After being burned multiple times by Phase 4 so far (it's been mediocre for the most part), I just wanted this movie to impress me in some way.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a breath of fresh air. It goes deep into a father-son relationship at its core, and explores what family heritage and legacy can do to someone. These strong themes ground this movie unlike any other MCU film since Iron Man, I'd say.
As someone who's tired of quippy jokes undercutting serious moments, I really liked the writing. It's not afraid to stop the action for meaningful character moments, and there are way fewer jokes than the typical MCU movie these days. It feels like the early days of the MCU; because there were fewer jokes, more of them landed well, and I'd say that about 90% of the jokes in this movie did just that. Plus, the actors just blended into their roles so well, which immersed me more than anything else.
And that isn't even mentioning the best part: the action. The choreography is so insanely good; you get a good sense of who has the upper hand at any given moment in the fight, especially during the martial arts fights. Each of said fights is like a mini story unto itself, and they're all so fun to watch. Even when things get super CGI-heavy near the end, it keeps that cool factor going.
Shang-Chi is way better than I thought it was going to be, and it's good writing like this that gives me hope that Marvel doesn't have to turn everything into a joke to make a good movie.
Review by JonTheMantisBlockedParent2021-09-05T03:57:32Z
After being burned multiple times by Phase 4 so far (it's been mediocre for the most part), I just wanted this movie to impress me in some way.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a breath of fresh air. It goes deep into a father-son relationship at its core, and explores what family heritage and legacy can do to someone. These strong themes ground this movie unlike any other MCU film since Iron Man, I'd say.
As someone who's tired of quippy jokes undercutting serious moments, I really liked the writing. It's not afraid to stop the action for meaningful character moments, and there are way fewer jokes than the typical MCU movie these days. It feels like the early days of the MCU; because there were fewer jokes, more of them landed well, and I'd say that about 90% of the jokes in this movie did just that. Plus, the actors just blended into their roles so well, which immersed me more than anything else.
And that isn't even mentioning the best part: the action. The choreography is so insanely good; you get a good sense of who has the upper hand at any given moment in the fight, especially during the martial arts fights. Each of said fights is like a mini story unto itself, and they're all so fun to watch. Even when things get super CGI-heavy near the end, it keeps that cool factor going.
Shang-Chi is way better than I thought it was going to be, and it's good writing like this that gives me hope that Marvel doesn't have to turn everything into a joke to make a good movie.