“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”: A step in the right direction

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” opens today in theaters with Marvel’s first Asian main character and one of the few original tapes within this Universe that really stands out from the rest.

If you’re still not convinced to see “Shang-Chi” in the movies, let me give you the reasons why you should do it, even though the tape has its flaws. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (“Just Mercy”) and written by Dave Callaham (“Mortal Kombat”), “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” comes with a refreshing new story that opens up a whole new world within the Marvel universe, as it warms up the movie seats for the upcoming movies that are to be released on the big screen.

The film follows “Shang-Chi”, played by the charismatic Simu Liu, a young man who pretends to live a normal life with his best friend “Katy” (Awkwafina) parking cars and singing karaoke in his spare time. That’s until their lives take a turn when some men start fighting with “Shang-Chi” inside a bus (scene that reminds me a lot of the movie “Speed” with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock). The scene gives the audience a look at the upcoming action sequences to come, where martial arts shine again on the big screen. It also presents part of a past life that our protagonist has been trying to hide and avoid at all costs. Now, while it’s true that this is one of the best action scenes, it also clearly marks one of the biggest issues in this installment: its script.

The time we spent with “Shang-Chi” since it first appeared on screen before immersing us in this life that has put so much effort into hiding, is very little. Excessive use of flashbacks takes time for the character to create an emotional connection with the audience enough to want to follow him on the journey he is about to embark on alongside “Katy”. Don’t get me wrong, the theme behind it all and the fun way they present it does create some sort of emotional bond, only it doesn’t do as much with the most important character in the film as it should have done. So much so that other characters like “Katy”, “Ying Nan” (Michelle Yeoh), “Xialing” (Meng’er Zhang), “Wenwu” (Tony Leung) and even “Trevor Slattery” (Ben Kingsley), they steal the spotlight, while Liu tries, with his incredible charm and agility, to find his way through his own film.

On a positive note, the delivery is not at all bad. Except for a few visual effects that fail, the rest of the tape is really nice and is a step in the right direction within the MCU despite its flaws. The choreography of the fights is impeccable, the casting is amazing and is what makes the story more fun than it appears to be in the first place. In addition, the film has two post-credits scenes that continue to prepare the future of this new phase with some surprise cameos and, of course, for “Shang-Chi”. A classic Marvel move that always leaves fans wanting more, and this installment is no exception.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” currently features solo cinemas.