“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings does suffer from a certain dose of corniness, but this film has it where it counts!”
I cried while watching Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Yes, I admit it. I wept twice. It’s safe to say, this movie’s story was good enough that what felt like the umpteenth time while watching an MCU installment lately tears flowed out of my eyes. And at the heart of the reason why I ended up crying while watching the MCU’s latest film was the incredibly complex and well-written relationship between Tony Leung’s Wenwu and Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi.
TONY LEUNG
Tony Leung is a force of acting nature. His gaze is hypnotic, his voice tender and commanding, his presence on the screen magnetic and honestly, he’s the best thing about the movie. (Sorry Simu. You’ve got some years ahead to become the next Captain America.)
Wenwu is an antagonist worth rooting for. Yes, his motivations veer toward the darker side but you can’t help empathizing with him. He was my favorite character in the movie and while that may be surprising, I love great villains.
Shang-Chi, on the other hand, does manage to hold his own as the (lead?) of the movie. He’s charming, can land a joke, earned the right to show his MCU-level physique, and solidify himself as a Marvel A-lister (you’re not a major MCU superhero until you have at least one shirt-off scene), and I absolutely can’t wait to see him again in the future films. Of course, it wasn’t just Shang-Chi and his father that commanded my attention (even though it was their dynamic that made up 75% of the film’s enjoyment for me.)
Awkwafina’s Katy was lovable and at least her involvement in the film made sense. Did I think she needed to be involved in the action of the climax? No, but it was cute nonetheless. Shang-Chi’s sister, Xialing, was an occasional scene-stealer. I loved her independence, her tenaciousness, and her constant awesomeness. The action sequence between Leung and Chen, beautiful as it was, was quite…stirring. Just…wow! And yes, the third act literally made my jaw drop on several occasions.
VERDICT
Unfortunately, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings does suffer from a certain dose of corniness in the film’s CGI-bomb final battle thanks to a lot of dramatic pauses and predictable outcomes, the CGI is, at times, iffy and maybe won’t look that great on the small screen, but this film has it where it counts and that’s the greatest thing.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is distributed by Marvel Studios and is playing in theatres around the world now!
Author
Hello everyone. My name is Annlyel James. I’m a young woman who loves movies of all genres (specifically ‘Star Wars’ and Marvel movies.) I am also a Senior Correspondent for The Future of the Force.
