“Shang-Chi” introduced the title character, played by the handsome Simu Liu, as the son of an immortal gangster named Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung). Xu was granted immortality by ten magical bracelets that he wore up and down his arms, and which he could control with his mind. Shang-Chi was trained in martial arts as a boy and was expected to be an assassin for Xu, but Shang-Chi left the family business over moral objections and became a valet in San Francisco. Shang-Chi’s backstory is revealed slowly to his best friend Katy (Awkwafina) after the pair of them encounter high-octane super soldiers in the street one morning.Â
What follows is a complex Marvel adventure involving a magical forest of bamboo, killer dragons, a resentful sister, a hidden kingdom, and a portal to Hell. Michelle Yeoh has a small role, and Ben Kinsley returns, reprising his role of Trevor from “Iron Man 3.”Â
“Shang-Chi” was reviewed well, sporting a 92% approval rating, based on 344 reviews. No one listed it on their best-of-the-year lists, but almost everyone gave it a pass. Moreso, many people logged into Rotten Tomatoes to give it a positive rating, giving it that 98% audience score, now called the Popcornmeter. Over 10,000 people gave it a thumbs-up. One might want to take that number with a grain of salt, however; one doesn’t have to see the movie to give it a positive or negative score on the Popcornmeter. Indeed, certain films tend to get review-bombed by terminally online “fans” who simply want to move the needle on films they object to, sight unseen.
But still, 98% is impressive, even with the salt.Â
In terms of its critical rating, “Shang-Chi” is ninth-highest rated of the MCU, listed behind “Thor: Ragnarok” (93%), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (93%), “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” (94%), “Avengers: Endgame” (94%), “Iron Man” (94%), “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (95%), “Black Panther” (96%), and “Ms. Marvel” (98%).