Something to Marvel At
SCORE: 92/100
****THIS WILL BE AS SPOILER-FREE AS IT CAN****
REVIEW:
Shang-Chi is Marvel's best solo hero film since Black Panther, and is rightfully deserving of its praise. This film is fun, emotional, and full of imaginative visuals and inventive choreography. However, like all Marvel films, it does have a few flaws.
Among the few flaws are its inconsistent humor and its third act, which I will attempt to explain without spoilers. Marvel's humor has always been inconsistent, ranging between funny and cringey. In Shang-Chi, the humor is more on the funny side, but several times the humor just doesn't work. I think that fans are clamoring for more in depth and deeper stories and characters, which the MCU has provided plenty of times before, but the first solo outing always fall down this path. It's a minor complaint, but one that needs to be consistently brought up.
Also, the third act. Let's do this without spoilers, but it's going to be hard. The third act, while still featuring some of the kung fu and fighting from earlier in the film, goes more down the traditional, effects driven Marvel third act route. I would've preferred more of the awesome fighting with a deeper emotional core than what we got. However, it's still epic and full of those "Marvel Moments". That's where my critiques end, and the praise begins.
Let's talk cast first. Simu Liu is an awesome lead, and I hope he gets A LOT more work in the future. We'll see him next in the Star Wars anime anthology, Visons, later this month. He brings a level-headedness and infectious positivity to the role that makes me smile every time I see him on the screen. In a shocking move, this film didn't make me hate Awkwafina! I've never enjoyed a performance for her, but I felt that this was a role that she fit into beautifully. Meng'er Zhang is a scene stealer as Shang-Chi's sister, and her fight sequences rival Liu's. Michelle Yeoh is a beautiful addition to the film, bringing a level of grace to her character that was incredibly welcome.
But let's be real for a moment, Shang-Chi gives us quite possibly the best villain we've had in the MCU with Wenwu, Shang-Chi's father. Tony Leung brings a gravitas, a lightness, and most importantly an incredible emotional quality to the character that rivals the MCU's best. His story is deep and emotional, which is so refreshing after Black Widow's lackluster villains. The writing for the character may be good, but it's Leung's performance that truly elevates the character.
The fight choreography in the film is awesome. To be completely honest, I'm not too well versed in kung fu films, so I don't know if this stands out or not, but it feels good. The action feels well shot, and framed in way where you could see everything (unlike Snake Eyes earlier this year). It's easy to follow and even those of you who don't like the Hong Kong style of fighting will find plenty of enjoyment here.
It's really hard to speak about the film and not spoil it, so I'll sum it up by saying this is definitely worth your time. When we're in a time where Marvel content is coming faster than ever, Shang-Chi is a refreshing and engaging film that is equally cinematically rewarding as well as emotionally.
Conclusion: Shang-Chi is a triumph due to its awesome main star, an incredible villain, and some of the best fighting and visuals in a solo movie since Black Panther.
Score: 92/100
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