Why did I wait so long to watch Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? Am I the only one who felt that out of all the Marvel movies, Shang Chi was the one that was least advertised? I have started to fall behind in watching Marvel content as I still haven’t seen Black Widow or Hawkeye on Disney+. I’m hoping to get caught up shortly before I’m accidentally spoiled. I watched Shang Chi and this film rocked.

Shaun aka. Shang Chi (played by Simu Lee) is a valet in San Francisco alongside his friend, Katy (played by Awkwafina). During the bus ride to work, Shaun is attacked and fights in expert hand-to-hand combat shocking Katy. Shaun reveals to Katy his real name, Shang Chi, and how his dad is evil, and his sister is someone he needs to protect. Throughout the film, Shang Chi finds out more about his family and discovers a plane he knew nothing about.

One of my favorite action sequences is at the beginning where Shang Chi is fighting on the San Francisco bus. The bus served as a perfect backdrop as Katy is driving through hilly intersections. Speaking of Katy, Awkwafina plays her perfectly. Katy is the getaway driver and provides the one-liners throughout the film. The best one-liner is after she hears about Shang Chi’s identity, she says “You changed your name from Shang to Shaun? No wonder your father found you”. Besides both Simu Lee and Awkwafina, this film features a ton of talent including Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung, and Meng’er Zhang. According to Wikipedia, Shang Chi was Meng’er Zhang’s first film role. I wouldn’t have thought that seeing her on-screen as Shang’s sister who her father mostly ignored. I have been a big fan of Michelle Yeoh ever since Tomorrow Never Dies Yeoh abolishing the Bond girl stereotype. I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen films featuring Tony Leung, but I wouldn’t be opposed.

One thing that surprised me about Shang Chi was the odes to past Marvel films. I can’t say anything more without spoiling the film, but there was one tie-in to a previous Marvel film that completely changes that Marvel film for me. While Shang Chi has been out for months, I refuse to be the one to accidentally spoil a film for someone.

I’m glad I finally got around to watching Shang Chi and I wished I was able to see it in theaters. I hope to see Shang Chi, Katy, and Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) in future Marvel films. I did check the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast list and I didn’t see Simu Lee listed, so I hope I’m wrong. Shang Chi can be streamed on Disney+