There are very few movies without mistakes and room for improvement, but Shang-Chi may very well be one of them. Like other “One-off” films such as Antman or Black Panther, this is easy for people new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to watch with a very small amount of background knowledge needed.
Starting the movie, there were concerns that it would be a very Westernized version of East Asian culture, however it was very true to its lore. As with most Marvel movies, there was quite a bit of action but there was also plenty of time for character development and conversation. They spent a perfect amount of time with character dialogues and created meaningful, important relations between characters. Contrary to the advertising, Awkwanfina’s character ‘Katy’ wasn’t just there for a standard comic-relief character but had rather delightful interactions with Shang.
The movie was a bit over two hours long, yet nothing feels rushed or skimmed over. Even for people who haven’t read Shang-Chi comics, the movie did a great job of thoroughly explaining his past as well as his father’s.
Another important thing, the soundtrack for the movie was also very well put together. It pays excellent homage to the Eastern Asian origin of the characters and storyline. The visual aspect was also amazing, with stunning sets and CGI.
It might not be to everyone’s liking, but for people who enjoy Eastern entertainment for its focus on character interactions, recurrent story-telling, and often its focus on pleasantly complex solutions, this was very in line with that.
