Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

A Marvel MCU review effectively writes itself these days. After 25 films you can basically expect 5 star epics like the Infinity War/Endgame double feature or brilliantly solid and effective 4 star/8-9 out of 10 superhero blockbusters that will give you an amazing night at the cinema or at home on the sofa.

The fact that a franchise can stay so essential this far in is unprecedented and an achievement which is pretty much unparalleled in cinema history.

Phase 4 is continuing to offer treats and building nicely for what looks to be the key double pivot: the next Spider-Man and Doctor Strange films which are confirmed to feature more than just their titular heroes.

One of those now confirmed to be joining this growing new-look Avengers team is Shang-Chi and he’s introduced magnificently in the brilliant Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, one of Marvel’s best origin stories to date.

It’s hard after what’s gone before to throw another early-days tale our way building up a new character but this film doesn’t play to type at all, slowly drip-feeding backstory into its own full-speed story where our new hero is already at full power.

It means, rather than a sluggish start, this film gives us two of Marvel’s best ever fight scenes within the first half: one early scene on a bus that you will have spied in the trailers being particularly jaw-dropping.

It's an interesting backstory featuring the titular Ten Rings organisation and the magical artefacts it's named for (and closing a few holes from Iron Man 3.) The story revolves around family, legacy and choosing which path to follow and resolves itself perfectly enabling Shang-Chi to drop into the next film with no threads to sort. Unfortunately, this does mean that the pace of this film sags somewhat in the middle third in order to get through things but this isn’t due to being stuffed with exposition or convoluted tangents, it’s just a victim of how good those early scenes are that even a trip to a mystical realm to close the story feels a little slow.

It builds to another big action finale that, whilst ending slightly prematurely, gifts us a truly exciting new character and some excellent side-characters that will be big parts of the upcoming slate.

It’s most comparable, in that sense, to Captain Marvel but this film usurps it with poise, huge moments, another excellent soundtrack and the customary jokes.

Another Marvel triumph, what else would you expect?!

4 stars ****