Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
U/A; Fantasy, adventure
Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng`er Zhang, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michelle Yeoh, Florian Munteanu, Tim Roth, Ben Kingsley, Benedict Wong, Ronny Chieng, Fala Chen
Rating: ***½

This 25th movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a lesser-known superhero propelling it. Shang-Chi, though not exactly obscure, doesn’t command the marquee mandate of the better known Avengers - but even so, director Destin Daniel Cretton and team manage to deliver a memorable introduction that is sure to spew forth a series of franchise instalments, bound to wow the audience at large.

Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi/Shaun, an integral part of a dysfunctional family dynamic which includes his dead mother Jiang Li (Fala Chen) belonging to a magical kingdom that protects the world from a powerful evil force, estranged sister Xialing (Meng`er Zhang) and vengeance-powered father Wu Wenwu (Tony Leung). Wu Wenwu, who has lived for 1,000 years creating a society, ‘Ten Rings’ meant to impregnate the fortress that is the magical kingdom, lures his two children back into the fold in order to accomplish his mission. But their unwillingness to fall for his plans fuels a power struggle that unleashes a hell that can only be contained by the teaming up of good against evil.