Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings Review: Family and Action First

While it’s VERY easy to go and praise the Marvel Cinematic Universe for all its done, there have been missteps that are incredibly obvious when you look at how things unfolded. And ironically, two of those mistakes were finally corrected this year. Black Widow finally got her solo film (10 years too late…) and then you have Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, which brings us the first Asian-led superhero film (from both DC Comics and Marvel). And while it was another long overdue film, this one definitely stuck the landing more than Black Widow did.

I need start with something very specific in terms of spoilers. Because it’s a key one in case you’re reading this movie BEFORE watching the film (it’s your choice…but still…). As many have noted (including a legendary comic writer who did a very popular issue with the character), this is NOT the Shang-Chi from the comics. In fact…it’s not even close by a very large margin. Not unlike certain other MCU characters (Ultron, Valkyrie, Wanda/Quicksilver, Thanos), Shang-Chi is given a very MCU-style origin story, and many of the characters you see are either entirely new, or amalgamations of many characters from Marvel lore. This is very important going forward because while it doesn’t affect certain parts of the movie in terms of quality…is does do some damage in one key area later on.

At its heart, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is about one thing…family. Which may seem odd given that this is supposed to be a martial arts film, but if you look at many of those from history, family is a key element of them as well. It’s also something in the rebooted (and MUCH better cast than the original) Kung Fu series on the CW. And Shang-Chi shows this in the most unexpected way by going and focusing on his father and how he met his mother first, and then showing us Shang-Chi in the present.

And when we meet him, he is anything but a “hero waiting to be born”, he’s just a guy wanting to live his life and enjoying every moment he can. Especially when it comes to having fun with his best friend Katy. Simu Liu was definitely born to play Shang-Chi. He has a kindness and simplicity to things in regards to how he acts with Shang-Chi, and yet when things get wild, you can totally see that he’s the one doing the moves (and he definitely was, he proved his martial arts training many times over leading up to the movie). Which is a key difference from the OTHER attempt Marvel made in the martial arts market (*cough* Iron Fist *cough).

But when things take a turn, Shang-Chi finds himself in the presence of his father once again, and this is where the movie is at its best.

Xu Wenwu is an OC Marvel character (played epically by Tony Leung), as his story mixes two very stereotypical characters from Marvel lore (including “The Mandarin” of Iron Man fame) and brings forth a new story that is MUCH better than you are thinking. In many ways, he’s the MVP of the story because he’s a villain…and yet…he’s a relatable man with a very relatable wish…to have his family back in full.

It’s that simple twist that makes him special because unlike many villains from the MCU who have been driven by personal loss like with Kilmonger, this isn’t about “changing the world” or “making it better under their rule”, this is about family. He is a man in grief, and it’s driving him to do something very bad, and it’s up to his son to stop him from making that terrible mistake.

The dynamic between Wenwu and Shang-Chi is another highlight of the movie. Because you can tell that Shang-Chi does love his father, but he hates who he became when he didn’t take off the rings after his mother died. And he hates what Wenwu did to him in terms of pushing him to be a killing machine all just to get revenge for someone who wasn’t even around anymore. 

They have a lot of moments together and it absolutely builds up to a fun climax (with their particular storyline at least) that will remind you that it was family that came first in this film.

Except…for one character. Xu Xialing. We meet the sister of Shang-Chi in epic fashion, as she kicks Shang-Chi’s butt for everyone to see (it was brutal, but awesome!) and we see that there is clear animosity on her side of things because of how Shang-Chi abandoned her when they were kids. And that was a different dynamic for sure that the movie could’ve built on…but didn’t. In fact, she was just…there…for a good chunk of the movie and then had a somewhat key part in the final battle where the siblings “reconnected” over a single line. She deserved more.

As did Awkwafina’s Katy. Because on one hand, she is absolutely someone you would go and have fun with, do karaoke with, and more. But her story about her “not wanting to commit” to anything “out of fear” is very tacked-on, and then all of a sudden she was good enough to save the day? How does that work?

Michelle Yeoh’s Ying Nan came out better despite the limited screen time though, as she was the one who helped bring forth Shang-Chi’s true power and she really felt like family despite us only seeing her for a few precious scenes in the back half of the film.

The one character that absolutely stood out in the worst way though was…

…Trevor Slattery. Yep, he’s back…somehow… Because apparently instead of killing one of the biggest mistakes in Marvel Cinematic Universe history in the eyes of many fans…we’re going to reward him with even MORE scenes! Wow… I don’t like to bash films, I really don’t, but this is very much a “Marvel Move” to try and get laughs and it didn’t need to be there as it took away from the film as a whole.

Because when it came to the martial arts fights and many of the special effects? The movie was firing on all cylinders. My personal favorite fights were the ones with very little camera movement. Especially the opening sequence as we see the rise of Wenwu. Because even though he’s using the Ten Rings, you feel the motions of every strike without the camera darting away in several directions. Add that to the fight on the bus, Shang-Shi vs. Xialing, and the final fight with Wenwu and you get a lot of fun fights one on top of the other. They promised big moments and they really delivered.

Furthermore, they paid tribute to many martial arts films of the past with their ties to the “Mysticism” of martial arts and how one can do more if you open your mind to the possibilities. Another great fight was Wenwu vs. his wife, Ying. You don’t usually hear the term, “flirting while fighting”, but watch that fight and you’ll see it in action. Literally.

Now, I do have to say that there were some things (aside from character missteps in regards to the supporting cast) that did hold the film back in a big way. And ironically, two major missteps were in the final battle.

Because this movie as stated was about family, at its core…that’s the story. So imagine my heartbreak when the final battle between Shang-Chi and Wenwu is interrupted…by a soul-stealing Kaiju. One who kills Wenwu in just…terrible fashion. It wasn’t needed, at all. And yes, while a version of Ta Lo exists in the comics, it didn’t have a soul stealing dragon in it, and the way it was beaten (see: Katy perfectly shooting an arrow) was a bit of a letdown as well.

Finally, and arguably most importantly…are the Ten Rings. We get a VERY light explanation on what they are and some of what they can do, but the rest of their story is a mystery. Part of it is teased in regards to a future sequel (Wong was awesome, just saying), but there were a lot of “oh the rings can do that?” moments that aren’t explained at all, including how Shang-Chi and Ying Li could take the rings from Wenwu at all.

Just as important, in the comics, Shang-Chi never gets the Ten Rings. He learns at a school based off of them at one point, but he never possesses them. Here he gets them and uses them like a superpower. Which gets the attention of the Avengers, and that’s a bit sad. In the comics, he’s the “Master Of Kung-Fu” and was so good at it that he actually trained other Avengers and could be superhumans with just his skills, even making The Phoenix Force realize that he was too peaceful to be a good host for it. So for him to have it now…? It’s a very MCU move.

Still, these qualms aside, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings was a very fun movie and based on the latest box office reports, it’s VERY likely we’ll be getting a sequel. One I would most welcome.