asian culture directly into the mix with the westernized superhero culture of the Avengers. It was very effective in setting the tone for the rest of the fantasy flick to come. It also doesn’t take long for Simu Liu as the title role to throw it into fifth gear with a truly astounding-looking action scene, which by now I am sure you have seen at least parts of, yes, the bus scene. And for once, it wasn’t all ruined in the trailers.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings does have to do some back and forth to explain our main and his history since we see he has not spoken with his father(Tony Chiu-Wai Leung), who happens to be an immortal master of the ten rings, in a decade. This, along with being separated from his sister (Meng’er Zhang) for just as long and really needed more screen time. The entire family melodrama here is your main focus since it is his father’s gang that is coming after the siblings to gain artifacts to open the path to Ta Lo. I should leave the explanation to the film.
This conflict and our group, including Liu’s friend in the comedic relief role, Awkwafina, must put all this together and attempt to stop Leung. And the supremely talented Michelle Yeoh is also part of this stellar cast as the all-knowing Aunt. This will lead them to Ta Lo, which is when this movie dives headfirst into the fantasy realm. The scenes here are so wonderfully shot that I feel slighted watching at home since IMAX treatment had to be an experience. The last third of the movie, and the incredible action scenes leading up to it, were just so nicely done. Then again, Bill Pope from the Matrix trilogy, among many other spectacle films, was hired on for the cinematography.
The creatures from Ta Lo would’ve been happy to appear in the Labyrinth or Dark Crystal while the intense fighting is right up there with some of Jackie Chan‘s finest choreography releases. A fight on the sides of a skyscraper had me literally losing my stomach, like being on a roller coaster ride. I may have to try it out in 3-D (I am a glutton for punishment). Among those creatures are the incredible sequences later on with a dragon. I don’t want to spoil it, but the whole sequence was a feast for the eyes.
Even though I am mainly focusing on the visual prowess of this, I do think the story itself is well done. It has some holes, but it didn’t just throw a superhero at you and say, “Enjoy looking at his powers.” There was much more to the whole family dynamic that led to a pretty good story as well. And Awkwafina was pretty damn funny as well. Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is definitely one I can safely say is good entertainment for the entire family. As far as your connections to the bigger Phase 4 picture? That is up to you to see.
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