Shang Chi Is Marvel At Its Best

That title may need some context, so let me explain:

About a month and a half ago, I went to the movie theater for the first time in almost two years, only to see the profoundly disappointing Black Widow, a movie that felt chronologically out of place both in terms of its story, and in its quality compared to the vast majority of other Marvel films; a strangely off-kilter film that doesn't take advantage of Marvel's now tried and true formula, and one in which its lead is consistently outshined by its side characters (namely Florence Pugh as Yelena). In short, it just wasn't up to snuff compared to other Marvel films. This experience left me feeling rather blasé on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (at least in terms of the movies), and unsure of whether or not seeing their upcoming offerings in theaters was even worth it while Covid continues to be so widespread.

This feeling changed when the reviews for Shang-Chi started to roll in, calling it not only a great action film, but possibly one of Marvels' best. This I had to see for myself, so my friends and I picked a slow night, grabbed some snacks, and hit up the local NCG, and friends let me tell you, this one lives up to the hype.

No spoilers.

With its charismatic lead (Simu Liu as the titular Shang-Chi), imposing but sympathetic villain (Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who I refuse to believe is rounding 60 years old), stellar action scenes, and all of the requisite cameos and quippy dialogue, Shang-Chi hangs with the best of them almost effortlessly. Not just an excellent standalone action movie, it's also a great reminder of the things that made me love Marvel movies in the first place; likeable characters, rousing action scenes, and the promise of exciting new things to follow.

The character work in the film is quite good (as Marvel films go). No one will be winning any Oscars, but I did find myself caring about the story of both Shangi-Chi and his father more than I expected, and this is due in no small part to how well Liu and Leung play their parts. I also enjoyed Awkwafina as Katy, Shang-Chi's best friend (platonic, what a breath of fresh air) and this films default, and reasonably successful, comic relief. The side characters are all handled admirably well, Wong being a standout as always whenever he shows up, although there is one cameo character that overstays his welcome by just a little bit.

The action, although I'm sure every critic has echoed this by now, is incredible. This movie may have some of the best action scenes in the MCU, and not just because they're well choreographed (they are), but because unlike some other Marvel films with fast-paced hand-to-hand combat, the camera takes long, wide shots of the action as opposed to close-up quick-cuts. You really get to take it all in, and it makes the scenes that much more exciting (and the dynamic camera makes for some great bits, like the choreographers great use of tight space in one of the early action pieces). I'm also a big fan of how the action starts off as fairly grounded martial arts (by superhero movie standards) and ends as, essentially, live-action DragonBall Z. Big fan.

The film is reasonably well paced, although the second act does feel like a slight drag between the exciting opening and the no-holds-barred epic finale, as we have to take the time to set up a decent amount of world-building. To be fair, however, I may have only felt this way because I was so excited to get to the next action sequence, and the slow-down in the story is offset by some excellent visuals and fun ideas.

This movie also throws some pretty ridiculous concepts at you, and as they started to appear in the film I became concerned that it might be a little TOO out there. Fortunately, this movie has something very special going for it: The Rule of Cool. For those unfamiliar, The Rule of Cool is the idea that something silly/over-the-top gets a pass because it makes things entertaining, and it can be a hard thing to balance. Some movies refuse to give up the goods until it's too late (Godzilla, 2014, which has a dreadfully dull lead in to a whopper of a 3rd act), and others overdo it and the "cool" becomes bland (Pacific Rim 2, or Uprising, or whatever that shit-awful sequel was called). Shang-Chi takes the stuff that could very easily have come across as silly, works up to it by introducing slightly less-silly elements first, and then goes hog-wild, and it works because it's damn cool. I'd go into specifics but frankly, you should see for yourself.

Overall, Shang-Chi is an excellent addition to the Marvel Universe; a movie that's not afraid to get a little weird and out there with its ideas (like the best Marvel films), that helps us take our first steps into Marvel's official 4th phase and ties into the larger universe nicely, but that also stands on its own as a fun action/adventure piece, with action scenes ranging from "that was pretty cool" to "where has this live-action-anime fight been all my life?". More than these things though, it feels almost like a fresh start.

Let me clarify: With the Infinity Saga now wrapped up, and our big bad Thanos built up for almost ten years and now dealt with, we're opening a new chapter of the Marvel Universe. The status quo for all of the characters we know has changed, in some cases quite drastically, and Marvel has done an excellent job of laying the groundwork for this new Multiverse-heavy storyline, and our new major players, in the shows Loki and Wandavision. However, Shang-Chi is the first time that it feels like all of these things are starting to crystalize, that all of these ideas are going to lead to something big; Worlds that occupy different dimensions, mysterious artifacts of unknown origin containing a beacon that calls to something/someone mysterious, it feels like we're getting a glimpse at a (somehow) even larger universe. The stage has now been set for phase 4 of the MCU, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

I can honestly say that a Marvel movie hasn't left me with this feeling in quite awhile, it feels like watching that post-credits scene for the first Iron Man film all over again, but unlike the early days Marvel has essentially been given carte blanche from its audience to get as weird as it wants.

A solid 8.5/10 on the Marvel movie scale, they're just too damn good at this by now.