Shang-Chi is a really solid origin story; I'd say one of the best that Marvel have produced in some time. It nicely sets up the characters, their relationships, and the world within which it sits, whilst still giving you a driving narrative that makes you care a little. The whole father/son angle felt a little odd at first, but it worked nicely, and it was great that the villain's main motivation was actually grief, for once. This wasn't some world-ending threat; it was one man who truly believed that the love of his life was being held captive. (Well, I suppose technically the evil demon that was manipulating Shang-Chi's father was the true villain, and that was a world-ending threat, but it was so flash-in-the-pan that it can be forgiven. Also, dragon fights are badass.)
But for an entry in the MCU, it really felt disconnected. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it did give us the space to get to know these characters better, but it did feel a little odd. On the one hand, this is another area where the villain not being out for world domination helps, as does the focus on mysticism and magic, both of which provide plausible deniability as to why S.H.I.E.L.D or the Avengers aren't immediately involved. On the other, it's slightly odd that Steven Strange doesn't show up (or, as the post-credits revealed, that Wong doesn't, either, which was a fun cameo). But it is a change of pace that took a step to get used to.
Similarly, this really felt distinct in terms of style. Perhaps that's the more Eastern-inspired fight choreography – that is absolutely stunning – but again, the way the story was told felt different to a normal MCU film, but that was juxtaposed with an extremely Marvel narrative arc. I mean, for each step that Shang-Chi dares to take outside of the MCU formula, it swiftly takes another back into the realms of the tried-and-tested. The humour and action beats are all distinctly Marvel, as is the relatively predictable segmentation of introduction, revelation, conflict, teamwork, twist!, and then heroic victory. The villains both end up mirroring our heroes in terms of powers; the comedy sidekick is here for the witty one-liners; and we do even get a couple of Easter egg cameos, like the sudden re-canonisation of the Incredible Hulk's Abomination and the slightly awkward retcon of the first MCU Mandarin 🤔 The result is a slightly confusing blend of a movie that doesn't quite feel like it's being fully embraced within the MCU, but also can't escape its shadow.
Still, given the excellent critical reception and the gangbusters financial success, plus the excellent core casting choices, I think it's fair to say that Shang-Chi 2 will likely place our titular character at the heart of the new Avengers. He's already showing clear leadership traits, and I think would make an excellent foil to Falcon's new role, particularly given that his loyalties are immediately a little murky, what with the whole family crime dynasty thing going on 😉
And frankly, I really hope that is the case, because I had an absolute blast. Sure, there were some moments with Ben Kingsley's character that I could have done without, though Trevor is a funny part to ham up, but Simu Liu and Awkwafina make an amazing double act, and boy oh boy did they nail the fight scenes. That bus choreo is some of the finest in the MCU since the OG Daredevil and I can fully understand why it's already being poured over in YouTube videos and reactions.
The result is a highly enjoyable, often very funny, and visually stunning romp that gives us some great new characters and further develops the mystical side of the Marvel universe. Awesome stuff!