Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings tells the story of Shang-Chi, a man who is eventually forced to face his past when it comes to find him. Throughout this movie, it explores questions about self, family, friendship, community, and more. This is a Marvel movie that is different than other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and is absolutely beautiful on multiple levels.
Story
The story for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings really has a lot of different levels in it that will connect with people at different levels. There is an obvious story that is enjoyable enough to watch as the main characters go on their adventures. However, there is more to it than just the adventure and awesome fight scenes. There are some deep relational challenges and conflicts that really hit the heart. As the movie progressed, I was surprised at how invested I found myself in this story. It isn’t one that feels as out there as some of the other MCU movies. Yes, there are some things that are a bit fanciful. However, the core of the story really comes down to family and friend relationships. This story was really beautiful and I really enjoyed it.
Quality
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a very enjoyable film to look at and listen to. I reviewed the movie in 3D and found myself really enjoying it. In different scenes in different places around the world, beauty was captured and portrayed. Sometimes this came from establishing shots, other times during some pretty incredible action sequences. There were a couple of moments my eyebrow went up with some digital effects. However, I’m not sure if that was really the effects themselves or the 3D presentation. The accompanying sound design was equally beautiful and most importantly, felt correct.
Characters
The characters make this film. I found myself hooked on it because of this. Every character made sense and so did their motivations. Every character helped move the story forward. The way they interacted with each other also made sense. Because these details were done so well, it was very easy to feel for the characters in their different journeys. Multiple times during this movie I felt myself feeling for different characters for different reasons. Their emotional journeys took me on an emotional journey during the film. That is perhaps the biggest compliment I can give this film.
Music
The music for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings really is wonderful. Both the songs used in the film and the score that accompanied the film did a very nice job of accompanying the story. It does what a could soundtrack should do, help move the story along and not distract from it. It is also quite nice to listen to separately from the movie.
Final Thoughts
Going into this movie, I knew nothing of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings beyond what was hinted at in Iron Man 3 and the one shot that continued the story. I really didn’t know what to expect from it because of that. That might have been a wonderful gift. I found myself completely glued to the screen and thoroughly enjoying this movie. I laughed at times, found my heart aching for the characters at times, cheering during some incredible action scenes, and completely enjoying the movie-going experience. This immediately became one of my favorite Marvel Studios films in the MCU. I can’t wait to see it again. It was also a film I would definitely suggest seeing in theaters. It was great on the big screen with the awesome surround sound. Definitely go out and see it as it gets a solid hat tip!
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