After a long hiatus, Marvel Studios are back with a new superhero action film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings. Released on Friday, September 3rd, 2021 the film has already made over 150 million by September, 7th.

And with a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that many worldwide are ready for Phase Four and the return of Marvel movies.

And being a huge fanatic of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was thrilled to go see a brand-new character take the big screen following the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. And after one viewing, I can soundly say that I am overall impressed, with only minor complainants.

Visually, this film was incredibly stunning. The effects, lighting, costumes and music were all spectacular. The cinematic decisions regarding the plotline were all well executed. There were multiple flashbacks mixed within the present storyline. Instead of immediately discovering the entire backstory of our protagonist all at once.

Shang-Chi (played by Simu Liu) does a phenomenal job portraying both a stoic and calm hero while also captivating a side of a lovable and realistic dork. His best friend Katy (played by Awkwafina) adds another level of charm to this dynamic duo. Within the first minutes of the movie, we learn only partial amounts of Shang-Chi’s backstory and then are immediately thrown into what his life is like as an adult. Working as a valet, having an extremely close best friend to sing karaoke with and a one-bedroom apartment in a garage. However, before the thirty-minute mark even hits the audience is shown, in my opinion, one of the best action scenes in the Marvel universe on a moving bus in the streets of New York City. After already knowing what an amazing fighter Shang-Chi is, then we as the audience get to see the training montage. Which as I stated previously, this is a great use of the mix of flashbacks and the present storyline, flipping the typical plot development.

The film encapsulates themes of grief, betrayal and fantastical elements. The action scenes are astounding with showcases of martial arts and emotional tension between those fighting who most all have pasts that are linked together.

The one complaint I had regarding this film was its overall connection to the MCU. I’m aware this is a strange complaint so I hope to convey my thoughts. In past movies in the Marvel franchise, there were always hints, teasers, cameos, or even shameless plugs in the post-credit scenes to other movies within the universe. Typically, these connections were minor details that were nods to fans who watched the other movies, but not essential to the plot. However, in Shang-Chi, there were so many cameos and mentions of other characters that were essential to the plot. One character (who will not be named for the ability to read this without spoilers) was so essential to the plot that a fairly large portion of the movie would not be possible without them. Now as a fan, I enjoy the tie-ins from other movies. However, I enjoyed it when the plot was not reliant on them. There could be individuals who wanted to just go watch Black Panther or Doctor Strange and there are nods towards other plots within the MCU, but each individual can sit, watch and completely understand the plot without having seen any other Marvel movie.

Again, I’m aware this complaint is strange, I was a fan who always admired when Marvel had all these stand-alone movies that came together every few years. For it made those films every few years feel even more spectacular. In a final wrap-up, I again just want to state that I adored Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings. It was beautifully captured and the acting was phenomenal all around. I and many others throughout the globe were ecstatic to see this new hero in action for the first time and it was anything but a disappointment.