Rachel Review: Shang Chi Hits the Perfect Tone

Marvel’s new movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” opened Sept. 3, reviving the energy of Marvel’s phase four plan and setting a new standard for the upcoming Marvel movies.

Simu Liu shines in his Marvel debut as the lead Shang-Chi. Liu showed he has what it takes to be Marvel’s new top hero, as he did all his stunts. He is partnered with Awkwafina, who is also making her Marvel debut as Shang-Chi’s best friend, Katie. While Awkwafina is generally the comic relief, as most sidekicks are, she was still given her own story and character arc that I’m looking forward to seeing continued in future movies. Together the two make a perfect pair through their amazing acting chemistry.

In most Marvel movies it’s noticeable how Marvel relies heavily on comedy, showing me that they don’t have as much faith in their story or didn’t make it as developed as it could have been. While “Shang-Chi” has humor, the humor doesn’t take away from the storyline and isn’t as distracting as I have found in other Marvel movies. “Shang-Chi” has a well-developed story and because of this radiated self-confidence.

The fact that it’s the first Marvel movie with an Asian-lead and all-Asian cast isn’t what audiences will find the most memorable part of the movie. The most memorable aspect will be how great of an origin movie it is.

All Marvel movies have jokes and scenes that were added to make them more lighthearted, but not all have a confident story and production like “Shang-Chi.”

One of the best parts of this movie, and the aspect that most fans will love, is the well-choreographed fight scenes and the fact that the fights tend to be more than a minute long opposed to other Marvel movies.

Liu did most of the stunts for his role and they turned out amazing. The best part, in my opinion, is that along with the complex choreography, the camera was able to follow the fights so precisely that it avoids confusing the audience despite the complexity of the fights.

“Shang-Chi” was also refreshing due to the fact that the big villain wasn’t exactly someone just looking for power or to take over the world; it was much more complicated than that. The true villain that everyone in the movie was facing was accepting the past, to then be able to heal and create a better life for themselves and their families.

The reason “Shang-Chi” hits the perfect tone with audiences is that nothing in it is overdone or underdone. The movie paced out all their storylines well and did not add unnecessary scenes. The main actors do an amazing job and still don’t overshadow any other actors’ performances. Every essential character is given enough back story and time on screen for the audience to become attached and decide whether to root for them or not. It didn’t try and do everything and didn’t cut itself short, “Shang-Chi” made itself a memorable movie not just a Marvel movie.