Shang-Chi (2021)

Shang-Chi ended and I sat with it for weeks. The living up to a legacy vs forging your own path theme kept circling back. I'd be doing something mundane and the Ten Rings vs the Great Protector would pop into my head. That kind of resonance is rare.

Shang-Chi has been praised so heavily that no film could live up completely. It's an excellent film — Tony Leung's devastating Xu Wenwu is genuinely remarkable — but it's not the untouchable masterpiece some claim.

Shang-Chi commits to a conclusion that not everyone will appreciate. I found it perfectly right — it refuses easy comfort. If you want tidy resolution you may be frustrated. If you want truth, it delivers.

I first watched Shang-Chi as a teenager and thought it was fine. Rewatched at 30 and it hit completely differently. The eastern mythology in the MCU undercurrent makes total sense now in a way it didn't before.

I usually avoid this kind of film but gave Shang-Chi a chance after constant recommendations. Completely converted. Destin Daniel Cretton transcends genre entirely. It works as pure human drama first.

There are scenes in cinema you never forget. For me, the Ten Rings vs the Great Protector in Shang-Chi is one of them. Destin Daniel Cretton constructs it with total precision and it lands exactly as intended. Pure craft.

Shang-Chi is technically accomplished and I understand its place in film history. But it left me cold. The living up to a legacy vs forging your own path element felt mechanical and I never connected emotionally. Maybe I'll try again.

Some elements of Shang-Chi show their age, but the core of it — family and sacrifice, fresh MCU mythology — hasn't diminished at all. Films this good age better than almost anything else.

Everyone told me to watch Shang-Chi for years. Finally did and instantly understood why. Tony Leung's devastating Xu Wenwu is immediately apparent. Now I'm recommending it just as loudly to everyone else.

I've seen Shang-Chi multiple times now and it just keeps getting better. fresh MCU mythology is something rarely matched in cinema. If you haven't watched it yet, clear your evening.