‘Shang-Chi’ Review Roundup: Here’s What Critics Are Saying

Early reviews are in for Marvel’s latest, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the overall impression is quite positive. With 134 reviews in, the movie currently sits at a 92% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 7.7 out of 10. Amongst Top Critics, i.e. critics for major publications and news outlets, the movie is at a 93% positive rating with an average score of 7.3 out of 10.

The consensus seems to be that the movie starts strong but falls into typical Marvel formula as it goes on, which is something of a trend with the studio’s more recent entries, as movies like Black Widow and shows like WandaVision often start off with a more differentiated approach to tone, genre, or style, before falling into the standard paint-by-numbers storytelling format by about the halfway point. A point of praise amongst many of the reviews is the action. While action scenes are generally very well done if occasionally forgettable in Marvel movies, many critics have positively commented on the martial-arts oriented action of Shang-Chi, which is appropriately scaled down from the more bombastic scenes of other entries to suit the scale of the movie and buoyed by the choreography of the late stunt coordinator Brad Allan, who famously worked with Jackie Chan, among others.

Additional praise has been directed toward the characters, who are generally seen as the strong point of Marvel movies anyway, who are written in the house style that blends comedy and sincere emotion. Critics have also praised the actors, especially star Simu Liu, for their portrayals and the handling of the dynamics between characters.

The main point of criticism is the story, which may well be the case for all Marvel movies, as it doesn’t seem to deviate from the tried and true. If you have seen one Marvel movie, in some sense you have seen them all and will likely know beat for beat how Shang-Chi is going to play out. While this can be a strange comfort to some, for many this predictability is a drawback of Marvel’s approach, and often a serious one.

It will be interesting to see how this carries over to audience opinion and box office returns. COVID resurgences around the world have dampened the expected box office performance of a lot of would-be hits, with many unwilling to go to theaters. Shang-Chi is being viewed as kind of a watershed moment for Asian American visibility in media, receiving a lot of support from that community up to its release, however it is uncertain if this will translate into ticket purchases and financial success. While Shang-Chi is not a particularly well-known or popular character in the comics, the movie’s villain is the famous Iron Man nemesis, the Mandarin. A version of the Mandarin appeared in Shane Black’s dumpster fire Iron Man 3, drawing the ire of many comic fans. These angered fans may be drawn to Shang-Chi to see this character brought to life in a manner more consistent with the spirit of his comic book persona.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters September 3, 2021 and will arrive eon Disney+ after 45 days.