Marvel’s most recent cinema release goes by the name of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” This story follows the story of our main character Shaun, or Shang-Chi, as he confronts his heritage and his past which he had previously ran from. We see what this means not only for himself and his family and friends, but also what it means for the world.
A bit of background on my personal perspective, I have seen very few superhero movies and very few Marvel movies at that. The extent of my Marvel movie viewings include “Thor,” “The Avengers,” “The New Mutants,” and this movie. The most superhero movies I have ever seen would probably be Larryboy movies (shout out to you if you know about VeggieTales). That being said, I’d like to think I give a good perspective for the casual viewer rather than the enthusiast.
I rated this movie about an 8/10. I’ve watched it twice. Most of the people I spoke with rated a similar score, which I think is very fitting! Although, some I know gave it a 10/10 (sorry, Jacob, it’s just not that perfect.)
The main thing I love about this movie is the characters. Simu Liu and Awkwafina are both stellar actors and sell their main duo roles in a spectacular manner. I think that every interaction these characters have are greatly written, from the largest to the smallest dynamics. There is solid development, and I just couldn’t help but connect with and feel for these characters! When a movie can get me to root for the main character, I believe the movie has done its job.
I think that the plot is fairly simple and easy to follow, but just complex enough to still keep you interested. There are a lot of concepts introduced within the movie about different places and powers that would be great for further expansion. Such as how the powers work or what life is like in those lands.
One of the greatest things about this movie is the comedy! I knew that just from seeing Awkwafina on screen that the movie was going to bolster some great comedy. That isn’t to say there aren’t other great comedic relief characters and scenes, but Awkwafina is an absolute gem of a character in this movie for her comedy.
My only main qualm with the movie is that the pacing does feel a bit awkward. The beginning is a pretty simple slice-of-life, with a relatively calm pace. However, there’s a rather large jump in the middle when the conflict begins where everything gets much more ramped up out of nowhere. Nothing really slows down until we reach the end. I would’ve enjoyed for the story to be a bit more drawn out and intricate. Although the pacing doesn’t really hinder the movie too much, it still does ever-so-slightly irk me.
Overall, this movie was very solid. I was able to understand and enjoy the plot relatively well, everything about the characters were absolutely amazing and it managed to get a strong emotional beat from me. If you’re a casual viewer, I think this is a movie worth seeing and enjoying at least once, if not twice.
