Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Movie Review

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Rent Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Dave Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham (screenplay by), Dave Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton (screen story by), Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin (Shang-Chi created by)
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Yeoh
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Shang-Chi, the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.

Verdict
I really enjoyed this. While this has a strong first half including an amazing bus fight, it still manages to entertain with a huge fantasy final battle. This has plenty of family drama with humor, fantasy, and a slightly different feel to many of the Marvel movies.
Watch It.

Review
I had heard this was pretty good, and it is one of the better Marvel movies. Part of that is that it exists almost entirely outside of the Marvel universe.

The first few scenes set up Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung), the possessor of the ten rings that gains power and influence through the power of the rings. Shang-Chi just happens to be Wenwu's estranged son. There's a sub-plot throughout the movie about why they are estranged.

Shang-Chi is a valet with no aspirations with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina). An altercation on the bus turns into an all out brawl where Katy learns Shang-Chi is a martial arts master. The bus fight is awesome. It's a great fight with comedy thrown in and propels the plot forward. It's one of the top fights in the Marvel movies.

Simu Liu plays Shang-Chi

Shang-Chi must stop hiding and confront his father who plans to unleash an evil that will destroy the world. There's family drama along the way as Katy is the audience surrogate that can't believe what's happening. All of this culminates in a big fight at the end. This avoids feeling like a typical Marvel big battle thankfully.

Wenwu is the villain here, but he's not all bad. While he started out as power hungry, his evolution wavers between good and bad, even if that's a bit cliche. The reason Wenwu and Shang-Chi are even squaring off is because of how Wenwu trained him. Wenwu is responsible for everything that happens, both good and bad, which is rarely the case for the antagonist.

I have to wonder why Wenwu trained Shang-Chi to be an assassin, other than he molded the protagonist that would later stop him which is poetic irony.

While this is a Marvel movie, it's also secluded. This is a blueprint for future super hero movies. While they don't need to have a vast franchise, they do need to have a larger budget and develop a credible story.