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

By Calum Whitfield and Emily Hubbard

Marvel’s master martial artist finally makes his big-screen debut in yet another entertaining entry in the MCU canon.

• 4/5 Cameras 🎥🎥🎥🎥
• Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
• Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Tony Leung, and Michelle Yeoh
• Where to find it: In Cinemas Now

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The MCU is the biggest film franchise in the world, and with 24 entries before this one as well as several TV shows it’s impressive that it’s churned out a hell of a lot more hits than misses both financially and critically. But surely after 13 years, the bubble must be ready to burst soon. Is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the 25th entry, the one to do that?

The plot follows the character of Shang-Chi (played by Kim’s Convenience alum Simu Liu), a valet working alongside his best friend Katy (Awkwafina) at a San-Francisco hotel, who happens to be the son of immortal Ten-Ring powered terrorist Xu Wenwu (Hong-Kong film industry legend, Tony Leung) and was raised from birth to be a master martial artist and assassin until running away to America as a teenager. As his past catches up with him, our protagonist must embark on a journey to reconnect with his sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) and reach the mystical homeland of his deceased mother, Ta Lo. So far this is a fairly run-of-the-mill plot, but rest assured there are a few fun surprises along the way. 

The family dynamic at play between an estranged brother, sister, and father gives the film some intrigue, and it moves along at a nice pace kept continuously entertaining due largely to the stellar chemistry between Shang-Chi and Katy (Simu Liu and Awkwafina respectively), a relationship that is kept refreshingly platonic and compellingly fun. On the topic of casting, it must be said that this is an excellently cast movie pretty much throughout, with other standouts being the aforementioned Tony Leung, playing Xu Wenwu, the real leader of the Ten-Rings organisation that was used as a front during Iron Man 3 whose figure-head, the Mandarin, turned out to be a Liverpudlian actor called Trevor (I wonder whatever happened to him), as well as one of cinema’s greatest action stars, Michelle Yeoh as the Aunt of Shang-Chi, whose inclusion lends the film real credibility as being a martial arts movie on top of being just another superhero movie. Benedict Wong also appears as Doctor Strange cast member Wong, helping to link the film into the MCU organically, although, for the most part, this film works very well as a standalone piece. It’s worth mentioning here that the film does a tremendous amount of worldbuilding, creating a whole new side to the MCU that fans and casual viewers alike will surely want to explore more in the future.

Of course, the key to any superhero movie is the action. And boy, do we get a treat here with the film’s fight sequences being some of the best the MCU has to offer. The film is full of numerous brilliant set-pieces throughout taking place in locations ranging from San-Francisco busses to high-rise locales in Macau, to a mystical realm beyond our own world. Each set-piece manages to feel individual rather than just treading the same territory, and each manages to feel like an organic part of the film in how they help to move the story forward rather than just being there to look cool (although they do look very cool), giving the film real momentum as it builds towards its climax.   

This climax unfortunately did not live up to the rest of the film. Slight spoiler warning, but much of the film has a reasonably grounded feel (for a superhero movie), which is lost a bit towards the end as the film breaks off from the dynamic of a struggling family to focus on a more generic big bad which feels somewhat unnecessary. Also, trying to stay vague, Katy’s role in this climax did not feel natural at all, although it’s hard not to support the idea behind it. Beyond this, it could be argued that the character of Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) doesn’t get to fully shine in this movie, though this can easily be amended in any sequels.

In conclusion, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is another strong chapter in the MCU. Yes, the climax feels a bit disjointed and weak compared to the rest of the film but the journey to get there, aided by a stellar cast throughout, more than makes up for it, leaving this as an eminently watchable, and thoroughly entertaining piece of cinema. What more can you ask for?