Marvel fans certainly have a lot to look forward to this year, as Phase Four of the MCU is well underway. The long-awaited Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is finally almost here, making history as the first Asian-led Marvel film. Simu Liu (who has set the record straight on how to correctly pronounce his name and the name of the film) stars as the titular Shang-Chi, a skilled martial artist who was trained at a young age to be an assassin by his father, Wenwu. But when he is drawn into the Ten Rings organization (yes, that same Ten Rings featured in Iron Man), he’s forced to confront the past he thought he left behind. The superhero film also features Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Michelle Yeoh, and Meng’er Zhang.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be released Friday, September 3, only in theaters and with NO immediate Disney+ release. The 45-day theater exclusive window has been called an “interesting experiment” by Disney CEO Bob Chapek, and those comments have been divisive, to say the least, with Simu Liu himself firing back. So we’ll have to wait to see how the action movie will perform at the in-theater box office. For now, however, the social media embargo has lifted and people have started to share their thoughts. Let’s check out what they’re saying.
Let's start with the home team, as always. Our very own Eric Eisenberg saw the superhero flick and considered it a "solid" installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While he thought the story was a bit uneven and the third act too heavy on CGI, he really enjoyed the duo of Simu Liu and Awkwafina. He also thought the hand-to-hand action was great, saying:
Brandon Davis from ComicBook.com also thought the third act was a little "crazier" than necessary, but overall, he loved Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He commented that the action is unlike anything we've seen so far in the MCU, and argued that a Shang-Chi is about to become a lot of people's new favorite Marvel hero! Davis considered the action "epic" and really enjoyed the duo of Simu Liu and Awkwafina. Check out what he said:
Hollywood Critics Association member Wendy Lee Szany thought Shang-Chi was "PHENOMENAL." She considered Simu Liu fantastic, as well as the action and soundtrack. She said:
The action in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is again touched on by Drew Taylor, who has bylines at Collider and Vanity Fair, among others. He considered the action sequences some of the very best in the MCU. Taylor also argued that Simu Liu will probably be your new favorite hero (hmm, definitely sensing a pattern in these tweets). He said:
While Scott Mendelson from Forbes thought there are some "nits to be picked," he really enjoyed the Marvel film. He thought it was exactly what Disney and Marvel needed, and said:
It would seem that overall, people really enjoyed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Marvel fans only have a few weeks to wait and see for themselves, as the movie releases in theaters on September 3.
If you just can't wait for even more superhero movies, check out what's coming up to plan your next trip to the theater (or your couch).
