12A, 2hrs 12 mins
It would be fair to say that Marvel Studio's latest blockbuster has been on quite the journey in the run up to its much anticipated release. Plagued by claims the studio was favouring its other releases by not putting enough time or effort into the promotion of the film, and remarks by Disney CEO Bob Chapek about the film being an 'experiment' used to determine the release of Disney films going forward; it wouldn't be unfair to say that no-one anticipated Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings to be as well received as it has been. In the weeks preceding the film's release social media commentary was predicting that the film would be a massive flop, only for it to go on and break labour day weekend box office records in the US. The film is the latest in the long line of examples where Marvel Studios has taken a mostly unknown and underappreciated character from their comic catalogue and have the film go on to dominate at the box office. You would think that we would've learned from past experiences of Guardians of The Galaxy and Ant-Man far exceeding audiences and critics expectations, but alas Shang-Chi once again demonstrates that Marvel's Midas touch is here to stay.
The film tells the story of the Ten Rings, ancient Chinese weapons which give their wearer eternal life and the power of the Gods. Marvel fans will be familiar with the Ten Rings as the terrorist organisation who kidnapped Tony Stark in Iron Man. Here, the true history of the ancient organisation is expanded upon, setting it up to feature quite prominently within phase four of the MCU going forward. The titular Shang Chi (Simu Liu, who has got to be one of the acting finds of the year), son of Ten Rings founder and leader Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), must confront his past and the life he ran from alongside he sister Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) and best friend Katy (Awkwafina) in order to save his mother's homeland from his father's destructive forces.
Amidst all the magic, sorcery, and (to borrow an upcoming film title) multiversal madness of the fourth phase of the MCU, this story feels more grounded, and has clear ties to the expositional films we saw in the early days of Marvel Studios. Having not fully known what to expect when going to see the film, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. There's plenty of action and humour to keep you going, fun easter eggs for long time Marvel fans whilst not alienating any casual viewers, and enough exposition within the first half so that you understand the important backstory of the The Ten Rings but don't feel like you're being spoon-fed every aspect of the plot.
If I were to critique any aspect of the film it would be its final fight sequence, which I think strays slightly too far into a Godzilla vs Kong style spectacle for a superhero film, but all of the positive aspects of the film far outweigh this one issue. Featuring the best scene on a bus since Speed and epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon style fight sequences, Shang-Chi is a true delight of a film and a very worthy watch.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is in cinemas now.
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