by Sebastian Kluth
Par kluseba
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is yet another movie inspired by the Marvel universe that has constantly been inspiring the cinematic world for more than a decade now. While the movie follows the usual stereotypes, it manages to stand out with its stunning special effects and locations.
The movie revolves around Shaun, a Chinese immigrant living in the United States of America who is working as a valet with his quirky friend and soulmate Katy. One day, they get attacked by a group of assassins on a bus and only just manage to survive. Shaun immediately understands that the attack must be related to his influential estranged father. Along with Katy, he decides to team up with his tough estranged sister Xialing to find out what's going on.
This film convinces on multiple levels. First of all, the acting performances are quite quirky and convincing. Especially the ladies steal the show. Awkwafina delivers the goods as curious, dynamic and funny woman that anyone would like to have as a friend. Zhang Meng'er on the other side represents a much darker character shaped by dramatic events from the past who is much more difficult to approach with her tough, relentless and independent personality.
The expensive special effects certainly deliver the goods as well. The scenes in a fantasy world, in Ancient China and in contemporary San Francisco are all equally stunning to watch. The fantastic creatures such as dragons look impressive on the big screen.
The story might be predictable but is nevertheless entertaining from start to finish thanks to steady pace and inspired execution. You will truly care about the fates of the different characters as you are watching this film.
However, this film isn't without its occasional flaws. First of all, lead actor Simu Liu simply doesn't have the charisma of the other actresses and actors involved. Casting him was a bold choice but it didn't fully pay off in my opinion.
Up next, the movie desperately tries to connect to other characters in the Marvel Universe. The appearance of Trevor Slattery played by Ben Kingsley is completely random as it only seems to be a pretext to offer some misplaced comic relief. The mid-credit scene starts in an amusing fashion but suddenly involving Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers only seems like a weak attempt to develop a hype for potential sequels. The same goes for yet another scene after the credits that evokes more questions rather than concluding the film appropriately.
At the end of the day, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an entertaining fantasy action film of the Marvel Universe that should appeal to faithful and occasional fans alike. It's one of the better films in the franchise but perhaps Marvel should focus on quality over quantity instead of becoming a monstrous capitalistic machine that is scarier than any gigantic dragon shown in the film.
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