In phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans faced many new concepts. From new characters to magic stones able to wipe out half the universe, fans’ expectations rose as Marvel kept on bringing new aspects to this cinematic universe. When COVID-19 hit and many movies were delayed, Disney mainly stuck to putting its content out on their streaming service Disney+; however, as life returns to normalcy, Disney is releasing movies in theaters again. Since “Black Widow” did not seem to have much of an effect on phase 4, I think “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is an exciting start for phase 4’s movies.

In the film, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) travels to California at a young age for a mission his widowed father made him do; however, Shang-Chi ends up staying in California to escape the bad conditions he was put in. The Mandarin (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), the owner of 10 powerful arm rings as well as Shang-Chi’s father, finds his son seven years later and takes him to find his mother and a long quest. Though the father is seen as an evil being, Shang-Chi follows him to find his mother through a journey that will change “the rest of his life” as one of the characters said.

The plot of the movie was phenomenal. When the movie trailer came out about four months ago, I had a lot of mixed reviews on it; however, after seeing the different shows that have come during phase 4, I can say the writers, producers and directors orchestrated the plot just right. First of all, they tied in a lot of theories for the multiverse when they brought in Wong, a character from “Doctor Strange.” This is especially evident through the end scene of the movie where he says there is a big war coming and their lives will be changed forever. The plot of this movie was a great introduction to the anticipated “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”

I really enjoyed how the characters were portrayed in the movie. The way Simu Liu acted really showed a mix between humor and heroism. He was able to show courage throughout the movie, but also show humor with the other hero, Katy (Awkwafina). I also like the way the writers portrayed Katy. They made her out to be a role model for kids who do not fit in in life. They portrayed her as someone who did not fit into the social standards and then made her a big hero in the movie, which I really enjoyed. Another big hero in the movie is Shang Chi’s sister, Leiko Wu (Fala Chen). She, an entrepreneur in China, is another really big role model in the movie. She shows empowerment, and I think that is something that every kid needs to see.

The only complaint I have about this movie is that there was not as much background lore as there should have been. There were many questions left unanswered, uncharacteristic of a Marvel movie. This is most likely because most movies don’t show childhood lore, but rather what happened for that person to get there. I feel like there should have been more about Shang-Chi’s childhood.

I feel like this movie was an overall success, despite my previous review of the trailer. Overall, the cast was perfect for the roles they were given. The plot is a good introduction to the big idea of phase 4. There is a lot to come from this movie, and I’m really excited to see more.