Read Mixed User Reviews for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

5

Tyrant719Dec 10, 2021

So, is everyone finally going to admit that Marvel has jumped the shark, now? This movie, and all the other MCU movies that have come out in 2021 so far, are such a clear downgrade from even Captain Marvel and Thor 2 that Marvel seems toSo, is everyone finally going to admit that Marvel has jumped the shark, now? This movie, and all the other MCU movies that have come out in 2021 so far, are such a clear downgrade from even Captain Marvel and Thor 2 that Marvel seems to think people will just keep watching them, no matter what bottom-of-the-barrel characters they make them for. If the quality of their Disney+ series are any indication (not including the disappointment that was Wandavision), Marvel knows it’s just a matter of time before they transition fully to a mini-series producer. They don’t even have any Avengers movies planned, much less any compelling characters to put in them. Their real Black Panther is dead, so now we have to settle for one of their made-for-movie characters in the lead; Captain Marvel and Black Widow were only ever just placating to social media to make up for their old executive’s anti-female-lead texts (and Black Widow is dead anyway); Guardians of the Galaxy can stand on their own, but even they don’t have anywhere to go after Endgame. So, what is the plan here? How long can Disney convince this new audience of trend-chasers to buy and overrate their products once their products are no longer trending on Twitter? The Multiverse already drove a bunch of the ORIGINAL fans away from the comics by exposing their inability to make up new characters, choosing instead to just plug different demographics into existing IPs; now they seem poised to carry that trend over into their movies. This movie is substandard, at best. It’s not the worst movie of the year, so if that is where they’ve lowered the bar, good for them. It looks to me like Marvel has decided to take the Transformers/Fast & Furious approach to movies by focusing on markets that have no interest in storylines and just want to see action scenes with generic hip hop beats/hard rock guitar soundtracks. Oh, I’m sorry, they switch over to more traditional-sounding Chinese folk music during the generic final battle. They still approach the battle like a Transformers/Fast & Furious battle: all the main characters happen to escape certain-death situations while all the background characters seem to die from even the simplest strikes. I’m sure that will help them achieve their bottom-line, especially if they can keep convincing certain groups that these movies are indicative of some sort of social victory; but those special groups will run out eventually. They will have to make a compelling movie again, at some point. The other problem with these movies, though, is that they have exposed their old movies for the formulas they were built out of, guaranteeing a diminishing effect on subsequent watches. Infinity War is fun to watch the first time; on second viewing, it is far less fun and you start to notice all the basic points that they have to hit (If I see one more character enter the scene and slowly look up to reveal their face, I’ll eat my own hands, simply just to keep myself from paying to watch another one of these movies). On third view, if not by the second, it’s actually pretty grating to sit through, aside from maybe the movies made about the core heroes that the original Avengers was built around. They have no real compelling stories, or really, any stories at all. These movies are made for Millennials (I am a Millennial, so I know firsthand) and Gen-Z, who are more interested in being involved in a trending topic than actually caring about what that topic may be. As long as they can take a selfie to show to everyone that they saw a popular movie before anyone else, that’s where they get their dopamine fix for the day. It’s all about those retweets, upvotes, and likes. Once these movies don’t achieve that, they’ll move on to the next Squid Game or meme that will get them those clicks. These movies are as vapid as the “fanbases” that pretend to care about them. Let that be a lesson to any creative, don’t throw your core fans under the bus so that Twitter will make you a trending topic. Topics come and go on Twitter and no one cares once that trend is over. And, for all of you that overrated this movie: your experience at the theater and the movie itself are TWO SEPERATE THINGS. Having fun watching a movie does not mean that movie is objectively good. If you don’t know how to critique something, just don’t.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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6

charlot1085800Jan 8, 2022

The movie was entertaining but too predictable for my liking. It lacked soul. It was different and a nice addition to the marvel universe. Post credits were also pretty nice. Looking forward to the next one and hoping for some improvements inThe movie was entertaining but too predictable for my liking. It lacked soul. It was different and a nice addition to the marvel universe. Post credits were also pretty nice. Looking forward to the next one and hoping for some improvements in screenwriting!… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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6

mrmonsterNov 14, 2021

Overall, a pretty average superhero movie, even by Marvel standards. Good fights do not make up for a lackluster story.

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

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4

167abdullahNov 13, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Though it was good, the climax wasted it all. Shang Chi had never used the rings before, and he, after almost dying, while fighting his father and trying to save the world, in intense pressure, controlled the rings even better than his father who had been practically practicing for hundreds of years! This makes no sense. This is probably the most incoherent thing marvel has ever done in an MCU movie.

I think marvel also missed the opportunity to tie this with eternals. They could show that the monsters are actually deviants, Shang Chi couldn't stop them, and then eternals came to stop them. That would've been great.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

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4

PerrieRNov 8, 2021

This movie is terrible! Such wasted potential for Marvel's first leading Asian superhero. I feel like I was forcing myself to like this movie while watching it which isn't a good sign. The jokes did not hit and the nearly empty theater wasThis movie is terrible! Such wasted potential for Marvel's first leading Asian superhero. I feel like I was forcing myself to like this movie while watching it which isn't a good sign. The jokes did not hit and the nearly empty theater was made even more uncomfortable by the lack of laughter from these terrible jokes. The star of this film was Tony Leung. There was little to no character development for Shang-Chi. This movie should have been called Wen-Wu and the Legend of the Ten Rings. They clearly put more emphasis on making this a martial arts movie and not a movie about the leading character. God knows the second film will probably be even worse like they always are. Just watch this on Disney+, not worth seeing in the theater. Also, you can tell Disney pandered this film to China and they don't even want it. This whole film was wasted potential.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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6

bertobellamySep 3, 2021

Best Marvel villain in a long time. The development of Wenwu is one of the highlights of this film, and the father/son relationship is the heart of it. Unfortunately, 'Shang Chi' feels very generic; the last act is just bonkers, and theBest Marvel villain in a long time. The development of Wenwu is one of the highlights of this film, and the father/son relationship is the heart of it. Unfortunately, 'Shang Chi' feels very generic; the last act is just bonkers, and the second one is kind of boring. The best: the first fight sequences — in the forest and on the bus —. I really appreciate representation, but I wished Marvel could've come up with a more attractive story.… Expand

11 of 42 users found this helpful1131

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6

LatinCritic13Sep 3, 2021

Like Black Panther, Shang-Chi is fun, exhilarating, and wise, but the formula gets tiring with no originality put into it whatsoever like every MCU film that came out in recent memory.

11 of 43 users found this helpful1132

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4

HeroicAge616Oct 25, 2021

Shang-Chi promises a modern martial arts epic and family drama but quickly devolves into a tired repeat of MCU tropes, down to an anti-climactic finale with terrible CGI.

4 of 16 users found this helpful412

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5

Sad_TruthSep 5, 2021

It was going good until they introduced the "magical world"...it went from MCU to Godzilla / Never Ending Story....riding a dragon???....really??

The Godzilla inspired monster fights with a dragon was way too much. The MCU worked in the pastIt was going good until they introduced the "magical world"...it went from MCU to Godzilla / Never Ending Story....riding a dragon???....really??

The Godzilla inspired monster fights with a dragon was way too much. The MCU worked in the past because although it's based on comic book characters, they tried to keep it grounded as much as possible, but now it's just feel very....Disney....all it needs is a Disney princess to be introduced.

Unless the kiddish magic gets toned down in the other movies the new phase of the MCU is going to be a disappointment.… Expand

8 of 33 users found this helpful825

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6

solomediagSep 6, 2021

It has some decent action scenes, but nearly all of them are ruined by out of place gags like the IG Live guy on the bus or Awkwafina for the rest of the movie. This makes it hard to stay invested. It gets serious for a stretch during theIt has some decent action scenes, but nearly all of them are ruined by out of place gags like the IG Live guy on the bus or Awkwafina for the rest of the movie. This makes it hard to stay invested. It gets serious for a stretch during the third act (where it crams all the character development), but then the goofiness of the multiple buttons rob what could have been a decent ending of all impact. The characters are left totally unaffected by the events that transpire making you question whether they are sociopaths.… Expand

8 of 33 users found this helpful825

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5

HTGamerOct 25, 2021

"Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings" is an average MCU movie.

The screenplay makes a ton of effort to right Marvel's past wrongs with how poorly they handled the Mandarin character in Iron Man 3, and it's great to see Ben Kingsley"Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings" is an average MCU movie.

The screenplay makes a ton of effort to right Marvel's past wrongs with how poorly they handled the Mandarin character in Iron Man 3, and it's great to see Ben Kingsley return as Trevor Slattery. This time around the Wenwu villain is much closer to the Mandarin character, but is not the same as in the comics. There is an interesting sub-plot about Wenwu's family, explaining what drives Wenwu to do what he does. Shang-Chi turns out to be a likeable character but Wenwu ultimately disappoints with his stupidity despite his considerable experience. Awkwafina's Katy character alternates between acting as comedy relief and annoying viewers, more often than not doing the latter.

The chinese imagery sets this movie apart from any other MCU film, it's like watching films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" reimagined as a superhero movie. The Shang-Chi character is a martial arts fighter with no superpowers of his own, and the fights are much better than most martial arts movies.

But the overall plot is mediocre, uninteresting and unimpactful. There is a second supervillain that acts like a devil, he ought to be scary as 5h!t, but is just another forgettable MCU baddie to be bashed by the heroes like 5 minutes after appearing on-screen for the first time, speaking no words and doing nothing other than stand in the way of the heroes.

This film just serves as an introduction of another character to the crowded MCU roster. If you thought Black Panther was a milestone of artistic representation for african culture, Shang-Chi does nothing for asian culture. This film is not memorable, neither trash, just average.… Expand

4 of 17 users found this helpful413

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4

Phteve89Sep 4, 2021

Ok so the movie isn't great and it isn't terrible. If you wanna shut off your brain then go to this movie. Action is good enough and the CGI is pretty cool. But idk man just an popcorn movie

7 of 32 users found this helpful725

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6

MathiasBSSep 5, 2021

It was okay, but definitely not the best Marvel movie.

Just like in the comics, Shang Chi is not explored very much as a person, but only as a non-stop action machine; and while the fights are impressive, it felt like a very by-the-booksIt was okay, but definitely not the best Marvel movie.

Just like in the comics, Shang Chi is not explored very much as a person, but only as a non-stop action machine; and while the fights are impressive, it felt like a very by-the-books Hollywood flick. You got the sappy backstory, the comic relief, the merchandiseable creatures, the fight scenes with no consequences, the double final battle - everything you’ve seen before, it’s there, but at least it’s done well. That can be said about most of the Marvel movies in my opinion, but with recent shows like Loki and WandaVision, I was really hoping the movie would have had more creativity and personality. It was okay while it lasted, but the next time I see Shang Chi on screen, I’m probably not gonna remember much of what happened during this movie.… Expand

7 of 32 users found this helpful725

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5

NapstaOct 6, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is kind of a controversial opinion, but I only think that this movie is ok. The main thing that turned me off was the constant switching from languages for little reason. Like at one minute they're speaking Mandarin, and then they suddenly switch to English for no reason. The quality of the fights in this movie really depends on what kind it is. If the fight is more martial arts-based, it's incredibly well done and looks spectacular, but if there's any CGI involved it just looks, to put it bluntly, like a mess. The villain is also getting a lot of praise, and while it's definitely good for a Marvel movie. it's essentially just a guy who wants revenge on the people who he thinks kidnapped his wife and he's not all that interesting compared to other villains, even in the Marvel series. If you're a fan of Marvel movies, you'll probably enjoy this movie a lot more than I did, but I personally could not see what all of the hype was about.… Expand

3 of 14 users found this helpful311

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4

rmwkenpoSep 3, 2021

Good MA. Strong pick for the lead. Too much bs comic relief and unnecessary sidekicks and a bizarre resurrection of a mistake the MCU made in a previous poorly done movie. It’s like they tried to justify that mistake and it weighted downGood MA. Strong pick for the lead. Too much bs comic relief and unnecessary sidekicks and a bizarre resurrection of a mistake the MCU made in a previous poorly done movie. It’s like they tried to justify that mistake and it weighted down this story with a stupid add that just didn’t need to be there.
Also some of the “animals” they used for a fantasy environment smacked of Pokémon. Just a shame. Has the elements to be great but missed the mark.… Expand

8 of 40 users found this helpful832

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4

BulgarianCriticSep 3, 2021

This was unfortunately a pretty uninspired, boring and a needlessly long movie that is abusing the flasback system and is almost entirely made of exposition.Once someone interesting shows up the focus is changed back to the main charactersThis was unfortunately a pretty uninspired, boring and a needlessly long movie that is abusing the flasback system and is almost entirely made of exposition.Once someone interesting shows up the focus is changed back to the main characters making you wonder why they would tease us with a interesting persona and then never show them again , the comedy was pretty bad to be honest and it should have focused more on the comic relief than at the characters trying to make jokes. The only positive thing that I can tell about this movie that the small amount of fights were pretty great and badass , especially the bus scene.Music is forgetful and the acting was awkward and not that fine.… Expand

8 of 42 users found this helpful834

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4

Unicron666Nov 1, 2021

I found myself wanting to watch a proper martial arts movie after seeing this. I wasn't impressed to be honest, there are plenty of films out there with a tiny percentage of the budget that are so much better. Also I despise simu liu so thatI found myself wanting to watch a proper martial arts movie after seeing this. I wasn't impressed to be honest, there are plenty of films out there with a tiny percentage of the budget that are so much better. Also I despise simu liu so that definitely dropped my rating… Expand

3 of 16 users found this helpful313

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4

KobeInTheCutSep 4, 2021

Surprised this one is getting such a positive response. Poor by MCU standards. Story sucked. Didn’t care about the family. Acting performances were bad to mediocre with the sister being the worst in any MCU film. Took a ton of swings onSurprised this one is getting such a positive response. Poor by MCU standards. Story sucked. Didn’t care about the family. Acting performances were bad to mediocre with the sister being the worst in any MCU film. Took a ton of swings on laughs and came out average there. Completely forgettable bother than the bus scene.… Expand

6 of 38 users found this helpful632

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6

theredskySep 28, 2021

This is yet another film that I appreciate more than I actually like it. I’m really glad this movie exists and we have more diverse characters in the MCU. The Film nails Shang-Chi. Simu Liu gives a great performance and while his motivationThis is yet another film that I appreciate more than I actually like it. I’m really glad this movie exists and we have more diverse characters in the MCU. The Film nails Shang-Chi. Simu Liu gives a great performance and while his motivation isn’t exactly clear, his character is and I like that. It’s good to see that the origin movie does a great job at giving us a somewhat compelling character that I am looking forward to seeing more of. However, all of the other characters aren’t anywhere close to being as good. The performances from most everyone is good with Tony Leung giving a great performance. His villain isn’t great character wise but what I really adored was his villain’s motivation. We finally get a true villain who is motivated by grief and the inability to accept the loss of a loved one. I love that about him and it’s refreshing to see that. The story here is very weak. I didn’t engage with it that much and it was hard to understand the motivations of anyone except the villain. The plot progresses quickly but it’s hard to remember individual story beats because it kinda melds into some of the other MCU films. One thing that does stand out are the visuals and some of the action sequences. Some of the action sequences here were great like the final battle while others felt lackluster. It’s a mixed bag in regards to that. As always, the visuals for this film are great for the most part. There is the occasional weird visual effect but it doesn’t get absolutely horrible. The production design was surprisingly great here. All of the sets look really cool and it’s obvious they spent a lot of time on that. There really isn’t a lot more to say. On one hand, there are a lot if great things here but in the other, it feels like a standard Marvel movie. I would recommend checking it out if you are still into the MCU.… Expand

3 of 19 users found this helpful316

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5

kamgeforceSep 4, 2021

Mediocre in every way apart from some of the fighting choreography. Main guy has no charisma, I understand you needed someone who knows martial arts, but it aint to tony stark, thats for sure. Final fight is cool, villain is cool, everythingMediocre in every way apart from some of the fighting choreography. Main guy has no charisma, I understand you needed someone who knows martial arts, but it aint to tony stark, thats for sure. Final fight is cool, villain is cool, everything else was boring at best, annoying at worst, like some of the mandatory woke **** Wasnt a waste of time, but its a one time watch for sure.… Expand

5 of 35 users found this helpful530

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6

JLuis_001Sep 16, 2021

When I found out that Shang-Chi would be making his MCU debut, I really thought that film could be the first failure of this huge franchise.
This simply due to the fact that the character is not a really famous one.
But the machinery of theWhen I found out that Shang-Chi would be making his MCU debut, I really thought that film could be the first failure of this huge franchise.
This simply due to the fact that the character is not a really famous one.

But the machinery of the MCU still seems unstoppable, and the results seen at the box office at the moment show that even in the midst of this pandemic, people are still truly interested in this project.

Is it still the same formula? Yes, very true.
I want to think they will make a change with Eternals, because that's another completely different monster, but Shang-Chi gets perfectly adapted to what they've been doing so far, and without complicating itself, that's precisely what it delivers.

True, there's more color and folklore than what's usually seen, but that doesn't really represent any substantial advance for the MCU style.
Although I admit the fight sequences were pretty good.

Simu Liu does the right thing with the role, and the post-credits scene shows that he's already part of what's coming, which seems to be apart from what Marvel is doing right with the multiverse.
We will have to wait and see what happens.

In the meantime, if you don't mind sticking with this franchise and the quality entertainment that's still delivers, then Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is everything you can expect from it.… Expand

3 of 23 users found this helpful320

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6

AlbertoHerbbSep 6, 2021

Solid Origin movie, had great characters and a good plot. Not one of my favorite marvel films, but it's still a good watch.

4 of 31 users found this helpful427

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6

Terps90Sep 6, 2021

Honestly this is a good origin story that is being held back by easily rectifiable mistakes. The Biggest part would be the fight sequences were not as good as previous marvel movies. Martial arts in the film were a bit too slow and did notHonestly this is a good origin story that is being held back by easily rectifiable mistakes. The Biggest part would be the fight sequences were not as good as previous marvel movies. Martial arts in the film were a bit too slow and did not seem as well executed as something like Captain America The Winter Solider. CGI goes from well done to very poor in too many sequences. The last 30 minutes of the film is in my mind very boring. The Fathers back story is good enough where you understand why he is doing what he is doing.

Honestly do not understand how this movie did not get some re-shoots and recasts but you get what you get. Tony Leung Chiu-wai does a good job as an antagonist but the choice of Awkifania is actually pretty startling. At best you might be able to argue this movie is a 7-8 max but in my mind too many mistakes gets a 6 out of 10… Expand

3 of 26 users found this helpful323

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5

clem666Sep 8, 2021

Marvel is making here a desperate effort to conquer the screens of our Asian neighbors. But don't expect at any moment to be surprised by anything else than what Marvel always did.

The scenario is bland and really predictable. Jokes areMarvel is making here a desperate effort to conquer the screens of our Asian neighbors. But don't expect at any moment to be surprised by anything else than what Marvel always did.

The scenario is bland and really predictable. Jokes are definitely 'marvelesque' as they tend to become parodies of themselves. The pace is really weird thanks to these numerous flashbacks that respond to each other. I found the characters were really unattractive and uncharismatic (especially Simu Liu as Shang-chi), in addition to the fact that Xialing (Shang-chi's sister interpreted by Meng'er Zhang) had a huge unused potential. The very end is really underwhelming thanks to the unoriginal and traditional cliff-hanger. The power of the rings is only questioned at the very end, making it unexplained during the whole movie. Fight scenes are great even if repetitive and a bit long. The movie generally focuses way too much on events and plot rather than on relations (excepted between father - mother - Shang-chi - Xialing), which is quite disappointing ; the few we see is poorly written.

Despite all this, the music (from 88rising) is absolutely gorgeous even if asian-stereotyped here and there. The CGI is great (yes, it just takes a lot of money to make it happen) and allows the final scenes to be as grand as you would expect from a Marvel movie. The colours are great and the lighting is top notch.… Expand

3 of 28 users found this helpful325

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6

hello2699Nov 14, 2021

Starts off well but drifts into the same old boring marvel formula. Acting and plot are average, aswell as most action scenes.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

JJ2FAS4UDec 30, 2021

----------------------------------6.3/10-----------------------------------

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

drlowdonDec 17, 2021

Around a thousand years ago, Xu Wenwu discovers the mystical ten rings which grant immortality and godly powers. Having conquered kingdoms and toppled governments, he begins searching for a mythical village known as Ta Lo, but is stopped byAround a thousand years ago, Xu Wenwu discovers the mystical ten rings which grant immortality and godly powers. Having conquered kingdoms and toppled governments, he begins searching for a mythical village known as Ta Lo, but is stopped by guardian Ying Li. The two fall in love Li chooses to leave with Wenwu him. Years later their son, now living in San-Francisco, is attacked by assassins and must head back to China to face his past.

Shang-Li features a plethora of exciting fight scenes, but right up to the cgi laden finale, it almost feels like Marvel are following a check-list with these movies now. The result is a watchable, but ultimately inessential movie.… Expand