Movies

'Shang-Chi' Early Buzz: The First Reactions To The New Marvel Movie Are Here

Shang-Chi Early Buzz
By Joshua Meyer/

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings won't hit theaters until September 3, but the movie rolled out the red carpet for its world premiere in Hollywood last night, and now the first wave of social media reactions is in. Here's what people have been saying about Marvel's first Asian-led superhero film.

Last week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek drew flak for calling Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings an "interesting experiment." He was referring to the movie's release model, which will forego the hybrid theatrical/streaming strategy that we've seen other recent Marvel and Disney films like Black Widow and Jungle Cruise employ. Shang-Chi star Simu Liu fired back, positioning the film as "a celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year."

The red carpet ceremony for Shang-Chi was certainly a celebration, with Liu, co-stars like Awkwafina and Benedict Wong, and director Destin Daniel Cretton all in attendance. Even Sir Ben Kingsley, the fake Mandarin from Iron Man 3, was there, which led some fans to speculate that his character might make an appearance in the movie alongside the real(?) Mandarin, played by Tony Leung.

Early reactions for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings seem to be uniformly positive. Our own Peter Sciretta was in attendance, and he said Shang-Chi "has some of the best fight scenes of any MCU movie." He also said Liu and Awkwafina make for "a fantastic pairing."

A number of other journalists in attendance praised the fight choreography, too, making it sound like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings really delivers on the action front:

In addition to action, it would appear that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has some real heart to it, too. Some called it "unexpectedly spiritual and emotionally complex" and mentioned the "personal, family story at its core."

Still others talked up the movie's distinct vibe, teasing surprises that trailers have not shown and saying it's "like no Marvel movie you've ever seen."

All in all, it sounds like Shang-Chi brings a new flavor to the MCU and won't disappoint fans with its action or family dynamic. The only real criticism so far seems to be a third act that's sometimes "a little crazier than is needed." Keep in mind that the hype of a big Hollywood premiere can sometimes fuel an excited first round of Twitter reactions. We'll know more once the critical embargo is lifted and some actual reviews start pouring in.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in theaters on September 3, 2021.

Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings" stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi's friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Meng'er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.

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