Pros:
- Whoever worked on the second unit of this film, give them a medal. Lots of beautiful choreography, wide shots and sweeping camera movement. Great stuff, it has the best action choreography of any Marvel film. Massive props to the editing team as well.
- The casting is great. Simu Liu ticks all the boxes for a Marvel hero, Tony Leung is an amazing actor and he shows it here, Awkwafina does the best with what she’s given, Michelle Yeoh is great.
- The characters are of course very well drawn, as expected from Marvel. That includes the villain, even if his motivation is a little generic. I’ll say that they could’ve given some more development to Xialing, though.
In between:
- The music. I liked the score quite a bit, it felt very authentic to something you’d hear in a traditional Chinese kung fu film. But then they also got some of the worst contemporary artists to add actual music numbers, like Rick Ross and Swae Lee. Was Kendrick too busy this time around? It’s kind of a nitpick, but it ruined some of the credit that I was willing to give the score in this. I’ll give them props for putting the very underrated Anderson .Paak over the credits, though.
Cons:
- For such a basic story, it is really overstuffed with exposition. The worldbuilding is done though a lot of talking, and no showing.
- One of their ugliest films in terms of colour grading. It’ll pop occasionally, but it’s overall really drab and grey. It does no justice to Bill Pope’s cinematography.
- The comedy. Not everything misses, but these films used to have a lot more clever and subversive comedy in them. That’s slowly starting to phase out in favour of basic comedy writing. It’s also placed in awkward moments where it messes with the tone. Ben Kingsley is very annoying in this in particular.
- For as good as the choreography is, some of the action is still very overblown and fake looking. There’s a scene in the trailers that involves a bus, which you’ve probably seen and thought: that looks wonky and fake. Well, the final set in this piece is even worse, and I can almost guarantee that it’ll give you flashbacks to Black Panther’s final act. It kinda throws everything at the wall and sees what sticks.
- In terms of pacing, it makes the exact same mistake as Captain Marvel and Black Widow. The first act is fast paced and filled with 2-3 set pieces. Then, during the second act, it hits a lull. We get to one location, and the film is filled with nothing but dialogue. This problem could easily be fixed if the action was just more spread out.
Yeah, another disappointment if you’d ask me, in a string of disappointments coming from Marvel Studios.
It’s a shame, this could’ve been great. Keep the actors, characters, central conflict and the grounded action scenes, but remove all of Marvel’s shitty production choices in regards to music, colour grading, overblown action, incel comedy, pacing and meaningless references, and this would’ve easily been an 8.
There’s more than enough good and fun stuff in here, but it gets bogged down by the machine.
5/10
[7.3/10] They’re probably never going to make an entirely quiet, introspective, down-to-earth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We might be able to get that sort of thing on television with WandaVision or Loki when a cooldown episode is acceptable before the big giant fight scene. But that’s not what people come to superhero movies for. So every MCU film needs to end with the computer-generated fireworks du jour, lest moviegoers feel like they haven’t gotten their money’s worth.
It’s a shame because I mostly liked Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings! And then it’s overstuffed, overblown, uninvolving final act hit and stomped the whole movie down a notch. It’s not exactly a quiet film up until that point, but it’s one rooted in character, humor, and action sequences that punctuate those elements rather than crowd them out.
Shang-Chi is, like the MCU that preceded it, something of a family film, in the sense that it’s as much about its title character resolving issues with his father, reconciling with his sister, and the lot of them processing their complicated feelings over his mother’s death. There’s meat and meaning there, and the way the film is structured, including the ways it spackles those serious reveals about Shang-Chi’s family life with quality humor, means it never feels too heavy.
Seriously, the comedy stylings of Awkwafina and Ben Kingsley are worth the price of admission alone. The latter returns as Trevor Slattery, the actor/terrorist impersonator who is just as amusing as he was in Iron Man 2 and has more of a canvas to paint on this time around. His inclusion is a treat and in-joke, and the Oscar-winner is incredibly game.
Likewise, Awkwafina plays Katy, Shang-Chi’s best friend, and the character who’s able to take the stuffing out of all the deadly-serious lore-dropping and mortal threats in an entertaining way. And, like a lot of Marvel films, The Legend of the Ten Rings often works best as a buddy comedy, and her dynamic with the title character makes both endearing and lightens our protagonist up in ways that improve him as a leading player in this sandbox.
That’s probably my biggest complaint before the final act -- Shang-Chi himself is a bit bland as a character. He’s not bad, and Simu Liu does fine in the role. But he’s the least interesting major player in his own movie. Katy is a lot more fun and her arc, while oversimplified, has a clarity his lacks. Shang Chi’s sister, Xialing, has a more compelling angle as the overlooked daughter who built her own empire despite loss, neglect, and abandonment. His father, Wenwu, has the most engrossing backstory in the film, a conqueror who committed terrible deeds but found peace through true love, only to devolve into darkness and obsession when that love was lost. Shang-Chi is solid enough, but picking any of these characters as an alternate protagonist would have been an improvement for the story.
And while each of them basically exists to advance Shang-Chi’s personal arc, each has a journey both clearer and more compelling than his too. The main theme of Shang-Chi’s personal growth and eventual path here are muddled as all hell. The ideas they dance around are easy enough to identify. It seems like the film is trying to tell a story of identity, with Shang-Chi accepting and reconciling the different parts of his family history and personal experiences to crystalize the person he is today. It works well for a story that is both Chinese and Chinese-American, as he ultimately accepts the different parts of his past he’s been “running from” and finds his strength in the resolution.
That dovetails nicely with the structure of the film. Make no mistake, there is a lot of backstory and lore and world-building that The Legend of the Ten Rings concerns itself with. And yet, rather than just giving us one big infodump or one all-consuming flashback, the movie parcels out these details as we go. It helps gradually put the pieces of Shang-Chi himself, and the corner of the world he escaped from and returns to, into a context in an organic, well-paced way. The structural choices are the film’s hidden strength and part of what helps the medicine go down.
But by the time the third act rolls around, the film has trouble tying it all together, especially for Shang-Chi on the usual “punch stuff and have a personal breakthrough” path that most Marvel heroes go through. The self-identity material gets jumbled up with various notions of not succumbing to fear, on top of amorphous ideas about recovering from trauma. Each of these are worthy lines to follow, but The Legend of the Ten Rings tries to chase them all at once. And it leaves the overall point of Shang-Chi’s personal journey, and the steps he takes toward self-actualization, unclear and unsatisfying.
But much of that is just the way the time and space it would take to truly explore those notions is handed over to the latest CGI maelstrom. The film’s climax is another overextended mess, with three “boss fights” for lack of a better turn which lack enough of a rhythm or meaning or sense of progression to hold the audience’s attention. The overreliance of unconvincing computer generated settings and creatures makes the finale feel downright Star Wars prequel-esque. Visually, the big final battle is a bowl of mush splattered over an early 2010s phone background, with dragon-riding scenes and energy bolt battles looking conspicuously green-screened in a way that takes you out of the film.
It’s a shame, because there’s some above average fights in The Legend of the Ten Rings. When the movie feels more contained: a claustrophobic scuffle on a bus, an emotion-laden skirmish between siblings, and dance-like confrontation between soon-to-be lovers, the film’s martial arts quotient sings. The team that put together this film is more than capable of delivering that level of pugilistic excitement, even if the camera movements get a little overactive at times, detracting from the thrilling hand-to-hand combat that deserves the time and space to be savored.
The same goes for the character work and humor. Shang-Chi and Katy’s relationship feels lived in and fun. The struggles of a family to deal with loss, expectation, and old demons returning home is compelling. The moments when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a human story -- hell, even the moments when it’s a martial arts movie -- are suffused with the laughs and bonds and sense of the personal amid the extraordinary that put Marvel on top.
But even the inimitable Michelle Yeoh can’t save the loud, ugly, overlong thud that the movie ends with. The third act fireworks will probably always be a fact of life when it comes to tentpole MCU films like this one. But rarely do they so undermine all the good work the movie’s done to that point, in an explosion of character-muddling, eyeball-staunching, story-stomping disappointment.
How much of this movie was "Morris the Explainer" (dialog exposition) and flashbacks? I would watch again with a stopwatch if I could stay awake. The marketing on this could be "Well, it's better than Captain Marvel...but not by much." Lowest tier of Marvel films, but some bright spots. Some good action scenes, Awkwafina turns in another good smart ass character. But....it's a short list. Avoid.
I mean, at least the bus scene was cool. The writing could’ve been way better.
this was a okay movie
enjoy the first half a lot more than the final half
once the movie gets all magical with dragons and stuff starts to really lose itself
it's also very slow at that point
people made a big deal about this movie since we having the most realistic well done martial arts fights
but every fight scene just felt like the typical superhero Blockbuster fights lots of cutaways incredibly ridiculous set pieces the characters just doing way too much extra stuff
enjoy the reveal of Trevor that was pretty fun
I did really enjoy performance of the actor playing the Mandarin/whatever other name he goes by
he actually had a lot of emotion relatability to a character that is over a thousand years old with magic rings
and he actually has some character development throughout the movie
the lead actor playing the title character didn't really do much for me the actress playing his girlfriend was funny and entertaining but I think they pushed pretty hard for some of the stuff with her lol
the soundtrack felt pretty weird for a movie that's supposed to be embracing all this ancient Chinese culture and mythology
great cgi, action and scene
but man the scrip, what is goin on with the scrip
The Ten Rings organization is a bit smaller than I expected, but we probably haven't seen all of it.
We really enjoyed the film. The action was really well done. Some of the best fight scenes I watched in a while. I didn't mind the overall story. I mean you know he's going to end up with the 10 Rings.
My only issue was that everything got muddled together sometimes. Maybe my eyes are just old but there were times where my brain knew what was happening on the screen but my eyes couldn't make it out. Especially in the big fight scene at the end.
One of the best solo MCU movies in a while. I went into this not knowing the story at all. I was highly entertained and not lost at all. Definitely worth the $12 at the theater!
The action sequences were solid, particularly the martial arts, and the casting and acting were also fine but the script is a mess, the pacing is off, and the second half feels goofy and disjointed from the first half. The second half action was difficult to follow and felt like a DC cluster f--- aimed at the Chinese market. HOWEVER, I am looking forward to seeing Shang-Chi utilized in the future films.
I don't get nearly as excited about the MCU as I used to (mostly because they're churning out movies and TV shows at a rate that I just can't keep up with), but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Definitely worth watching.
Some loose thoughts/things I enjoyed below (spoilers are marked):
- the story is good, the 2nd act is kind of slow, but it picks up towards the end
- the fight scenes are super cool and creative (especially the one on the bus and the one on the scaffolding)
- I liked the way they utilized the rings in fights, it felt really fresh and like something we haven't seen before
- the final battle is actually awesome (monkey brain loves big monsters and explosions)
- the cast is excellent (I'm particularly thrilled to see Awkwafina getting more recognition)
- the soundtrack is beautiful and I love the way they used traditional Chinese melodies
- badass women all around (Michelle Yeoh my beloved)
- impeccable CGI
- some gorgeous scenery
- MORRIS
- loved the callback to the Mandarin mess from Iron Man 3
- Brie Larson cameo (I know the fandom has collectively decided to hate her, but I don't care, that was a treat for me and me only)
- Xialing effectively utilizing girl power by taking over her father's crime empire (I feel like there was definitely some comic book reference flying over my head there but who cares). My friend and I joked that she'll be getting a Disney+ series shortly
Overall, it was a treat. Strongly recommend.
Shang Chi is not diversity for sake of diversity. It is diversity for sake of authenticity!
An enjoyable blend of wuxia, fantasy, and superhero movies. It’s pretty much the same structure as all other Marvel flicks with a slightly different taste. Shang-Chi lacks charisma but is well supported by the other cast members.
As usual with these films, the writing is outrageously bad. For example, the Ten Rings organization is supposed to be a lethal army that influenced the history of mankind for centuries, but when they come out, it’s literally a dozen people in a ninja suit. Their leader is introduced as a cruel man who lived for thousands of years, who owns infinite wisdom and godly powers, yet he is just an idiot who gets fooled by a phone fraud. Also, the film keeps pointing out that men and women should be equal, yet Shang-chi’s sister stays two ladders below the comic relief characters. I would pay a fortune to attend the screenwriter meetings for these films and see how they review the script.
Really enjoyed the movie. The fighting sequences where great. Much more fantasy elements than i was expecting.
An army of gingers would have been a great advantage in that final battle
Shang Chi is not diversity for sake of diversity. It is diversity for sake of authenticity!
One thing I think that is amazing about this film is that how much attention they actually payed to Chinese lifestyles. All of the little actions that people did throughout the film and the dialogue itself that it made me cry seeing Chinese culture and Chinese people in general getting a good portrayal in a movie, the way people acted and the things they did felt relatable and familiar and it was nice to see they didn't try to hide it or ignore those things, they embraced it even if western audiences might not understand or pick up on them, that alone makes this a great film as well as the fact it was a good film in general.
Well, half of it is wanking the the Chinese market and the other half is wanking to BMW's sponsorship. All glued together with useless fights and stupid plots. At least the fights are well choreographed and not cut-to-death like the other Marvel movies. Unfortunately for the price of bad CGI, so bad at most times. And a lot of slow motion, did Snyder make this? And there are guys in the background fighting nothing because the CGI creature wasn't put it. A desaster.
The plot is terrible and full of plot holes.
In the beginning, why did the father actually try to kill the siblings for the pendants? Couldn't he simply ask them?
Razor fist, where is his light-saber-wannabe stored when not active? It's longer than the whole arm.
Why is Katy always there? She just screams: nothing worth here, I'm just here for the exposition dump and as comic relief. As soon as we see here looking at the bow, it was obvious that she'll save the protagonists from the evil of the day, note, after 1 or 2 training shots just a few hours before.
Nothing in this movie is original or new. Everything is exactly by the book which makes the movie bland, boring, and uninteresting. Lot of fight scenes without any consequences, lot of fan service (Wong, Abomination, "Mandarin", mentioning the Snap) and so much talking nonsense.
Okay, so the people in the hidden village protected by a magic forest protect a magic gate and it seems like a paradise. But then they kill the mother in front of her children because she married an "unworthy" man? How does that make sense?
I can't see any other movie about father or mother issues and origin stories, I don't care anymore.
Great- until Ben Kingsley appears! like Dick Van Dyke's Bert the chimney sweep, in Mary Poppins, there for stupid comedy effect, it became less Marvel, more Disney with silly creatures to appeal to kids. Surprised they didn't burst into a typical Disney nonsense song as they burst through the jungle! Was it Supercalifragalisticexpiallidocious? no, but it was ok in parts. The action sequences were probably to violent for young kids, so drop the cute, kids stuff. iIf they make another, stick to the Marvel style, don't pander to the Disney overlords and it could be very good all round!
I have to say that this was a surprisingly good movie. I say surprisingly because Marvel (or DC for that matter) have not exactly excelled in making even decent movies for quite some time. That the woke “critics” on Rotten Tomatoes gave it high ratings was a bit of a red flag as well but not only was the movie rather free from woke ramblings and preaching but it was a very fun and entertaining movie to watch.
The movie starts off in a somewhat bizarre way with Shang-Chi and his girlfriend swiping a car from a valet parking and going for a joy ride. It turns out that they are telling their story to a couple of friends and that is pretty much how this movie is told.
It begins more or less right away with some nice action and it continues that away with plenty of action sequences intermixed with story telling. The action and martial arts is really good in my opinion. They are in stark contrast to the mediocre rubbish we were treated to in Snake Eyes. The latter which was quite a disappointment.
This movie relies heavily on fantasy elements with tie ins to Doctor Strange, especially towards the end. Another movie that I liked a lot by the way. Thus there are of course plenty of special effects and CGI. Most of them good or very good. I really liked the beautiful world of Ta Lo. The combat scenes, especially when the rings are in action are both cool and beautiful.
There are quite a lot of comical relief in the movie as well and, for once, it is not to silly, outrageous or plain stupid. It contributes well to the enjoyment factor of the movie. The washed out actor is a bit on the limit but otherwise it works well with the rest of the movie. That guy on the bus starting to film and make commentaries was quite hilarious for instance.
The story? Well it is a Marvel special effects movie so one should not expect too much but the story is not bad. It mostly holds together and works well enough to tie all the action together. The acting is pretty much the same thing. One should not expect too much but it is good enough. It was nice to see Michelle Yeoh as Ying Nan though. She was one of the few cool characters in Discovery and she does know how to act.
Overall I very much enjoyed this movie. It is a simple super hero and fantasy adventure story with lots of action and special effects and with the single purpose of entertaining the audience that doesn’t fall in the trap of trying to “educate” said audience.
After the bad deception called black widow Marvel came back with an amazing movie! Can't wait to see how this story will fit into the MCU
IMHO….Absolutely brilliant, thoroughly enjoyable movie! The special effects, fight choreography & camera work amazing. Stella cast and compelling storyline.
I agree that Awkwafina was her usual amazing self but her character good have had better comical moments, and Ben Kingsley brought on a belly laugh on occasion.
I hope the ending means a second instalment.
Feels more like a fun superbowl commercial for nachos rather than a fleshed out serious movie.
The assassins attack only with karate, no guns. They only use weapons from medieval times, but for some reason they also have modern fancy micro bombs when convenient.
Even when the assassin army is planning to attack an entire city, the invention of guns is never thought of. The people they are attacking wouldn't have them anyway, so it's better to use karate with swords or a stick.
A man who was raised and trained with extreme Chinese discipline from an early age to be an assassin, easily shirks off responsibility to go out clubbing and sing karaoke.
I was interested to find out what the ten rings were all about. There were ten of them! Why? What did they all do? Turned out Thor. He has Thor's exact powers. The fight scenes were modern Marvel. Everyone was super strong and pulled off literally unbelievable timing and maneuvering so that every punch and kick was meaningless to the point that I was checking the time, wondering when battles would be be over.
Everyone's taking about Awkwafina, who was fine. We needed more Ben Kingsleys. I get fed up when everyone's making a turn, finding out that, "Oh, actually I was like that, but now I'm like this. I never knew I'm a great fighter and I'm super in my own way and will contribute to the final fight in a significant way." It was refreshing to see Ben Kingsley's character start out as a coward and stay that way because he's human.
The movie is certified fresh! The action sequences are lovely and the story is very well told. Highly recommended!
I think my husband summed it up best. It was a great movie, but the problem is we're all jonesing for the tie ins and broader implications to the MCU, and in that regard it was only okay. I enjoyed it, the representation was stunning and the themes and respect to Asian cultures were amazing while still being true to the MCU.
But overall, I wasn't blown away. Far far from bad, and worth your time watching. But not one of Marvels best.
just give it a try for god's sake! The film resonated a lot with me and I loved it so much. I didn't find anything bad about pacing, script and actor choice. I think the film already achieved what it intended to.
Loving all this Liverpool FC propaganda. Officially the biggest football club in the MCU! #YNWA
A really amazing movie. Great and epic story that has also its fun times. Awesome characters and a beautiful soundtrack makes this an essential addition to the MCU.
One of the best solo films in the MCU.
Leave it to Marvel (and great acting, AND great sfx) to make The Never Ending Story's, "Wish Dragon," and Kung Fu Hustle's, "The Buddhist Palm," come together and save the freaking world!
I'm def feelin' it! (YMMV, but that's the dif between experiencing it as a "nine out of ten" vs. a four, not that there's anything wrong wit dat)
For the most part, a really good film. The action was great, the actors were superb (especially loved Awakafina), and it ended in a way that opens up an intriguing new chapter in the MCU. Downsides? Well, the pacing was off in some parts and it ended in typical Marvel fashion with a CGI heavy battle scene. However, the good definitely outweighs the flaws and as a whole, this is an enjoyable movie. Ties into one of the Marvel One Shots, so be sure to check out one in particular before watching (you will know which if you have already read spoilers).
Didn't enjoy this film on release. Currently working my way through a Marvel marathon, and thought a second viewing might alter my opinion.
It didn't. Definitely one of the weakest MCU entries.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is an origin story for the titular character. The film boasts visually stunning settings and action sequences, as well as an effective score by Joel P. West. The cast, led by Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, is strong and delivers great performances, with Awkwafina as Katy and Tony Leung as Wenwu standing out. The story is unique in comparison to other Marvel films and explores Asian culture and representation in a meaningful way. However, the film does suffer from a slight lull in the second act and a slightly overblown finale. Additionally, while the humor is well-placed and not always at the expense of drama, the references to the larger MCU are subtle. Overall, Shang-Chi surpasses expectations and is a welcome addition to the MCU, providing a positive Asian superhero role model for viewers to relate to.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings es la última incorporación al Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) y es una historia de origen para el personaje principal. La película cuenta con escenarios y secuencias de acción visualmente deslumbrantes, así como con una banda sonora efectiva de Joel P. West. El elenco, encabezado por Simu Liu como Shang-Chi, es fuerte y ofrece grandes actuaciones, destacando Awkwafina como Katy y Tony Leung como Wenwu. La historia es única en comparación con otras películas de Marvel y explora la cultura y la representación asiática de manera significativa. Sin embargo, la película sufre una ligera pausa en el segundo acto y un final un poco exagerado. Además, si bien el humor está bien ubicado y no siempre a expensas del drama, las referencias al MCU más grande son sutiles. En general, Shang-Chi supera las expectativas y es una adición bienvenida a la MCU, que proporciona un modelo a seguir de superhéroe asiático positivo para que los espectadores se identifiquen.
one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and definitely the worst of Marvel.. much more of a DC kind. Poor history, acting.. very disappointed!
Arguably it's Kung Fu with way better special effects. Equally arguably, it's Marvel wizardy with a nice vein of humour. Far from the best Marvel movie ever, but still better than the rubbish that the Distinguished Competition puts out.
Sucking Chinas dick at its finest
I'm kinda getting bored with MCU movies being almost shot exclusively on green screen using CGI for everything else. This was definitively too much. Story pacing is also a bit bumpy.
Really enjoyed the post(or mid?)-credit scene, though.
First half of the movie was pretty great, second half was kinda mid
que filmeeee !!!! mano :fearful::scream:
A solid 6, enjoyed it more than I would've thought
The mid-credits was the best part of the film
Actually, i was invited to see this movie at theathers, and i didnt knew it was a marvel production, and it didnt felt like one, except some parts, it was pure fantasy, very enjoyable, something... different
I really enjoyed this movie! It was very exciting. I loved the friendship between Shang-chi and awkqafina. I hadn’t seen a good movie in theaters in a long time and this broke the streak.
A decent lead and some strong supporting actors almost save this one despite its paper-thin plot, but not quite. Adding to the problem is a major info dump in the second act, and that heavy-handed exposition really hurts the pacing at that point. But seriously, you're paying for about 15 minutes' worth of story here, and Marvel seems to be getting really good at this sort of thing. $ave it for the $equel, right?
I know Ben Kingsley is a fantastic actor/thespian but for god sake sort your "Scouse" accent out mate, it's horrendous :joy::joy::joy:
Otherwise a very enjoyable watch not much of a storyline but it's a 7
Poor quality stop and go
a win for martial arts movies in America. a loss for martial arts movies in america
Marvel gets mystical in this mashup of the plucky, familiar MCU character and the more stoic, legend-heavy air of wuxia films. It's a fresh mix, effectively breaking the gravity of its more serious moments with a well-timed jape while lending credence and lore to a lesser-known corner of the comic kingdom, but these crossover moments sometimes test their limits. I could see more grounded viewers being turned off by the dragons and soul-sucking demons (far cry from the feasible reality of the first Iron Man, that) while serious fans of Chinese fantasy are bucked by the constant injection of loose wit and slappy one-liners.
When it's rolling, Shang Chi does manage to toe that line and deliver something appropriately new and versatile, a good reflection of both worlds. It benefits from a tight pair of central performances (Simu Liu and Awkwafina as a team of underachieving twenty-somethings) and several big, powerful action sets (the articulated bus fight might be one of the best combat scenes Marvel's ever put out) while tying in a dangling thread or two from earlier films to provide a sense of greater connection. On several occasions, however, it's guilty of being too self-indulgent and losing the narrative. It's great to see Ben Kingsley again, adding nuance to his part in Iron Man 3, but his scenes are the main offender here; excessive and distracting and way too cute.
The action is strong, the dialogue (mostly) works, the scenery looks great, but in the big picture, Shang Chi feels small-scale and disposable. Non-completionists won't miss anything crucial if they choose to skip it.
Xu Xialing is so underrated! She's really good in those fight scenes! I really enjoyed this film. So excited to follow the MCU!
After watching the trailer I thought it was one of those action movies with a boring plot. But I'm glad I was wrong. I don't remember enjoying any Kung-Fu movie (with super powers) lately except for this one. Marvel didn't market it properly. The cast was also very good.
This was almost a near perfect Marvel movie, because it was almost a fine standalone flick, but they had to try to shoehorn in connections to the other MCU properties, which was frustrating, namely the Ben Kingsley faux-Mandarin given a bit too much screen time. Outside of that, and the obligatory CGI mess of a climax, this was so damn fun. I loved that it was a martial arts film with some superhero elements tossed in. The fights were awesome (especially the bus scene) and the casting was superb. Simu Liu, Meng'er Zhang, and Awkwafina made their characters come alive. If you're getting exhausted with Marvel flicks, this is a welcome respite that gives us something fresh.
Movie has its moment, but most of it was incredibly boring continuing the MCU movies downtrend.
As much as I've enjoyed the new shows I dread the new movies.
Omg, I’m amazed by this movie. I didn’t even know the story behind this character but I really liked it. After all the movie and series and stuff they produce, they definitely still know how to create fantastic content. Black Panther was brilliant, the best movie in all the MCU in my opinion, and I have to say that with this I felt the same way I did for black panther at the time. Incredible.
I can't see any reason for an adult to watch this movie. I wish I could have the time back this movie took from me. That being said, little kids might enjoy this.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’:
Starting with the good: I thought this was one of the most visually beautiful Marvel films. Just so much fun to look at. It makes me wanna travel to China. The martial art scenes were top notch. And I obviously loved the characters. We cared about them. And I think Simu Liu is a fantastic leading man.
One of my biggest criticisms through much of the film was that the rings were not explained, even a little. What were they exactly? Where did they come from? And what the heck do they actually do? Obviously I felt better about this after watching the post-credit scene.
But I think the lack of explanation for the rings, at least what the power was, did a disservice to the story. For example, I found the finale to be a little anticlimactic. What exactly did Shang-Chi do to kill the big bad soul-sucker? I saw a lot of magic going on, and some spinning, lots of water and light… but I hate when magic happens for magic sake, if that makes sense. I wanna know what I’m seeing. Not just, “Woohoo! He killed the bad guy!” I wanna know what our hero was harnessing. What he went through. In the end, he just got the job done because of the rings. I was hoping for a little more.
Bonus Thought: The dude with the one arm can get it. :pound_symbol:sorrynotsorry
Pretty good BMW iX3 advert
I believe it will be better if change the name of Wenwu and the rings.
Hits the best of Kung Fu movies, comic books, AND fantasy sci Fi. What more could you ask for? Admittedly, I loved old Kung Fu movies, so I might be biased. But if you know anything about old Chinese folklore, on top of it, you'll love this
Don't forget to stay for the end of credits last scene.
What a visual treat. Loved it
Chinese beliefs, marvellously done! What a film to watch! Try finding Kung Fu Hustle poster, and you’ll know why it’s so cool!
It was not bad, compared to Black widow this was a masterpiece. But it just felt like when you see a painting, painted by numbers. It can look fine, but it has no soul, no creativity. The story was nothing new, the characters were not new. It's like watching a movie you have seen many times before, just with new actors. How many times can you have some ancient evil that was closed away released, and the main character has to fight it. They always mention a better story, as a legend, and then show something worse. Why can't we see that? Where it all started.
But I think this movie deserves an award. Award for the most pointless character in a Marvel movie. The character of Katy felt so pointless, that even the movie forgot about her for most of it.
Very solid first hour, second hour gets a little too drawn out.
The scene on the bus and the guy filming it was hilarious.
It's not Black Panther levels of enjoyment. The CG looks a little shoddy at times. The humour is good though. The martial arts works most of the time. Decent enough story.
Solid. Better than Black Widow and felt more of a planned film than that.
7.5/10
Succeeds in expanding the Marvel macrocosm while being accessible to mainstream audience. Tony Leung carries the movie with otherwise bland leads and humor that often doesn't land well. Did a decent job in blending both the cultures and the action choreography was decent enough to keep me hooked.
Overhyped garbage. Reading all these 10 score reviews makes it seem like they all were written in China. I'm a fan of Marvel movies in general, but this was one of the worst. The awful dialogue, the forced humor, the silly plot, unrealistic fight scenes, long boring periods with nothing happening, bad music, cheesy CGI, etc... This should not have been made into a movie. Blah!
Black Widow wasnt good and this one is even worse. What a disappointing start for new MCU phase.
Amazing story and special effects
THOSE FIGHT SCENES ARE WORLD CLASS, AMAZING!
Disappointing. It's most definitely the "Iron Fist" of the MCU movies.
to all my white friends: yes, all asians can do martial art just like in this film
A super hero flick in a fat suit, it's amusing but isn't at big as it tries to look.
This would've been a 9 if not for Awkwafina. It's not that she was terrible...anyone like her would've brought it down. Human or CGI, I prefer my movies without a Jar Jar Binks equivalent. Making it rated R would've earned the final point from me.
God, finally, i was starting to think I didn’t like super hero stuff anymore. TONY LEUNG I WANT YOUR CHILDREN.
what an amazing movie! the characters were great (Simu Liu was made for this role), the fight choreography and the costume design were exquisite and the stories so compelling. the movie didn't not miss a beat and the timing and the humour were good. I'm glad that Marvel is stepping away from their formulic way of storytelling for their solo movies. can't wait to see more of Shang-Chi in the MCU!
This film has THE BEST choreography in not just the mcu, but in the entirety of marvels films.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn't entirely free of Marvel's familiar formula, but this exciting origin story expands the MCU in more ways than one.
Shang-Chi covers new cultural ground for the MCU without losing any of the action, comedy, and emotion Marvel's movies are known for.
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.
Marvel is losing their magic touch with solo character films. I thought the first quarter was great, and consistently lost itself from there. They should take a break before running their reputation.
This movie is a solo movie done well. It's not overwhelmed by self-importance or by overarching Marvel themes. It gives you time to get to know the new characters. And while it does connect to the overall Marvelverse, it doesn't drown out the small story it's building. And while parts of the story were really rather cheesy, that is somewhat expected, and completely irrelevant because the amazing fight scenes more than makeup for it. I loved the variation in fighting styles. Sometimes it was faster than sight and other times slow and controlled. Overall, it was well done and worth the watch.
take a shot for every bmw logo you see
Now that was a film that was mixed with quality action, effects, comedy and cast and defo up there with other mcu films like end game and I had a lot of fun watching it, yeah it had It's slow parts but the action wins over it and kept me hooked start to finish, some great work from Destin Daniel Cretton. I loved Ben Kingsley role, please put him in more mcu films he defo brought the comedy, his role, Michael Peña's role in Ant Man and Taika Waititi as korg in a film together would be gold because they've all brought most of the comedy for the mcu franchise along with many more.
My son, you can't run from your past.
While there are some not-so-great jokes and a few green screen issues, it is redeemed by the fighting choreography, the family emotion, Tony Leung's great acting, and the beautiful third act. Without spoiling anything, it feels like I am watching a Square Enix game come to life. You would never guess it was a Marvel movie without cameos and after credit scenes.
Shang-Chi is a top-tier Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. I will let the dust settle before giving it too many flowers too early but here goes... (spoiler-free)
My entire family enjoyed it. My teenage daughter cried, but she cries at everything lol. Can't wait to see it again!
On the whole it was fairly good and I enjoyed it. Not as good as most Marvel movies I'd put it in the lower tier but better than Black Widow for sure.
Big downer, Awkwafina....Just like Raya and the Last Dragon I just cannot stand her voice it's like nails on a chalkboard to me..
Marvel's Shang Chi & The 10 Rings Is Another Marvel Hit On Their Hands That Surpassed My Expectations And I Can't Wait For Their Next Phase Of Marvel & The Development Of Shang Chi
The Trajectory Of Your Life Will Be Nothing Like You Knew Before - This Statemwnt Truly Describes This Movie Perfectly - Shang Chi Is Truly A Complex Character With A Painful Journey That Brings Out The Fightet In Him To Accept This Pain & Face His Father - And The Funny Moments Hit The Target While Action Is Going
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Meets Marvel - An Amazing Story With Epic Action - Can't Reccomed The Movie Enough & Stay For The Two Post Credir Scenes
this is by far one of the best marvel films I’ve seen in a hot second (I’m lookin at you black widow). the martial arts choreography is just :asterisk_symbol:chefs kiss:asterisk_symbol: especially when it comes to the air-bending choreo. just gorgeous. awkwafina gave a much better performance than I expected, which is always a nice feeling, especially in conjunction with simu liu. I also thoroughly appreciated the opposing forces between fala chen and tony leung as the parents and how dynamic leung’s villain became.
overall a super, super solid film by marvel (that I would not mind being separate from the mcu :D)
Honestly, on all levels this movie excels! The casting is perfect. The world building is creative, beautiful and faithful to its Asian roots. The CGI and location shoots are breathtaking. The fighting is the best I’ve ever seen and even the training ground sequences have an exquisite grace. The action was balanced by heart. I was concerned Awkwafina would take the humour to campy lows but she truly showed she has some serious dramatic chops. She was not the comic relief! They gave that honour to the Shakespearean stage giant, Ben Kingsley, Our own, homegrown :flag_ca: Simu Liu was perfect for the part and his performance was world class. I could go on raving but I’ll conclude my feedback by saying that this is in every way as powerful a MCU solo representation of Asian culture as BLACK PANTHER was for African culture. I gathered some feedback as I left the theatre, and got ratings of 7.5 (felt it needed more MCU content), 8 (saw many of the things I have just commented on). I’ve read the criticism that the storytelling was choppy, but I didn’t find it so. For me it was more like chapters in a book, completely working together to create a world of content and design. Upon leaving the cinema, I was going to give the movie a 9 (superb) out of 10, but after reflecting on it, I don’t know what they could have done to make it better, so, I give this film a 10 (perfect) out of 10. [Superhero Action Adventure]
Well, I would have had more fun, I think, if I was aged between 6 and 25 years. Waaaay too many corny jokes & stupid, added plot lines just to progress the story along - yawn. The "tell it to me like I'm 5 years old" type of story telling - this happens for the first 20 minutes or so. Then you have to add in the scenes that make your eyes roll and the bad jokes that make you want to cringe at times, hard! All forced comedy.
Light at the end of the tunnel...maybe, but nope. When it gets a little bit better going, it's enjoyable, I settled in for some fun Marvel action but soon after, here comes the kid gloves, the really annoying Asian sidekick/girlfriend Aquafina something and oh, wait, not a single sign of blood or broken body parts nor any convincing deaths shown given the type of power being dealt out. At times it felt like a Disney action movie for pre-schoolers I'd say.
It has its pluses with the Excellent karate and stunts, CGI too.
But man, this was not made for anyone to really enjoy a fine, 'take me away into fantasy', not if you are over 30+ years imo. Or only if you are perhaps a huge comic nerd and man-baby.
Fair rating from me, but I'd Not watch again unless I'm about 75 years old and infantile again.
Theme- 9/10
Rewatchibility- 9/10
Acting- 8.5/10
Kinematography- 10/10
Time- 8.5/10
Total - 45/5 = 9
A super solid movie entirely on its own. Granted, the third act is very MCU formulaic, the movie provides a unique look and style that hasn't been present thus far in the MCU. Made me crave for more martial arts action, perhaps some Bruce Lee or CT/HD will satiate that. Can't wait to see what's next for Shang-Chi.
For a character I hadn’t even heard about prior to the announcement of this movie (and I feel I’m far from alone here), Marvel Studios did incredibly well at introducing Shang-Chi’s background and origin story.
I thoroughly loved the fight scenes - they were choreographed wonderfully (especially the bus scene). The CGI was somewhat impressive too, with some utterly stunning scenic views.
Katy (who has my new favourite voice ever since seeing Raya & the Last Dragon) is possibly one of the funnest, funniest and brilliant sidekicks known to the MCU. Whilst in the grand scheme of saving worlds, she’s a fair bit useless, I will happily have her along for the ride.
With Bruce looking a bit grey, having a broken arm and being incredibly, well, human… this makes me think that we may we be viewing this from a different universe. I noticed a distinct lack of Doctor Strange. And Abomination was pally with Wong!? All things that don’t quite add up yet. That said, The Blip was still referenced a number of times. I suppose we will have to see what happens in the next Marvel Studios instalments.
Really looking forward to watching this series, if they follow the comic book story, it will amazing.
why was the white man my favorite character? is that white supremacy?
that was a joke obv my favorite character was xialing my edgy lesbian badass.
I went in with kind of low expectations, but still hopeful after seeing a lot of positive reviews. However, I surprisingly really enjoyed this movie! I thought it was going to be a cheesy movie that touched on cheesy Chinese/Asian-American subjects, and in some ways it did, but it did not feel super cringey to me at all. I felt like it had everything -- family drama, great action/fighting scenes, cool CGI, training montage, martial arts, Chinese, a smattering of familiar Marvel characters, car chase, and humor. I also really liked how much Chinese language was integrated into the movie in a natural way, unlike the Mulan live action movie, which felt so weird to have all the characters to be speaking English the entire time. One issue I had is that some of the themes felt unresolved by the end of the movie (I would have liked to see what happened with the father, instead of them just leaving him dead on the side of cliff lol). I also felt like Simu Liu had like, an NPC expression for most of the movie lmfao I could NOT tell what kind of feelings he was trying to convey in his face. However, I felt like the supporting cast (especially Tony Leung) totally killed it. Someone I know pointed out that the movie was written and directed by two people who are Wasian (white on their fathers' sides), which is a bit questionable because this movie is about Asian father/son relationships so that is also a bit questionable lol. Also, the director said in an interview that he only called on his own Asian-American experiences because those felt more authentic to him and didn't consider other Asian-American perspectives which is.. pretty bad imo lollll. Regardless, I still really enjoyed the movie (honestly probably one of my top Marvel movies as of right now) but I'm glad that I'm aware of these other aspects of the movie's production.
Both exciting and occasionally pretty funny, something I can’t say about Black Widow. Which didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
The bus fight made me think of Jackie Chan which is a good thing since his fights were always fun. When this film starts to turn into a fantasy with mystical creatures it got a little silly but was still entertaining.
Besides if there can be aliens, talking raccoons, wizards and gods. Marvel can introduce anything else they want to.
Very promising first hour but my enthusiasm ended with the father's blindness and the arising conflict. That was just too cheaply done and way too simple. Likewise was the asian theme with mythical creatures/dragons too much and too simplistic.
The fighting scenes weren't balanced at all. Some excellent close combat scenes and some over the top magical effects are mixed with absurd phases of hesitancy, lucky shots etc.
Anyways, great characters with lots of potential. More please.
real good movie if you like fantasy
The bus scene was so cheesy.:rofl: For an MCU movie, it wasn't that good. For a martial arts movie, it's decent.
THIS MOVIE WAS THE GIFT THAT KEPT ON GIVING. WOW...HOLLYy...WOW,WOW
THIS MOVIE IS SUPER FRICKING AWESOME AMAZING FANTASTIC AND THEN SOME.
AND A HELLA LOT OF FUN
I THOUGHT ETERNALS WAS A
SIGHT TO BEHOLD AS VISUALLY STUNNING
AS IT IS BUT THIS WAS SOMETHING ELSE
ENTIRELY.
UNLIKE THE ETERNALS WHICH TOOK
ME A WHILE TO WARM TO THEM
AND THEIR GOING-ON'S
I WAS IMMEDIATELY INVESTED WITH SHANG-CHI. THE STORY WAS FANTASTIC AND NOT OVERLY COMPLICATED, THE CHARACTERS ALL PLAYED THEIR PARTS VERY WELL, LOVED THE CAMEOS AND THE ACTION AND THOSE FIGHT SCENES WERE OUT OF THIS WORLD, CRAZY, INSANE CHOREOGRAPHY LIKE THE BEST IN THE MCU TO DATE, MADE CAP AND WINTER SOLDIER ONE'S LOOK LIKE THEY WERE SLEEPING ON THE JOB WITH THERE HAND TO HAND STUFF AND I LOVED THEIR'S, BUT THIS
HAND TO HAND STUFF IN SHANG-CHI WAS ON ANOTHER LEVEL COMPLETELY
LIKE EPIC LEVEL, JUST LIKE THE MOVIE
ITSELF WAS.
THE RAID 1,2 WHICH ARE TOTALLY AWESOME
AND EPIC ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST MARTIAL ARTS MOVIES I HAVE EVER HAD THE HONOUR TO SEE PERIOD. SHANG-CHI IS ON THAT
KINDA LEVEL-
JAW DROPPING, EYE POPPING
MIND BLOWING
MARTIAL ARTS LEVEL. WHICH IS CRAZY INSANE FOR
THE 25th ENTRY INTO THE MCU.
SHANG-CHI HAD EVERYTHING AND I MEAN EVERYTHING AND THEM 10 RINGS AND THEIR POWER LEVELS ARE INSANE LIKE CRAZY INSANE AND I FRICKIN LOVE THEM, THOR WOULD BE PROUD FOR THE POWER LEVELS THEY OPERATE AT. THEY OPERATE ON A HOLE OTHER LEVEL
AND THEY ARE SO
BLOODY INTERESTING,
I WAS IN AWE JUST WATCHING THEM AT WORK.
AND THAT AT THE END WITH THEM 10 AND
WHAT HE DID WITH THEM TOTALLY BLOW
MY FRICKIN MIND in a awesome way.
I was like did I really just see how you can use them like that, Holy....shit that's cool....COOL.
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE SHANG-CHI FIGHT AS AN AVENGER WE NEED A BIG HEAVY GUN LIKE HIM FOR THE COMING NIGHTMARES, YES PEOPLE HAVE KNOCKED HIM BECAUSE HE DOES NOT HAVE THE CHARISMATIC CHARISMA OF ANTHONY,CAP,SCOTT, THOR,SAM,PETER AND MANY MANY OTHER'S IN THE MCU BUT THAT'S BECAUSE MOSTLY HE'S JUST CHILLED AND AT PEACE
HE'S NOT GOT A 1000 n 1 PROBLEMS GOING OFF
THE GUY IS AS CALM AS A COMA MOSTLY, BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY I HOPE HE SHOWS US OTHER SIDES IN FUTURE MCU OUTINGS NOW HE HAS BROKEN THE ICE WITH US.
FINALLY I THOUGHT NOTHING COULD BE MORE VISUALLY STUNNING THAN ETERNALS
WITH ALL IT'S GLOBE TROTTING
BUT
SHANG-CHI IS TRULY A SPECTACLE & MORE,
IT'S PULLING VISUALS OFF I'VE NEVER SEEN DONE IN ANY OTHER MOVIE BEFORE,
INSIDE ARE OUTSIDE THE MCU.
JUST LIKE ETERNALS SHANG-CHI IS A VERY WELCOME ADDITION TO THE MCU & I ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE LOTS MORE OF BOTH THROUGH OUT THE MCU,
will they ever meet....
Even team up along with
Dr Strange...wow now their's a thought.
WELL FOR NOW I'LL BE MORE THAN
HAPPY TO SEE
"SHANG-CHI 2
AND THE WRECKAGE OF TIME"
IN 2025 "CONFIRMED".
Just like his 10 rings
I GIVE SHANG-CHI
10/10
I Need to see more of these 10 ring's kicking ass because they are a force to be reckon with,
Like Thor's Stormbreaker power level, which is crazy. wow...wow. yes please
I'll have some more of that.
Oh Them Ten Ring's are definitely sending a signal for the Eternals to pick up and
Ms Marvels bangle
and god knows what else.
Here we go, Here....we.....go.
Wow. Its a shocker. One of the best recent movies marvel has made. Genuinely shocked at how much I enjoyed this. From the silly jokes to the reckless action, I loved all of it.
Shout by Fr3d1BlockedParent2021-11-13T11:31:28Z
Phase 4 of the UCM starts with big problems.
So categorical. But for a diehard Marvel fan I can afford it. If the first installment was already a Black Widow that left us the same watching it as not, now we get Shang-Chi that doesn't seem like a film from the same universe.
And if it had starred Jackie Chan and had been called The Forbidden Kingdom, the sensation would have been the same. A film with a plot that can be summed up in two lines and that is forced to fill in the gaps with fights and choreographies aimed exclusively at the Wuxia fan audience.
The characters are flat, boring, they don't make you feel related to them in any way. The villain? A disappointment, an attempt not to make him really terrible so as not to hurt the sensibilities of the Chinese audience. Where is the Mandarin of the comic book? Why have the mighty ten rings now become just a blunt weapon that allows you to fly and swing like Spider-Man?
The only noteworthy feature is Ta Lo's creature design, true to Asian mythology.