BLERD AT THE MOVIES
Boasting dazzling special effects, impressive action, and a powerful performance from Simu Liu, the MCU's newest Avenger makes a great first impression. Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 2021) Welcome back to (At Home With) Blerd at the Movies, where I share what movies I've been watching while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again, I ventured to the local theater once more to see yet another highly anticipated Marvel film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Believe it or not, this is the 24th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and director Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) managed to do the impossible with his first foray into franchise filmmaking: prove there's still magic, mystery, and joy to be had as the MCU continues to expand. Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Official Teaser Trailer (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios | 2021) Title: Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings Where to Watch: Only in theaters What's It About?: At first glance, Shaun (Simu Liu, Kim's Convenience) seems like your average guy. He's a valet in San Francisco alongside his best friend Katy (Awkwafina, The Farewell), a job that earns the two jabs from friends and family urging them to apply themselves more. Then, on a bus ride to work, Shaun and Katy are accosted by a group of hooligans, forcing Shaun to bust out some hidden, badass martial arts moves to take them out. The fight forces Shaun to come clean about his identity: his real name is Shang-Chi and his father Wenwu (Tony Leung, Chungking Express) trained him to be an assassin from a young age but he ran away from home and start a new life in America. Unfortunately, Shang-Chi is drawn into a conspiracy involving an ominous criminal organization called the Ten Rings and he's forced to return home to the father and world he desperately tried to leave behind so long ago. Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 2021) At the moment, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in an interesting place. After wrapping up ten years of storytelling with Avengers: Endgame, the MCU is essentially back to square one. There is a promise of something new on the horizon: the existence of a long-hidden multiverse that multiple characters have begun meddling with (see: WandaVision, Loki, and the Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser trailer). On top of that, audiences will soon be meeting new characters like Blade, Moon Knight, Riri Williams/Ironheart, and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel-- all of whom have stories set in different pockets the MCU has yet to explore. Yet, for all the new things being promised, the MCU has been having a hard time moving forward. Projects like WandaVision, Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and What If? act as keepsakes of the MCU's many past lives. Sure, some of these projects open the door to new journeys for some of the franchise's pre-existing characters (e.g. WandaVision reintroducing Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff as the Scarlet Witch at the series' end; The Falcon and the Winter Soldier exploring how Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes are living without Steve Rogers), but, to an extent, most of them exemplify the franchise's struggle to embrace the future. No other Phase 4 entry best demonstrates this than Black Widow, the long-gestating standalone movie starring Scarlett Johannsson's fan-favorite Avenger. Taking place moments after 2016's Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow whizzes audiences through Natasha's journey to reconcile with her checkered past and confront the surprising and terrifying domino effect of her choice to defect to S.H.I.E.L.D. Arguably, Florence Pugh's Yelena, a renegade Widow who deserts the Red Room to seek out Natasha, is given greater focus, practically being hyped up as Natasha's successor by the film's end -- not to mention a potential adversary for Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye in the character's long-awaited Disney Plus series, which also stars Hailee Steinfield as Kate Bishop, who will likely follow in the footsteps of her comic counterpart and become the new Hawkeye. Needless to say, Marvel has one foot stuck in the past and one foot inching slowly toward the future. And now, for the first time in two years, the franchise is introducing a brand new hero: Shang-Chi, the Marvel Comics Universe's resident martial arts master (trust me, I know how that sounds). In addition to having the burden of being yet another first for the thirteen-year-old franchise (Shang-Chi is the franchise's first Asian American hero), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also highlights Marvel's ongoing story struggles. In a way, Shang-Chi is Marvel's attempt at making amends for past missteps with Asian representation-- specifically, Iron Man 3's reveal that a drunken white British actor (played by legendary British actor Sir Ben Kingsley) was hired to play the decoy Mandarin on the behalf of the real Mandarin, a.k.a. angry white billionaire/terrorist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). But that's not all there is to Shang-Chi; after all, the movie and the character exist within the larger narrative tapestry of the MCU so any elements introduced in the movie could pop up in future stories. Even Shang-Chi himself could team up with a hero or two in the future. At this point, Marvel fans are trained to consume the franchise's stories as gateways to future tales of adventure, mystery, fantasy, and weirdness, which has been a problem for the franchise for quite some time now. And that's what made Shang-Chi's first teaser trailer so interesting: it felt different. Here was a new character, somewhat entirely detached from the post-Endgame stories of the franchise, coming from a new part of the MCU that hadn't quite been explored yet, in spite of the Mandarin name-drop in Iron Man 3. Moreover, Shang-Chi felt different because it was offering a different perspective that had yet to have been seen in comic book/superhero movies. Hollywood is guilty of appropriating Asian culture yet they've failed to do right by the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community for decades both in front of and behind the camera. All one has to do is read the stream of op-eds published in the wake of March's horrific Atlanta spa shooting, which claimed the lives of six Asian women; a few of them even reflected on the American entertainment industry's complicity in racist, xenophobic rhetoric and behavior directed at the AAPI community in the real world. To my knowledge, Shang-Chi is the first Asian-led superhero movie featuring a predominantly Asian cast, boasting production work from a mostly Asian crew, and co-written and directed by an Asian American filmmaker. Allowing artists from that community to tell a story about a character from said community brings an authentic lens to the narrative, and I got to give props to Marvel Studios for letting that to happen. (Of course, this doesn't mean they're free from scrutiny; you can acclaim their openness to genuine representation and critique the execution of said representation onscreen.) However, it is hard to quantify what Shang-Chi will mean for AAPI representation in Hollywood going forward. As of writing this, Shang-Chi was a massive success for Disney and Marvel Studios, crushing box office expectations and breaking records during its Labor Day opening weekend, but tying the film's box office success -- as well as its story about family, identity, and intergenerational trauma -- to real-world social justice efforts and the value of BIPoC representation in American cinema smacks of cynical capitalist idealism. But I am writing from the perspective of a Black, non-binary and queer Marvel fan. Although I recognize threads of this conversation from similar discussions following the success of Black Panther, it is not my place to speak on what Shang-Chi's success will mean for AAPI representation in Hollywood and whether this film will equate to sustainable, AAPI-led social justice initiatives in the long-term. Instead, I'll just redirect the discussion back to the movie. Going in, I had some high expectations for Shang-Chi. For the first time in two years, Marvel Studios was introducing a new hero on the big screen. Yes, we've gotten to meet some new heroes courtesy of Marvel's Disney Plus shows (e.g. Teyonah Parris's Monica Rambeau in WandaVision and Danny Ramirez's Joaquin Torres in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), but the last time the franchise gave a hero a big-screen introduction was 2019's Captain Marvel, starring Academy Award winner Brie Larson suit up as the fan-favorite Avenger. So it's been a few since Marvel let a new hero hit the big screen, marking another first for Shang-Chi. And, speaking of firsts, Shang-Chi marks Marvel's first martial-arts movie. MCU-adjacent shows Daredevil and Iron Fist boasted impressive martial arts-inspired fight choreography but their canonical status within the franchise remains murky. Needless to say, there was a lot of pressure on multiple fronts with this movie. Yet, Shang-Chi more than delivered. The traditional Marvel tropes -- from Katy serving as comic relief/audience proxy to Wenwu as the latest MCU Bad Dad -- are on display but director Destin Daniel Cretton (who shares a co-writing credit with writers Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham) approaches them from a fresh perspective, one that leans into ongoing cultural discourse centered on the Asian American community. As a result, Shang-Chi is more personal than the standard MCU origin story flick. Of course, the epic special effects and badass action sequences will take viewers' breaths away, but it's the personal, intimate story that moved me. It's safe to say that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Marvel's best origin story film in years. Simu Liu as Shang-Chi Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 2021) As I mentioned, Shang-Chi is the first -- there goes that dang signifier again -- MCU character to get his own cinematic standalone adventure in two years. As much of a mixed bag as Marvel's Disney Plus venture has been (WandaVision remains the best of the four shows launched so far, in my opinion), it's great to see Marvel bring their heroes back to the big screen. Yet, one of the bigger obstacles Shang-Chi, both the film and the hero, would have to face is navigating a post-Endgame world. Current MCU standalone adventures, whether on Disney Plus or in theaters, have been more concerned with rebuilding its universe in the wake of the departure of longtime heroes like Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain America. On top of that, the franchise has also prioritized further developing the current universe and having established characters like Wanda, Sam, Bucky, and Loki discover there's more to their world than meets the eye. As a result, these standalone stories don't always feel like they belonged to their heroes; sometimes they're a tour guide through all the expansive and major world-building the audience is experiencing alongside them (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki suffer from this greatly). Thankfully, Shang-Chi is a refreshing change of pace as the movie truly belongs to Liu and his new hero. Carrying a heavier and, sometimes, darker backstory than previous Marvel heroes, Shang-Chi is blessed with the sharp and snappy humor typical of an MCU hero, but beneath that ligh exterior lies a wealth of inner demons that he chooses to repress than confront. Best known for his role as Jung on the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience, Liu's knack for comedy makes him a great fit for the MCU; I mean, I can see Shang-Chi kicking it (no pun intended) with Star-Lord or Ant-Man. But, Liu's dramatic acting also deserves praise as the actor adeptly conveys his hero's conflicted nature. In Liu's hands, Shang-Chi's journey to overcome the darkness that has defined his childhood, his ties to his family, and, to an extent, his young adulthood is nuanced and complex. (To some extent, Shang-Chi's exploration of childhood trauma, grief, and self-discovery puts the film in conversation with WandaVision and Loki, two shows that also explored the darkness of long-standing grief and trauma.) Liu's powerful, layered performance in Shang-Chi once again reminds us how Marvel never misses with its casting. With this movie, Liu is truly a star in the making, and it's going to be exciting to see where Marvel (and Hollywood as a whole) takes the actor next. Tony Leung as Wenwu Tony Leung as Wenwu in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 2021) You know what they say; every hero is as good as their villain, but to call Wenwu a villain would be doing him a disservice. The latest father to enter the pantheon of "Bad Dads of the MCU" (an odd and sometimes harmful trope, especially when a BIPoC character enters the picture, that's part and parcel to the Disney cinematic experience), Wenwu's appearance in Shang-Chi already caught lots of attention because (Supreme Leader) Kevin Feige had already discussed how this movie would introduce him as the real Mandarin, who's name and signature weapon, the Ten Rings, were appropriated by a couple of white dudes looking to destroy the U.S. government. Immediately, audiences expected Wenwu to be, well, a bad dad-- particularly one who had no problem training his kid to be a killer from a young age and priming him to become the heir of his criminal organization. Yet, legendary Hong Kong film actor Tony Leung doesn't depict Wenwu as a cold, unfeeling, and terrible father. Nor does he depict him as a mustache-twirling, gravelly-voiced, monologue-delivering baddie. It's a truth universally acknowledged at this point that Marvel often puts out more underwhelming Big Bads than they do compelling ones. For every Loki Prime, Kilmonger, and Baron Zemo, there's a Malekith the Accuser, Yon-Rogg, and Yellowjacket not too far behind. So I'll admit, it was a bit shocking to see Shang-Chi pull a Shazam! and start with Wenwu first, but it's an effective narrative choice on Cretton's part. Not only did it illustrate that Wenwu would be different from MCU Big Bads of the past, it also gave audiences the opportunity to get to know him. If you're expecting Wenwu to be just like the Mandarin of the comics, you'll likely be disappointed. Although there's an undeniable chill and menace to him, Wenwu has a deeply personal goal that resonates with his entire family, making his eventual reunion with his son all the more complex. Leung brings unexpected pathos to the Wenwu, placing the intimidating father a sympathetic light. It's obvious that the actor and the writers approached Wenwu from a human lens rather than a villainous one, which was a smart move for the film. As it goes on, it becomes clear that Wenwu, as dangerous and deadly he can be, is a flawed man struggling to move forward after unimaginable loss. Personally, I could care less about the villains who can snap half of the universe out of existence with just the snap of a finger or could summon a robot army to fight a whole crew of heroes. It's the villains who's motives and emotions you can understand -- and maybe even relate to -- who are the most compelling, and Wenwu strongly illustrates that. The Supporting Cast (from L to R) Meng'er Zhang as Xialing, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, and Awkwafina as Katy in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 2021) Backing Liu and Leung is a strong supporting cast comprised of the likes of Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, and Florian Munteanu, as well as another acting heavyweight in the form of Michelle Yeoh. If there's one standout within the supporting players, it's Zhang as Xialing, Shang-Chi's badass younger sister who helps solidify the two as yet another iconic pair of MCU power sibs. Zhang not only embodies Xialing's impressive, self-taught fighting prowess, she also skillfully portrays the heartache Xialing carries due to years of familial neglect and isolation. Another person Shang-Chi abandoned when he ran away to America, Xialing is understandably angry to see her brother again after all these years, and Zhang does a great job portraying her character's rage and heartache over her brother and father coming back into her life once more. Phase Four could use another fascinating and compelling female character, so I am hoping that Zhang gets to return in some capacity in the franchise. Serving a similar role as characters like WandaVision's Darcy Lewis or Ant-Man's Luis, Katy is the audience proxy -- meaning Awkwafina does a lot of marveling (again, no pun intended) at the world around her. The Golden Globe winning actress does get the chance to flex her comic muscles courtesy of some solid one-liners and quips. Not every joke lands, resulting in scenes where Katy's humor runs against the obvious dramatic tension of a scene, thus throwing off a scene's tone on occasion. Despite her solid comic timing and delivery, Awkwafina tends to stick out because Katy's mile-a-minute humor doesn't always fit the scene, a problem that befalls on many comic relief characters in the MCU (e.g. Darcy, Luis, Rocket, and Ned). In spite of this, Katy is also one of the MCU's better-written female characters. Romance is a common staple in MCU movies, but Shang-Chi and Katy's relationship is healthy, supportive, and platonic. It's a refreshing change of pace, resulting in Katy getting a story arc that doesn't constantly revolve around a potential romance between her and her best friend. As a result, Katy gets to show her mettle as a heroine, choosing to dive headfirst into danger and provide Shang-Chi with much-needed moral support and understanding at dire times. It would be very interesting to see Katy cross paths with other characters in the MCU and get further development; like Liu, Awkwafina's comic chops make her a natural fit for the franchise, but she also demonstrates that there's so much more to Katy than quips and snark. Though he doesn't get to say much, Munteanu's Razor Fist makes for a physically capable adversary for Shang-Chi. When it comes to action, Munteanu is at his best. There's been much talk about the badass bus scene, and for good reason; it's one of Marvel's best action sequences to date. Sometimes, Razor Fist can sometimes linger in the background during the film, never quite rising to the heights of other memorable action movie henchman. But, when Razor Fist steps to Shang-Chi, the dude doesn't play; he's truly an imposing and scary threat. As for Michelle Yeoh, it was delightful to see her in the movie. Her presence was much appreciated, indirectly serving as an instance of the established guard ushering in her proteges into the realm of blockbuster filmmaking. I won't say too much about Yeoh's character, but I will mention a nitpick I have about her: for the most part, Yeoh is present to deliver a ton of exposition, which I thought was odd given how much care went into writing Xialing and Katy. Although we get to see Yeoh kick ass later in the movie, the fact that much of her initial screentime is devoted to long-winded exposition -- most of which is just loaded and somewhat clunky MCU worldbuilding -- was a let down for me. With that being said, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has a solid supporting cast who bring their own individual strengths to the table. Even when the film starts to slow up in the middle, the supporting players do a solid job of helping Liu and Leung the film finish strong. For Better and For Worse, This is a Marvel Movie. (from L to R) Tony Leung as Wenwu and Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 2021) As of writing this, an interview featuring director Denis Villenueve -- whose latest film Dune, an adaptation of author Frank Herbert's legendary and challenging sci-fi novel of the same name, is set to hit theaters next month -- has been making the rounds because Villenueve has joined the club of "Acclaimed Directors With Hot Takes on Marvel Movies." While the Dune filmmaker didn't call all Marvel movies are bad, nor did he pull a Martin Scorsese and said Marvel movies have no artistic merit with his whole chest, Villenueve did critique the many, many formulaic storylines featured in many of the movies. Which, honestly, isn't a terrible critique (nor does it have that "old white male director must gatekeep cinema" energy Scorsese's comments had). After twenty-four installments, audiences are all too familiar with the parts that make up a Marvel movie. From bad dads and forced romances to non-super besties acting as comic relief/sidekicks and magical objects made of either metal or rock, the blueprint for Marvel movies is practically well-known at this point. Occasionally, the MCU will take a chance on a filmmaker who decides to change things up, whether it's with tone, aesthetic, humor, or action. Most of the time, though, Marvel tends to stick with what's familiar. The age-old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" can not only apply to the spate of reboots, remake, and legacy-quels we've gotten over the past few years, it can also, almost irritatingly so, apply to the MCU. (I discussed this aspect briefly in my review for Black Widow.) In other words, Villenueve isn't entirely wrong to call most Marvel movies a "cut and paste" of each other. And his critique can apply to Shang-Chi as well. Make no mistake: Shang-Chi is a Marvel movie, meaning the classic -- and somewhat stale -- Marvel movie tropes are present; we've got cool-looking interdimensional portals, a final battle doused in a crap ton of CGI, a prolonged action sequence involving a moving vehicle, and a character with a missing arm. There's also got estranged siblings, a dead mom serving as the inciting incident, and exploding buildings with little regard for human life or property damage. Sometimes, this makes for disappointing viewing. While the film is a bit more daring with its impressive action sequences, breathtaking production and costume design, visually arresting aesthetic choices, and highly dazzling special effects, Shang-Chi ticks off all the boxes of typical Marvel moviemaking. Although this doesn't entirely dampen the movie for me, I still think it would have been much cooler to see Shang-Chi flip the common MCU movie tropes on their head a bit more. (Depicting Shang-Chi and Katy in a healthy platonic relationship rather than in a romance, for example, was one of the film's bolder choices, as was the choice to give space to Xialing's understandable rage toward her father and her brother in the wake of horrible family tragedy.) Yet, Shang-Chi still manages to remix some of these tropes, playing on viewers' familiarity and expectations in the process. Part of this is because of the film's refusal to, as Villenueve might put it, cut and paste certain tropes. Instead, some tropes -- specifically the long-lost sister story thread involving Xialing -- are presented through a new lens, one that seems to be speaking to ongoing cultural ideas and discussions surrounding the Asian American community. As a result, Shang-Chi's return to the messy, mythical world he abandoned raises the topic of belonging and identity, particularly how does one find a sense of self and belonging when he toes the line between two distinct worlds that don't seem to want him at all. It's not the standard Marvel tropes Shang-Chi is in conversation with, however. In terms of narrative, Shang-Chi has a lot in common with Black Widow, Black Panther, Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. All of these films contend with messy family histories and even messier family dynamics, as well as confronting past traumas and learning to accept the parts of you that make you a wholly unique but complex person. But the film feels more in line with recent Phase Four projects like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. Those three shows explored the subjects of grief, trauma, legacy, and identity as each respective main character embarked on journeys that forced them to confront the difficult realities of their worlds. WandaVision explored the shattering effects of all-consuming grief and repressed trauma; The Falcon and the Winter Soldier tackled race and representation by questioning what it meant for a Black man to take on a shield often reserved for blond-haired, blue-eyed white guys; and Loki intertwined the character's growth from fan-favorite villain to anti-hero with questions about free will and fate. Shang-Chi, to some extent, asks similar questions but grounds the pondering of them in a cultural context that might speak to the wider Asian American experience. (Again, I'm a non-binary and queer Blerd so I cannot speak on this subject.) In other words, Shang-Chi may be guilty of proving Villenueve correct in some aspects, but there are others where the film goes against the gradient. Now that we're twenty-four movies in, I hope that the MCU is actually willing to go against the gradient more than continue to play it safe. Shang-Chi does this in small doses but there was potential for this film to be a bit more daring overall, not just in a few places. In Conclusion Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 2021) Without a doubt, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is not only one of my favorite Marvel movies of all time -- it's also one of my favorite movies of the year so far. Shang-Chi is one of the more emotional and unique MCU origin stories I've seen in a while. Director Destin Daniel Cretton doesn't skimp on the grandiose scale and sharp martial arts-influenced action featured here but he doesn't let that overshadow the human story at the center of the film. This is a story about a young man with his foot between two worlds, trying to figure out which one he belongs to and whether he can reconcile the violent nature of his youth with the lessons he's learning as an adult. Most importantly, Shang-Chi is about the complicated and thorny relationships between a father and his son, a brother and his sister, a young man and his complex heritage, and, of course, an Asian man and his relationships to both his homeland and America. Simu Liu breaks out in a major way as Shang-Chi, effectively encapsulating what makes Marvel movie heroes so compelling. And, I won't lie (but I know I'll get roasted for this): I got a Spider-Man '02 vibe from Shang-Chi, the hero and the movie; of course there are scenes that immediately recall Sam Raimi's beloved films, but it's how Liu channels the hero. You get the sense that, for Shaun, being Shang-Chi doesn't come naturally, nor does Shaun feel all that normal being, well, Shaun. Shaun and Shang-Chi feel like two disparate people struggling to occupy the same body and space, and Liu conveys that feeling effectively. It's one of the more emotional displays of a hero being caught between two worlds and two sides of themselves I've seen since, well, Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy -- and it speaks to the wider experience of assimilation often felt by people of color living in America and diasporic communities. As for the film's antagonist, Tony Leung's Wenwu defies the Bad Dad archetype of the MCU, presenting a nuanced and flawed man hardened by insurmountable loss and self-doubt about his standing as the patriarch of this messy and mythic family. As steely-eyed and intimidating as Wenwu can be, Leung never loses sight of the humanity underneath the man; he's a relentless fighter and a grieving father. In addition to Leung, Shang-Chi boasts strong supporting performances from Meng'er Zhang and Awkwafina as Xialing and Katy, respectively; both ladies not only hold their own against acting heavyweights like Leung and Michelle Yeoh, but they also make their characters compelling individually as they embark on their own story arcs. For better (and for worse), Shang-Chi is a Marvel movie. While it contains most of the tropes and trappings expected of an MCU installment, Crettin isn't afraid to go against the gradient in some places. As a result, Shang-Chi contains a stunning visual palette, rich aesthetical touches, and, some incredible special effects. Moreover, the film's action set pieces are punching and kicking are thrilling and impeccably choreographed; many of its sequences -- dare I say it -- puts Shang-Chi on the same level as Captain America: The Winter Soldier for top-tier Marvel movie action. Welcome to the MCU, Shang-Chi! Things are about to get bigger, wilder, and weirder... A Reading and Watchlist of Reviews and Essays on Shang-Chi Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Courtesy of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 2021) Now that I have shared my thoughts on Shang-Chi, I encourage you to check out the following reviews, articles, and video essays about the film from AAPI writers, critics, and creators:
Have you seen Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings yet? Share your thoughts in the comments and be sure to follow the blog on Instagram for more updates and (hopefully) cool stuff! This Blerd is Online!
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