This really shouldn’t have worked.
A Marvel movie based on a little-known character focusing on martial arts and mysticism where the most bankable star onscreen is named Awkwafina. Who would’ve thought that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings would end up being one of the best entries in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe in a saga that includes “The Avengers,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Avengers: Endgame?” And yet, director Destin Daniel Cretton of “Just Mercy” fame and star Simu Liu, among others, pull off the greatest surprise of the year, which sounds strange given that this is part of the world’s biggest franchise, but no less earned.
Liu plays our title hero, who comes from the Ten Rings organization- sound familiar?- raised by his father, Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung), who has used the Ten Rings to not only live for centuries, but rise to power with an army of martial artists. Wenwu wants his son back by any means necessary, including sending a gang to hunt him down on a moving bus- think the bus fight from “Nobody,” but ten times better.
What follows is not just a great movie by any standard, but pure white knuckle cinema with sweeping camera work and the best fight sequences this side of a “Mission: Impossible” movie. You’ll be glued to your seat and wide-eyed at the spectacle of action set pieces presented here. No fight sequence is like the one before it and each battle is filmed in such a way that it feels like the audience is riding a roller coaster, trying to keep up with the action, but being met by the director at every turn. Even in relatively simple scenes, the cinematography is painterly and chock full of fodder for the One Perfect Shot Twitter account. You feel like you’re watching a Hong Kong martial arts epic made by a master, only it’s a mega-budget superhero movie.
But that’s far from all that’s great about this film. Not only does the film feature an entirely Asian-American cast, but like “Black Panther” before it, it educates a casual audience about that culture. It’s clear great care was taken by the filmmakers to not only dive deep into the lore of martial arts and avoid stereotypes about the Asian experience, but do all of that through the framework of relatable characters and a strong story about a shattered family. Shang-Chi is trying to run away from the dark upbringing he had, but the lesson he learns over the film is that he cannot hide who he is, he must fight it head-on, figuratively and literally.
That comes in the form of Wenwu, who continues Marvel’s trend of complex, three-dimensional villains. Like Erik Killmonger or Adrian Toomes, he is set up as a menacing threat, only for the filmmakers to pull a fast one on the seasoned viewers and show a more understanding side to the villain. But what makes this unique is that Cretton and Leung walk the very delicate line between a sympathetic bad guy and a, well, bad guy who does terrible things. Wenwu is a complex character and the film leaves it up to the viewers to decide whether his actions are reprehensible or forgivable.
Even with the heavy family drama presented here, this is shockingly one of the funniest Marvel movies, mostly coming from Awkwafina, whose character is sure to become a fan favorite. Pretty much everything you could possibly want in a movie- not just a Marvel movie, but a MOVIE- is laid out on this feast for the senses. There was a huge roar of applause from my theater when the credits rolled, a phenomenon I’ve rarely seen outside of maybe a “Star Wars” film. That’s why it’s incredibly important that this be experienced in the theater with a sold-out crowd. The energy in my screening was electric and one I won’t forget anytime soon.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an absolute miracle of cinema and a pure crowd-pleaser in every sense of the word. It’s almost beyond comprehension how good it is and it must be experienced by pretty much anyone. It’s not just one of the best Marvel movies, it could come for Best Picture at next year’s Oscars.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now playing in theaters.
