Marvel’s SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS video review by Mark Walters & Devin Pike

Marvel’s SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS video review by Mark Walters & Devin Pike

After the decade-long build up to AVENGERS: ENDGAME, Marvel Studios has made no secrets about wanting to get creative with their next phase of films, which I guess technically started with the BLACK WIDOW prequel movie. But it’s safe to say the more daring and exciting entry is SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, their newest comic book adaptation which hits theaters this weekend. Moving away from traditional superhero lore, the events of this production follow Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), a man who mastered martial arts at a young age, only to walk away from his training for a decade and live a somewhat carefree life, but like the voiceover in the trailer says, “You can’t outrun who you really are.” The movie also retcons the character of The Mandarin from the comics. In IRON MAN 3, The Mandarin was revealed to be an actor named Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) who was only pretending to be a sinister villain. In SHANG-CHI, The Mandarin is played much more like the comics counterpart, and by stellar actor Tony Leung. And yes, that is rapper Awkwafina playing Shang-Chi’s best friend, hot off her memorable performances in CRAZY RICH ASIANS and THE FAREWELL. This is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (SHORT TERM 12), produced by Kevin Feige (of course) and Jonathan Schwartz, and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Charles Newirth are executive producing. David Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, and Andrew Lanham wrote the screenplay for the film. Check out Devin and I doing a video review (courtesy of this week’s episode of The Big Film Show) below and if you get a chance to see the film, tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.

The Review:

Here’s the newest trailer:

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS hits theaters September 3, 2021

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About the Author

Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff.