Critic Scores Arrive For Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

(L-R): Katy (Awkwafina) and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios' SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Critic reviews and ratings are coming in on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic for Marvel’s upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings film starring Simu Liu.

Rotten Tomatoes

On Rotten Tomatoes the film currently has a 92% on the Tomatometer from 75 critics.

The average rating is 7.7 out of 10 with 69 fresh reviews and 6 rotten reviews.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Looking at the Top Critics, the film has a 95% Tomatometer score, but a lower average rating of 7.10 out of 10. It has 20 fresh reviews and 1 rotten review.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Here’s what some of the critics are saying:

Robert Kojder at Flickering Myth gives the film a 3 out of 5. He writes, “Simu Liu, demonstrates he can carry the movie without a CGI galore climax. Shifting that route, Marvel once again proves to be their own worst enemy regarding the difference between disposable entertainment and crafting something legitimately great.”

Julian Roman at MovieWeb gives the movie a 4 out of 5. He writes, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a stunning martial arts epic that absolutely shattered my already high expectations.”

Travis Hopson at Punch Drunk Critics gives the film a 3 out of 5. He writes, “A wondrous blend of martial arts classics with the Marvel brand, and it will always be jaw-dropping to behold on that level, regardless of the things that went wrong.”

(L-R): Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Therese Lacson at The Beat gives the film a fresh review. She writes, “Getting to see myself reflected in a Marvel blockbuster flick, despite its flaws, makes me excited for what more we might see from Shang-Chi.”

Shirley Li at The Atlantic gives the film a fresh score. She writes, “Shang-Chi ultimately belongs to Leung. He’s not just the star of the film’s opening — in his hands, Wenwu’s devastation catalyzes the action and permeates every frame, turning the film into a tragedy.”

Gabriella Geisinger at Digital Spy gives the movie a 4 out of 5. She writes, “While we can’t help wondering how much better this movie could have been untethered from the MCU at large, its distinct and fresh story make for an enjoyable watch.”

Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Matt Lynch at In Review Online gives the film a rotten rating. He writes, “Despite its representational bona-fides, could not be a more purely generic exercise from this machine that eats cinema.”

Jon Negroni at Cinemaholics gives the film a 6 out of 10. He writes, “It’s sad to see what could’ve been a rousing standalone finish its journey as little more than a pitstop to something much better.”

Kyle Pinion at Screen Rex gives the film a rotten rating. He writes, “With Shang-Chi, we have on our hands perhaps the least essential MCU affair since Mickey Rourke was throwing laser whips around Robert Downey Jr’s head.”

(L-R): Wenwu (Tony Leung) and Ying Li (Fala Chen) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Jeffrey Zhang at Strange Harbors gives the film a B+. He writes, “Even with its muddy, CGI soup third act, there’s a voice within Shang-Chi’s kinetic action, and a powerful performance from screen legend Tony Leung as one of the MCU’s best villains.”

Scott Mendelson at Forbes gives the movie an 8 out of 10. He writes, “‘Shang-Chi’ blends MCU tropes and director Destin Daniel Cretton’s sensibilities into a thrilling action-fantasy that turns the ‘Hollywood movie aimed at Asians’ formula on its head.”

Grace Randolph at Beyond the Trailer gives the film a fresh score. She says, “Top Tier Marvel. One of their best solo films. Lots of great homages to Asian cinema & culture. Leung, Awkwafina & Kingsley are standouts. Cretton knocked it out of the park!”

Metacritic

On Metacritic the film currently has a Metascore of 70 from 28 critics reviews. There are 23 positive reviews, 4 mixed reviews, and 1 negative review.

Source: Metacritic

Here’s what the critics are saying on Metacritic:

Nick Allen at RogerEbert.com gives the movie an 88. He writes, “Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, this film fits into Marvel packaging in its own way, but it has an immense soulfulness that other MCU movies, superhero movies, and action movies in general should take notes from.”

Ben Kaye at Consequence gives the film an 83. He writes, “If Shang-Chi is the best MCU introduction since GotG, it’s also the best standalone adventure since Black Panther. There’s a storytelling maturity that demonstrates Marvel is still willing to go back to basics — even as it gets more fantastical. It’s also a visual feast, with some of the most outlandish SFX scenes in any MCU entry.”

Leah Greenblatt at Entertainment Weekly gives the film a 83. She writes, “They’d be crazy not to give Meng’er Zhang, as Shang-Chi’s ferociously watchable sister Xialing, her own spin-off, and Awkwafina, who spends at least a third of the movie in a fanny pack and lime-green parachute pants, polishes her sardonic slacker M.O. to a high one-liner shine.”

Ying Li (Fala Chen) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Tim Robey at The Telegraph gives the film an 80. He writes, “The best thing about Destin Daniel Cretton’s blockbuster is how confidently it goes its own way: these call-backs to surrounding Marvel lore are sly without being smug, at least until the obligatory end-credits gesture ushering Shang-Chi into the fold.”

Laura Sirikul at Empire gives the film an 80. She writes, “Featuring funny and endearing moments amid beautifully choreographed action sequences, Shang-Chi excels as a story about family and how it can be twisted by grief. Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung bring multi-faceted characters to life and, despite pacing issues, it delivers a hugely entertaining step in the right direction for Asian representation.”

Todd Gilchrist at TheWrap gives the movie an 80. He writes, “Even if it was long overdue, or maybe precisely because it was, “Black Widow” still felt like the remnant of a timeline before heroes had reached total market saturation. “Shang-Chi,” by comparison, feels like the new beginning that its predecessor was meant to be, as much as anything, because it truly ventures in a new direction — building distantly on the world that has now become common moviegoer knowledge, but adding stylistic flourishes and an unhurried pace from Cretton that suggests it’s content to be its own story instead of a cog in a larger machine.”

(L-R): Katy (Awkwafina) and Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Francesca Rivera at IGN gives the film an 80. She writes, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a confident introduction to Marvel’s first Asian superhero, delivering the MCU’s best fight choreography and one of its most emotionally complex villains.”

Michael O’Sullivan at The Washington Post gives the film a 75. He writes, “It remembers to have fun. It’s a kick to watch — often literally — and the kind of popcorn movie summer is made for.”

Brian Lowry at CNN gives the film a 75. He writes, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings conjures a slick addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one that owes less to the comics than most of its predecessors. The movie not only strikes a welcome blow for inclusion with its predominantly Asian cast, but deftly juggles epic world building with lighter comedy in a way that should appeal to audiences, depending on how many can be lured back to theaters at this moment.”

Wenwu (Tony Leung) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Brian Truitt at USA Today also gives the film a 75. He writes, “As the debuting title superhero and a new champ for representation, Liu exudes likability, swagger and depth – plus forms a great buddy-action combo with co-star Awkwafina – and “Shang-Chi” really cooks when he’s in a street-fighting groove. However, director/co-writer Destin Daniel Cretton’s ambitious adventure loses some of that storytelling momentum when diving into its involved mythology.”

Justin Chang at The Los Angeles Times gives the movie a 70. He writes, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is most enjoyable when it shakes off the tedious franchise imperatives and forges its own path.”

Peter Debruge at Variety gives the film a 60. He writes, “Like virtually every stand-alone MCU movie to come before, “Shang-Chi” does a fine job of presenting its hero as a relatable everyman during the first half before spiraling off into bombastic, brain-numbing supernatural mayhem for the final act.”

Jake Cole at Slant gives the film a 38. He writes, “On the screen, Shang-Chi is rotely defined by the same ‘gifted kid’ impostor syndrome as so many other self-doubting MCU heroes before him.”

(L-R): Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

What do you make of these critic reactions? Do you plan on seeing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings?

 

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