Going into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, to be honest, I had low expectations. The movie had the lowest marketing budget of any Marvel movie ever, and seeing as this was a character I had never heard of prior, I had no idea what they were going to do with it. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the complex fight choreography, attention to cultural detail, and character development throughout the film. Was it Marvel’s best superhero origin story? No. But it was a welcome introduction for one of the next Avengers.
Shang-Chi follows a man named Sean (who later we find out is actually Shang-Chi,not a very big surprise based on the title of the movie) and what happens when his difficult past life begins to catch up with him. His life is the definition of family problems: a mother who tragically passed away, a father who trained him to be a ruthless killer, and a sister who hates his guts. He tries to live a peaceful life on his own, but eventually, he’s dragged back into the world he so desperately wanted to leave behind. It’s not the most original superhero movie plot, but it has some interesting aspects to it that I can really appreciate.
Sean’s best friend is a woman named Katy, who serves as the comic relief for the film. Although I honestly hated Awkwafina in Raya and the Last Dragon (read my previous review in The Stute), I didn’t mind her in this film. Some of her jokes were legitimately funny, and her character actually had some deep moments that helped the audience connect with her on a deeper level. However, there were a few points where the jokes lasted a bit too long or didn’t land quite right. I feel like they would’ve landed a lot better if they pulled it back and didn’t stretch as far for a laugh.
The best part of the film, in my opinion, were the fight scenes. The choreography was insane with dynamic sets and battles that seemed almost like a dance. They were riveting to watch and honestly carried the film when it got a bit slow. That being said, I think the final battle was a bit of an overkill. It seemed like it kept trying to top itself. (For example, having two dragons when honestly one dragon would’ve been just fine.) I get that they wanted to make it big, but at a certain point, it lost the excitement and just became a difficult-to-follow CGI mess. I feel like if they focused less on the graphics and more on the choreography like they did in the first half of the film, it would’ve read a lot better. It actually reminded me a lot of the finale of WandaVision. Marvel needs to rely on its characters and their personal developments more for the climax of their films instead of just trying to wow people with huge battles. Sure, fight scenes are a big part of any superhero movie. But those moments should be driven by emotional scenes — when they try to stand by themselves with no deeper meaning, it falls short.
Overall, I enjoyed Shang-Chi. I think it’s a solid stand-alone film and brought some interesting new people into the MCU. I’m hoping that as Marvel continues to expand the series, they take into consideration people’s criticisms and compliments to continue improving. Regardless, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Shang-Chi as the newest Avenger.
Spoiler Alert is an Opinion culture column used to give reviews for movies, television shows, or other related media.
Be First to Comment