Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings had its world premiere yesterday and early reactions from the movie are out. As is the norm, critics can’t say much other than provide a general impression of how the movie does. And based on a sampling of these, it looks like early reactions to Shang-Chi are unanimously positive, with praise being showered for its action sequences, storyline and uniqueness that makes it stand out from Marvel movies in general.
Steven Weintraub of Collider was pumped up and described Simu Liu as “kicking ass”. According to him, Shang-Chi was unlike any other MCU movie you’ve seen before and it opens up new parts of the universe that are incredibly exciting.
Drew Taylor of Collider and Vanity Fair likewise called the movie a triumph, lauding the martial arts influences and sequences. He also called it unexpectedly spiritual, leading me to believe that it could lean heavily towards some of the Chinese / Asian zen concepts and channeling your inner chi.
Both Brandon Davis of ComicBook and Wendy Lee Szany of TheMovieCouple heaping compliments on the action. Davis described the action as being “absurdly epic” whereas Szany felt every subsequent action sequence was better than the one preceding it.
And the list goes on. Here are a few more reactions that echo similar sentiments – a fresh, unique perspective on the superhero genre, exciting action, good storytelling.
It’s exhilarting to see a Marvel movie getting people excited once again. It’s unfortunate that current circumstances and the movie’s exclusive theatrical release mean not everyone will get a chance to catch it in theaters day-and-date.
What’s also got my attention is the lack of mention about characterization. In a film packed with so many action sequences, it’s understandable that character gets the short shrift. But fans have been especially looking forward to seeing Tony Leung’s Mandarin deliver an authentic, nuanced and true-to-comic portrayal of the character after the botched-up representation by Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3. The lack of mention about him by any of the major reactions is a tad bit discomforting but I’m holding hope that these folks are saving it up for the reviews.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters on September 3, 2021. Let me know if these reactions have you excited to return back to theaters again.
