Stewie Griffin’s review published on Letterboxd:
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at least continues the studio's track record of enlisting the talents of truly great artists. Yet even with its high-budget quality, the movie is incredibly dull, sticking to the underwhelming formulaic system that marvel has progressed over the decade. Although supposedly absorbing another country’s customs, it still feels like the same thing over and over again, ending in the most tiresome method possible, already utilised in the dozens of superhero movies been made by the MCU. Shang-Chi isn't a hopeless addition to the studio’s filmography, but the movie feels as racked with a sense of inadequacy about its main character as that main character is about himself. It uses the superficial markers of Asian culture and filmmaking without presenting anything original on that tradition. It features some creatively choreographed, over-the-top martial arts mayhem while sacrificing so much of its character depth and cultural context along the way. I really wanted to like this, but overall Shang-Chi feels as if the writers had to finally come up with a plot, and it is clearly seen. Unfortunately disappointing.
