Marvel Studios is up and stuck, baby! Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings kicked in the door waving the 4-4 with a $127,600,000 worldwide debut at the box office.
The film scooped $71.4 million at the domestic box office and the International box office pulled up with $56.2 million.
Read our review of the film below, written by our resident movie guru, B. Gunn.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings written by B. Gunn
They say you can choose friends but you can’t choose family. So basically, for richer or poorer, better or worse, through sickness or in health, you’re stuck with blood relatives ‘til death you part. That either sounds like marriage vows or a Death Row Records contract. Does being related also mean you’re obligated to love and pledge allegiance to family, no matter what? Loyalty is everything, but so is self-respect. When a family member forces you to choose between right or wrong, what side will you be on? Mom over morals or dad over decency?
In the new movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, a son must decide where he stands, and his decision could mean paying the ultimate price. Let’s go!
Family over everything! Everything??? Hol’ up…wait-a-minute! “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, the latest film of the juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stars Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, and Meng’er Zhang.
Liu plays Shang-Chi, or Shaun as everyone knows him, a hotel valet going with the flow of life along with his best friend Katy, played by Awkwafina.
They’re both content with the trajectory of their lives until a normal bus ride turns into major mobile mayhem, forcing Shaun to finally face his past – and his Pops. From the time I saw the first trailer for “Shang-Chi”, it was on my radar like local news stations tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. My gut told me there was something special about this film.
After seeing it, I can confirm my gut feeling was correct and it wasn’t that Chipotle steak bowl I ate. This movie is astonishing from beginning to end! Marvel has a way of spending fortunes on films to give the crowd what they want, but their track record is proven, which makes them justified in those big budgets. Sometimes those movies not only bring in huge returns, but become iconic cinematic fixtures. This is one of those movies.
“Shang-Chi” is a mega-budget masterpiece. The entire cast excels at an elite level. Shout-out to the casting department for these talented actors. The main and supporting characters have thorough development and backstory making for a rich plot. In fact, the characters are so well fleshed out, they could honestly have their own flourishing dramatic or comedic series.
Wenwu’s arc is the most intriguing. Sure, he’s the antagonist, but when you follow his arc through the film, you’re reminded of why love is the strongest emotion and why it’s the blindest one.
Placing Awkwafina in this was a good choice. I ain’t gon’ lie, I was kinda apprehensive at first. She is not relegated to comic relief! Her character is vital and serves as a reflection of the crossroads many young people face when trying to transition into a responsible adult. Her dialogue is well-thought out and she just happens to be funny at delivering it.
The casual movie fan wanting to see some action and great special effects will undoubtably be satisfied, but there’s much more to it here. “Shang-Chi” is visual artistry. The fact that Shaun is powerless makes him powerful. What I mean is he can’t fly or has superhuman strength, but Shang-Chi is a master martial artist.
These fight scenes are some of the best I’ve ever seen! The choreography is at its apex. You’ll be amazed at the things this man can do with his bare hands. The CGI is flat out on another f’ing level. Incorporating Asian tradition with state of-the-art special effects and vivid imagination put this joint over the top. This has to be the most alluring film Marvel has created.
“Shang-Chi” was worth the wait. It’s rare having a big budget movie with a stellar cast, CGI that doesn’t overpower the film, and an intelligent plot. It even makes up for “Iron Man 3” in a clever, hilarious way. There are big surprises and cameo appearances guaranteed to keep your eyes glued to the screen.
This is culturally and aesthetically major, y’all, so I’m giving “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” a CO-SIGN CLASSIC! Stay for the total time because there are mid and end credit scenes. If you have the paper, DEFINITELY see this in IMAX! This ain’t the type of film to watch on tv. Shang-Chi has convinced me to take Karate again. Let me get my 7th grade karate gee out the closet. Bruce Bee is back!
Watch the trailer below.
Did you see the film over the weekend?
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