Shang-Chi Hid Its Greatest Weapon in Plain Sight

With 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, director Destin Daniel Cretton steered the Marvel Cinematic Universe into new territory, introducing Simu Liu as a new lead and Awkwafina as his sidekick. The film largely functions as a standalone, avoiding much of the franchise’s recent homework and offering creative martial-arts action alongside a visual palette different from the concrete gray aesthetic the series adopted after Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The movie balances MCU demands—CGI-heavy environments and inevitable big battle scenes—with striking choreography from the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and production design by Sue Chan. It still lands on familiar third-act battle beats, but the journey to that point remains engaging, and Box Office Mojo shows it settled at over $400 million worldwide.

Most of all, Shang-Chi’s secret weapon is Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Wenwu.

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