3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a huge step forward for Marvel Studios when it came to representation as it was the first Marvel movie to have an Asian director and feature a predominantly Asian cast. It’s also a damn good movie.
Being that it is an origin story for one of the MCU’s newest heroes, it shares many similarities with the movies we would have seen in Phase One and / or Phase Two. However, it’s also a far superior movie than many of those titles.
Its exploration of Asian culture is welcome and it’s one of the many reasons why the film is so beautiful on so many levels. Simu Liu delivers a career-defining performance as the earnest but strong title character, and the film’s villain, Wenwu, is one of the MCU’s better antagonists. And we can’t discuss this movie without praising the truly spectacular fight choreography, as it features perhaps the greatest combat scenes in the whole MCU.
If Phase Four is all about acting as a launching pad for new heroes, then Shang-Chi is its most successful example of that. It’s a highly entertaining thrill-ride from beginning to end rich with so much quality, and it’s a rare example of a movie you can actually appreciate more on a rewatch.