Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: an exciting, magical entry into the MCU

SPOILER FREE

I knew from the minute I saw the first trailer for Shang-Chi that I was going to love it, and I wasn't wrong. It is, in my opinion, nothing like any of the other films in the MCU - it is something new and wholly exciting. It is also one of the most visually stunning MCU films to date, with beautiful cinematography by William Pope (who is also working on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). The fight scenes are so well coordinated, and bring a new style of combat to the MCU. The rings themselves are a really interesting source of power - I love the way they look and the abilities that they give the wearer. I'm really interested to see how they're utilised in the future.

As far as origin stories go, Shang-Chi is absolutely one of the better ones; the story is so compelling, and every character has enough nuance and relatability to make you care about them. The cast all play their roles beautifully, especially Meng'er Zhang who plays Xialing. This was her first film (!), but you would never know that with the strength of her performance. Tony Leung also puts in an amazing performance as Shang and Xialing's father, Wenwu, who is less of a villain and more of an extremely morally grey, misguided character. Wenwu - along with all of the other main characters - is a well-fleshed out and complex character whose motivations are understandable, but not agreeable.

There is a scene early in the film that catalogues the first time Wenwu met his future wife, Ying Li, and it is honestly one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen. It is so well shot and choreographed, and the chemistry between the two characters is palpable without them even exchanging words. It is a solid introduction to their respective abilities and the potential trajectories of their characters, all told through a mesmerising fight that almost resembles a dance in its beauty.

Shang-Chi also has a lot of heart and is, at points, very emotional, especially when dealing with Shang and Xialing's mother. Fala Chen played the role beautifully, and her character definitely formed the emotional core of the film. MCU films have a tendency to string you along with beautiful cinematography, engaging dialogue, and cool fight scenes, before sucker-punching you with a scene that is just drenched in emotion and is bound to make you cry. Other examples include the helicarrier scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the scenes in Melina's safehouse in Black Widow, and the flashback scenes in Wandavision. Shang-Chi does this exceptionally well, balancing delicate, emotional moments with badass fight choreo and magical, breathtaking worlds.

I implore you to go and see Shang-Chi, even if you know nothing about the MCU. It stands well on its own; my friend came to see it with me and had never seen a Marvel movie before, but still understood and followed it easily. There are some references that you won't understand if you're not at least familiar with the MCU, but that won't be to the detriment of your enjoyment. Shang-Chi is easily now in my top 5 MCU films, and possibly one of my favourite films I've ever seen. I know, I know, you're probably thinking: how can she say that after only seeing it once? It's just a feeling, okay? I was glued to the screen for the entire runtime; I laughed, I cried, I gasped and I cheered. It was just such an enjoyable experience. In a cinematic universe that has been severely lacking in non-white representation, Shang-Chi is a joyous, raucous celebration that will hopefully inspire generations.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how Shang-Chi fits into the future of the MCU. I think Shang would get along so well with Sam Wilson, and I would love to see them team up. Katy is also going to be a really relatable character going forward, given the butterfly effect that she experienced; she went from defending Shang from a high-school bully to being associated with the Avengers. Wild.

Thank you for reading this short review! I wanted to keep this spoiler free so more people could hopefully have a read and get inspired to go and see the film for themselves. Which you totally should, by the way. Like, ASAP.