Copyright by Marvel/Disney
(Long title lol)
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina
Concept: MCU first Asian led movie, looking at Chinese lore mixed with MCU lore. Like an Asian Thor movie.
Execution
Cast: Simu Liu comes through with the young Asian win. Tony Leung was spot on as Wenwu. Support cast was pretty solid. Only issue I have... is Awkwafina. Like with Raya and the Last Dragon, Awkwafina showed us she can be serious, and she isn't annoying. But when she tries to be funny, she rubs me the wrong way. And... well... she is part of the comic relief. It works... but... still. Walking, talking Asian stereotype. Her saving grace is that Ben Kingsley makes his return and assumes the role of comic relief for the rest if the movie. Score: 18/20
Presentation: I've said this before... Disney/Marvel has this penchant for making things look amazing. Every fight scene seems flawless, set pieces look amazing, the cgi even LOOKED real. Even a CGI Dragon looked real. Soundtrack... well... a little bit of it was distracting. A little. Specifically the song during the scaffold fight scene...... it was awkward. But... still fit the film. And as the fight kept on, I forgot the song was playing still...... Score: 20/20
Chronicle: Overall, I wasn't sure what to expect. I don't know enough about Shang-Chi. And I know marginally more about Wenwu. So... I didn't have much to go on, lore-wise. That being said... I'm gonna first say, if it weren't for the cameos of Wong and Abomination(not spoilers... in the trailer), I wouldn't be able to say this was an MCU movie. It was a martial artist epic style movie. Gorgeous locations filled with emotionally driven fights... all wrapped up with some Chinese lore... mixed with family ties that bind... topped two redemption stories going opposite directions. Sounds like alot, but... it isn't. It just all builds together beautifully. There wasn't a scene in the movie that didn't serve a purpose, either to build a character arc or to connect it to something else important. No wasted time. Ecen the fights... each fight scene told a story, and references the story as a whole as you go along. As I said... Martial Arts Epic... like the MCU take on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... mixing with an entertaining fight/camera Jackie Chan film. Score: 28/30
Impact: Movie sets up Shang-Chi as an important member of the MCU going forward. Maybe as a member of the Young Avengers? Who knows. But what ai do know that this movie deserves praise for making me start to like Awkwafina. But as a movie, it is also the first MCU movie since Covid to NOT be simul-released in theater and Disney+ premium. It also already shatted the box office Labor Day weekend record, even before actual Labor Day. Plus, the first Asian led MCU film... culturally, that can be important, Shang-Chi definitely showed he can stand within the MCU. I'm hoping those that enjoy the movie but don't know about the character in the comics... I hope it leads to more people checking out Shang-Chi in print. Score: 19/20
Extra Oomph: First all all, dammit... Ben Kingsley's return as Trevor Slattery... makes up for his same role in Iron Man 3. And the inclusion of Wong, though brief, has turned him into more than just an assistant/side-kick... maybe the new Coulson? But... best of all, let's talk about the identity of this movie... so many people were like "why make a movie about this relatively unknown character?" Because, look how well Guardians did? And they were relatively unknown(to most). And then...... the MCU movies are superhero films, but the best of them don't feel like superhero films: I.E. like Ant-Man(heist), Ant-Man and the Wasp(prison break), Winter Soldier(spy thriller). So they made a Martial Arts Epic. It doesn't do it AS well as the examples, but you have an MCU film with a relatively unknown character in a non-superhero style movie. Score: 10/10
FINAL SCORE: 95/100
FINAL GRADE: A
Conclusion: This is a really good movie. I went in with no expectations. Only 2 keypoints I wanted them to cover(was Wenwu the Mandarin we wanted him to be and was there a certain "Space Dragon" in it?... yes, to the first... and no to the second, but we got something just as cool). And what I got was a modern Martial Arts Epic. It was smooth... solid... and even gets away with fridging for a different motivation, while NOT making a forced relationship out of a platonic friendship(at least for now). One of the BEST mid-credit scenes in MCU history. This is a wonderful film.
It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...
FINAL JUDGMENT: If you haven't seen it yet, you need to see this movie. Personally, it makes up for my issues in Iron Man 3... and I will even recommend it to those who don't like the MCU, but still like the Martial Arts Epics. Unless you know the MCU references, you wouldn't even know. And there are no REQUIRED MCU movies to see before this one. Remarkable. And fun. Go watch this movie... and if you can, support your local movie theater...... but either way, don't forget to mask up.
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There you go! Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings gets a 95!
While I didn't go in with expectations, I had hopes that it would be at least a good movie. I am very pleased that it was much better than I hoped for. Top 10 MCU for me.
If you've seen it, what did you think? Leave a comment below. What are some suggestions for current or upcoming movies you want to me to check out and review? Leave those below too.
Until next time...
Don't forget...
