Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the Guardians of the Galaxy were not household names. Marvel Studios has proved over the years that they are able to take less popular comic book characters and turn them into pop culture icons. Shang-Chi joined the list of characters to receive such treatment with his own origin film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The film successfully introduced a great new superhero to the MCU, and subtly tied in to the Multiverse with Ta Lo.

Despite being positively reviewed by critics and achieving a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, not everyone was impressed by the film. Many Marvel fans online have called Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings dull and uninteresting, calling it one of the worst films of Phase Four. Even before the film’s release, critics predicted (via People) that the film would be a failure. However, the film ultimately became a box office success, and paved the way for director Destin Daniel Cretton to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Here are several reasons why, while it was not everyone’s cup of tea, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was still a great addition to the MCU.

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     Marvel Studios

Countless fight scenes have been featured in the MCU over its more than 24-film spanning franchise history. In Marvel Comics, Shang-Chi was one of the best fighters, if not the best fighter, in the entire universe. Expectations were high for Shang-Chi’s on-screen debut, and the fight scenes did not disappoint. Before Shang-Chi was given the Ten Rings, he had to rely purely on his own fighting skills. From a young age, Shang-Chi was trained to become the ultimate assassin.

The bus fight sequence in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was carefully crafted and took an entire year to complete. Filmed on-location in San Francisco and on a soundstage in Australia, the intense fight scene had Shang-Chi fight thugs in a bus while keeping the passengers safe. Refreshingly, the scene featured no superpowers and instead focused on great fight choreography. In addition to the bus scene, the fights in Macau and Ta Lo were also exceptionally well done.

A great soundtrack and cinematography by The Matrix cinematographer, Bill Pope, only elevated the film to new heights. As reported by Collider, Cretton wanted Pope to work on the film because of his “naturalistic and grounded, but also heightened” style. Whether it was the cast or crew, the film was made with love and care, and it showed. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was dedicated in Brad Allan’s memory, who worked on the film and was a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team.

An Incredible Villain

     Walt Disney Studios

In 2013, Iron Man 3 depicted the Marvel Comics supervillain known as “the Mandarin”. Although Trevor Slattery was revealed in the film to be a decoy, Aldrich Killian was, at the time, intended to be the MCU version of the character. The portrayal disappointed fans and left a lot to be desired. Eight years later, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced the “real” version of the character in Wenwu. Possessing the Ten Rings and leading the criminal empire of the same name, Wenwu was a powerful warlord who had lived for thousands of years. He was also the father of Shang-Chi and Xialing.

It would have been easy for Marvel to designate Wenwu as a generic supervillain. Instead, however, they created a rich, three-dimensional character with very human flaws. Wenwu was not meant to be agreed with, but was meant to be understood. Speaking to Elle, actor Tony Leung described his character as a man who “craves to be loved.” When reading the script, Leung considered why Wenwu ultimately became the man he became, and referred to Wenwu as a “sociopath, a narcissist.”

It was not until Wenwu met Li that he got to experience love. Due to Li being killed when he did not wear the Ten Rings, Wenwu valued power above all and went back to his destructive ways. Tricked by the Dweller-in-Darkness, Wenwu attacked Ta Lo believing he could rescue his wife. It was not until the end that Wenwu realized his failures and finally gave the Rings to his son.

Representation of Asian Culture

The comic book character of Shang-Chi was created by two Caucasian men during the “kung fu craze” of the 70s. Shang-Chi has always been an Asian character strongly associated with Asian culture. Of course, it goes without saying that Asian talent would go a long way in keeping those stories authentic to their cultural influences. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings featured an Asian director, Asian writers, and a predominantly Asian cast. As a result, the film managed to avoid many outdated stereotypes and brought an understanding of the Asian American experience few other Hollywood productions possess.

Prior to Shang-Chi, Black Panther had tremendous cultural impact and has been credited by Shang-Chi actor himself, Simu Liu, as the reason why Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was able to be made. Both films brought valuable representation to Hollywood, allowing the new generation of kids to see superheroes that look like them on-screen. Representation has reinforced the idea that everyone has the potential to become a hero and a force for good.

Dragons and Effective Larger-Than-Life Storytelling

Marvel fans interested in the more fantastical got to experience Ta Lo, a dimension within the Multiverse. The dimension was protected by a dangerous maze forest that only certain people were able to navigate. Ta Lo was home to many mythical creatures including the dragon known as the Great Protector. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings embraced the fantastical while still telling a very human story about family and loss. After being knocked into the depths of a lake, Shang-Chi emerged riding the Great Protector into battle. Shang-Chi was the product of all who came before him, carrying on the legacy of Ying Li and Xu Wenwu, all while carving his own path.