Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: In Phase 4 of the MCU, Marvel presents us with a new hero: Martial Artist Shang-Chi. He is confronted with his past and must stand up to his father, the Mandarin.
Plot and background
With Phase 3 of the MCU now complete, new Marvel hero*s are taking over the big screen. One of them is the outstanding Chinese martial artist Shang-Chi (Simu Liu).
Strictly speaking, Shang-Chi doesn’t have any “real” superpowers in the comics, but he is an outstanding martial artist who excels with almost superhuman endurance, agility and reflexes. Moreover, he has perfected his chi to such an extent that he can even smash metal and dodge or deflect bullets. Find out how the film debut of this MCU superhero turns out in the “Shang-Chi” review from kino.de.
Get a taste of the action-packed new Marvel adventure in the first trailer:
“Shang-Chi” – plot
Shang-Chi gained his abilities only through hard training, which his powerful father, Wenwu aka the Mandarin (Tony Leung), ordered from his childhood days. As a teenager, however, he turned his back on his father and his criminal organization, Ten Rings, and went undercover to live in the United States. Years later, he enjoys a carefree life, working at the same job as his best friend Katy (Awkwafina) and keeping his past a secret from her.
However, when the Ten Rings criminals disrupt his peaceful existence, the demons of the past are summoned once again. The only clue from the past leads him to China, where his estranged sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) has come to terms with her father’s actions in her own way.
“Shang-Chi” – background, cast
Having made his first appearance in Marvel Comics back in 1973, the comic book hero benefited from the kung fu movies that were very popular at the time and enjoyed several years of popularity. However, in the recent past, the martial arts hero has fallen into oblivion. After the great success of “Black Panther”, Marvel is now once again focusing on diversity and is realizing a solo film with an Asian superhero for the first time.
Behind the scenes, Destin Daniel Cretton (“Just Mercy”) is responsible for directing, with Dave Callaham (“Wonder Woman 1984”) contributing the screenplay. In addition to Liu and Leung, other well-known actors and actresses have been recruited for the film: We see Awkwafina (“The Farewell”) as Shang Chi’s girlfriend Katy, as well as Michelle Yeoh (“Tiger & Dragon”) and Florian Munteanu (“Creed 2: Rocky’s Legacy”), who are predestined for action-packed and precisely choreographed fight scenes. There is also an MCU reunion with Wong (Benedict Wong), Abomination (Tim Roth) and Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the actor who pretended to be the Mandarin in “Iron Man 3”.
