With so many of their films coming out, it’s wonderful to see Marvel manage to keep things fun and exciting by combining their superhero film formula with elements from the martial arts and giant monster genres. I had a great time with this film because while parts of it are definitely predictable, I just found myself thoroughly entertained by this film.

In “Shang-Chi”, we meet a young man by the name of Shaun (Simu Liu). He is hiding a big secret. He’s actually skilled martial artist and assassin Shang-Chi. Now, he must use his hidden talents when his father (Tony Leung “Infernal Affairs”), the leader of the Ten Rings criminal organisation, prepares to carry out an action that could unearth an ancient evil.

I like Simu Liu as Shang-Chi. I was not really familiar with Shang-Chi as a character and so I think it’s remarkable that Marvel has succeeded in making such a great film with a character most people have probably never heard of. It reminds me a lot of their “Guardians of the Galaxy” film. There are some famous faces from Asian cinema as we get Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh (“Supercop”). Also, a few characters from some of the other Marvel films are featured in fairly creative ways.

“Shang-Chi” contains some action scenes that may use a lot of special effects but some of the choreography is clearly inspired by the fights in the films of Jackie Chan (“Police Story”). The film also leans very heavily into Chinese fantasy so I was reminded of films such as “The Emperor and the White Snake”. I get that a lot of people may not view this as one of the best Marvel films but I just love all the kung-fu, giant monsters and Chinese fantasy content. I think there are also enough ties to the other Marvel pictures to excite devout fans of the franchise.