Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings: Spoiler Free Review

Let's talk about the Newest Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 hit spotlighting its first Asian Superhero, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings . 

Ever since this movie premiered on the 3rd of September, it's been doing pretty greatly in terms of achievements.

From getting impressive ratings and critics consensus from many review platforms to grossing massively in millions within less than two weeks to actually topping charts as one of the most popular comic book movies of all time.

Such impressive feats are bound to come with high expectations as well as mixed feelings as to whether it's being overhyped as an MCU production or is actually worth all the hype.

I recently managed to clear a path in my tight schedule to see this blockbuster on the big screen and well, I have a lot to say about it and while trying to make this review as short as possible, I'll also try to make it compact and cover as much criteria as possible.

As usual I'll be talking about it based on two aspects; The Production , where I look into all the technical and structual elements put together to make this movie possible and The Direction , where I criticize the writing and creativity being adapted to it. 

I'll try to break down these two categories as much as possible to create a clear view of the plausible and disappointing features to be weary of while venturing into this movie. 

In terms of Production, I think it's pretty much what anyone would expect, but if I were to put it in a blunt way; MARVEL WAS MARVEL!.

Expect the high quality, visually stunning ,eye glistening, beautifully adapted hero story we've seen time and time again from the MCU in what seems to be their trade mark in the world of Comic Book Cinema. 

Every aspect of the production was perfectly executed.

Bearing Chinese roots, the movie didn't fail to deliver all the visual aesthetics to accompany such a setting.

The stunning, naturally fluent Chinese Martial arts Choreography flamboyantly enhanced by the colourful and beautiful animation and editting of the magical displays in this movie made every fight a Visual Feast.

The Costume Designs, Visual Imagery and Cinematography all glamorously captured the feel of a greatly adapted Asian fantasy story in literal flying colours.

The Music and Sound Editing were also unnervingly impressive. From energizing battle OSTs to intelligently placed Chinese-esque soundtracks, the mood of every scene was sufficiently represented.

Maybe it was just the high sound quality of the Cinema, but the Sound Effects were so amazing I could literally almost feel the impact of every fight scene.

Finally, the Acting, although not being anything spectacular or Oscar level, the cast did great jobs in portraying their required roles.

Simu Liu and Awkwafina did exceptional jobs in their leading roles and in creating a hilarious dynamic between the main leads, guiding the amazing humor of this movie.

Now getting into the Direction, it was pretty impressive but not without its shortcomings.

The Plot and Story were pretty much simple and straightforward for a hero story but creatively invigorated with nostalgic Chinese storytelling elements such as ancient warriors, hidden magical paradises and mythical creatures of Good and Evil. 

The story even if it didn't have much authenticity, was really well paced and given the setting it only made sense that it was action-packed.

The dialogues were really basic and nothing really special at all. In fact one could even predict the next words any character would say if they tried hard enough. But as I said earlier, the conversations were effectively laced with good comedy and it being basic is partly owed to it's PG-13 chinese-hero story setting, even if I did feel it could be innovated a lot more.

In terms of Characterization, it was pretty good but nothing out of the bracket of expected character types. The evil delusional father, the badass sister, the funny best friend, the ambitious hero, the wise one who teaches him sacred arts and other relief characters; basically textbook personalities to be expected from this type of movie, but the one thing I can say is that every character type was well executed by the satisfying performance of the cast. The characters were also gratifyingly well developed in the progression of the plot.

It was a simple fun-filled hero story and adventure that although wasn't really anything authentic, managed to give genuine thrills and so many amazing moments that made the experience of this movie truly memorable.

As for my final statement, I'll honestly say that this movie was a Blast!. It went for a simple, action-centric hero origin story with Asian roots and delivered on that excellently well with its stellar production values.

Placing it above Black Widow but a bit below The Suicide Squad, I'll give this movie an 8/10 as a personal rating.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings pretty much raised my hype-level for the rest of the upcoming MCU Phase 4 projects and imagination of just how amazing the next generation of Avengers are going to be. 

Also don't be quick to jump right out at the end as there's a really important Post-Credit scene that'll leave you both intrigued and excited.

And with that said, I think I'm done with this review.

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I'll see you all Next Time Guys!.