Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings released in theaters on September 3rd, and we haven't been the same since. In honor of the movie passing $400 million at the worldwide box office this weekend, here is my long-overdue review!
With this movie, we are welcoming Shang-Chi to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and expanding our view of Earth to tell stories from previously overlooked corners of the world.
The movie also provides context for the feared Ten Rings organization featured in Iron Man back in 2008. Over a decade later, we are finally meeting the founder of the Ten Rings, who has quickly become one of my favorite Marvel villains.
To get people excited leading up to the film's big debut, the Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King featuring actor Ben Kingsley's hilarious Trevor Slattery released the weekend prior on Disney+. I highly recommend watching this fantastically funny short film before stepping into theaters for Marvel's newest masterpiece.
Now, let's dive into the details:
WARNING: There are some spoilers in this review.
Let’s get this out of the way: Shang-Chi was absolutely brilliant! 10/10. I would watch it a million more times in theaters if I had the money and time.
Just when we thought Midgard couldn’t get any weirder, Marvel kicked off Phase 4 with a story that changes everything we know about earthly legends.
These new beginnings are filled with hilarious new characters that will steal your heart and challenge your knowledge of natural powers in the MCU.
The movie includes some of the finest fight sequences ever seen in a Marvel movie to date. It was refreshing to see a form that is new to the MCU being treated with such respect and given the justice it deserves through detailed scenes showing off Shang-Chi’s expertise.
I admire how the historical context of the Ten Rings truly bring this story to life. Minute details like these make the film feel immersive and personal. We are so used to hearing new takes on familiar folklore, but there is something so beautiful about creating a story within a story that stands entirely on its own. Marvel expertly shifts us into realities of their own making by enchanting us with stories untold.
It also must be noted that Marvel is making space to welcome different cultures and stories that have historically been left out of Hollywood cinema. This team of Asian filmmakers put every ounce of love and passion they could into making this movie momentous, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. It is heartwarming to see how respectfully new cultures, languages, and people have been depicted in this movie, and I'm thrilled that we get to see more of this representation in the future from Marvel productions.
As with every movie, there were some moments in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that I personally wish were further developed. For example, the introduction of Katy’s natural affinity for archery felt somewhat insufficient. Background into Ying Li’s relationship with her family before marrying Xu Wenwu would have also made the initial introduction of characters like her sister among the other people of Ta Lo feel less lackluster. The movie attempted to make up for these moments through the practicality of Katy’s fatherly mentor and Shang-Chi’s mesmerizing lesson in air manipulation with his aunt. However, it doesn't change that these developments felt a little rushed.
Besides those few scenes, I found this movie hilariously entertaining. Shang-Chi and Katy have such an endearing friendship, and I can’t wait to see my queen Xialing transition from leading Macau's underground fight scene to transforming the Ten Rings organization.
Furthermore, that post-credit scene of Shang-Chi and Katy talking to the Avengers has me waiting impatiently for the next decade of MCU content.
I’m so deeply impressed by the level of talent exhibited by Marvel’s new additions and how personal each actor’s relationship has been to their characters. It was lovely to see some fresh faces being added to the multiverse, and I’m excited to witness the unfolding of these connections in future movies. Highly recommend watching this movie ASAP if you haven’t already!
Overall (actual) rating: 10/10
Unrelated marketing side notes:
I'm a little disappointed in the lack of awareness raised for this movie through digital marketing platforms. I can appreciate the accommodations made for pandemic-related restrictions, however it seems the company invested in promotions like billboards and posters during a time when people are mostly at home. The movie's promotions also relied heavily on word-of-mouth from fan-events centering some of Marvel's biggest influencers. The problem with this strategy: it tends to be inaccessible to and negligent of newer fans or major non-influencer fans.
Upon further evaluation of my sources, I noticed that many of the promotions I shared came from the cast and crew, influencers, and media journalists. As such, many of my social media followers only knew about the movie because of content that I shared. Otherwise, they learned about it after people started to view it in theaters post-release. Furthermore, over-dependence on word-of-mouth through social media is often unreliable. With changing algorithms, many of my followers, and reportedly those of popular influencers as well, noticed increasing difficulty in their ability to find our content. Essentially, even if we share promotions, our content isn't prioritized compared to content from individuals these followers more frequently interact one-on-one with. Digital marketing is immensely valuable, but only if implemented in ways that are accessible to fans and not just through fans.
That being said, Marvel's social media team is always putting out their best work. It's so inspiring to learn from and interact with them, so I hope that one day I can provide this feedback as a part of that team. It was a great movie, and I'm excited to see Marvel's general and social media marketing evolve as it supports the upcoming projects throughout Phase 4.
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