I think the reason my enthusiasm may be just a little tamped down is that I think a fair amount of Shang-Chi has been done before. It's largely new and different for the Marvel Universe (and welcome for that), but also a bit grab-bag-like in lifting elements of other movies. The magical fighting elements of Ta Lo were reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the fight on the scaffolding was a Jackie Chan fight premise in Rush Hour, and of course we had the obligatory CG-overloaded finale you get in every Marvel movie.
But I don't get too wrapped up in the similarities, because everything the movie does -- from the quite novel bus fight to the quite repeated training montage before the finale -- is really done well. In particular, the fight choreography throughout the movie is sharp and clear, easy to follow even though the fighters are frequently pulling fast and unexpected moves. Even more importantly, the camera itself is treated like another dancer in the choreography, moving smoothly (never jarringly) to always capture the action from the best vantage point. (Nowhere is that more masterful than in that scaffolding fight, with the camera soaring in three dimensions to oversee everything.)
Even that "obligatory CG climax" is far better than most Marvel movies. It does a very good job of finding individual confrontations within the larger one, and of having personal stakes that matter more than the abstract "save the NPCs" vibe we usually get. And baked into premise is a gimmick that actually makes any incidental deaths matter in a way they rarely do in other superhero movies that collapse cities around the clashing characters.
It's also a very solid cast. I might argue that the lead, Simu Liu, comes across as the most limited actor... but he's very, very good at doing the thing he was hired to do: look awesome doing crazy martial arts moves. So leave the rest to a very capable supporting cast: Awkwafina, who makes a hilarious sidekick; Meng'er Zhang, who carries much of the movie's pathos as Xu Xialing; Tony Leung, who gives great villain; and Michelle Yeoh, who at this point I would watch read the phone book (knowing that at some point she will knock someone out with the phone book too).
The only truly discordant element of the film to me is one of the most spoilery, so I'll try to dance around it for the sake of those still unwilling or unable to brave the movie theaters in the current environment. Shang-Chi reaches back a bit to retcon a bit of MCU history... and while I do appreciate how it comments on the theme of cultural appropriation, it feels shoved in to me here, a "hat on a hat" of giving something the movie already had plenty of.
Still, no one who likes Marvel movies should dare skip out on this one. And for the most part, those who don't watch Marvel movies (but like action? who might that be?) should find this a reasonably separate, approachable, and enjoyable time. I give Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings a B+.
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