ABC News

So what if the showoff climax deserts depth for dazzle. As the first Asian hero in Marvel history, former stuntman Simu Liu is action poetry in motion and his epic starring debut kicks off the fall film season on a rousing high note.

A review by Peter Travers for ABC News on 2021-09-03

New York Post

It’s fresh, it’s alive, it’s not the same old Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A review by Johnny Oleksinski for New York Post on 2021-09-02

Chicago Tribune

Director/co-writer Destin Daniel Cretton’s film accomplishes something akin to what “Black Panther” accomplished in better times. It broadens the scope of superhero representation and storytelling. It offers an adversary, and a father figure, of teasing ambiguity and complicated rooting interests.

A review by Michael Phillips for Chicago Tribune on 2021-09-01

The Atlantic

Sometimes Shang-Chi is a straightforward martial-arts drama, all fistfights and meticulous choreography. Other times it’s a high-fantasy epic, full of stunning scenery and complex lore.

A review by Shirley Li for The Atlantic on 2021-08-25

LarsenOnFilm

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn’t perfect. There’s a bit too much exposition involving myths, history, and character backstory; that climax inevitably abandons the intimacy of the fight scenes for gargantuan CGI. Yet by that point the movie has earned too much goodwill to be affected much by such complaints. I’m sure there are plenty of punchplosions to come in the MCU, probably even delivered by Shang-Chi himself, but at least Ten Rings offers a momentary respite from the reverberations.

A review by Josh Larsen for LarsenOnFilm on 2021-08-23

Original-Cin

There is enough story, enough heart and action here for a fun time at the movies.

A review by Karen Gordon for Original-Cin on 2021-09-01

Consequence

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.

A review for Consequence on 2021-08-23

Entertainment Weekly

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.

A review by Leah Greenblatt for Entertainment Weekly on 2021-08-23

Film Threat

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an origin story, and director Destin Daniel Cretton, working from script he wrote alongside Dave Callaham and, Andrew Lanham did a masterful job telling a story that’s not only Asian-American but a Marvel movie at the same time.

A review by Alan Ng for Film Threat on 2021-09-07

The Observer (UK)

Cretton negotiates potential cliches such as flashback sequences and that hoariest of old chestnuts, the training montage, with a gravity-defying lightness of touch.

A review by Wendy Ide for The Observer (UK) on 2021-09-04

Wall Street Journal

There’s always a point in any Marvel extravaganza where somebody exclaims “Holy s—!” just to remind us how awe-struck we’re supposed to have been all along. When Awkwafina does it, it’s funny. She is good for Mr. Liu, who carries the action while she carries the humanity. They leave no doubt at the end of “Shang-Chi” that they will be back and they will be welcome.

A review by John Anderson for Wall Street Journal on 2021-09-03

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Shang-Chi is a first, but it’s firstly fun to watch.

A review by Cliff Lee for The Globe and Mail (Toronto) on 2021-09-02

Arizona Republic

The latest Marvel movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is a rollicking, adventurous … wait, this is a Marvel movie? It is indeed, and all the better for not being necessarily immediately recognizable as such.

A review by Bill Goodykoontz for Arizona Republic on 2021-08-31

Time Out

Even though it doesn’t stick the landing, Shang-Chi is one of the better Marvel intros. Thor and Captain America both debuted in films less assured than this, and look how they developed. Shang-Chi would be a welcome addition to any future Marvel movie.

A review for Time Out on 2021-08-23

Total Film

Marvel’s Phase Four makes up for lost time with an origin story that richly entertains when it’s not pushing boundaries.

A review by Neil Smith for Total Film on 2021-08-23

TheWrap

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.

A review by Todd Gilchrist for TheWrap on 2021-08-23

IGN

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.

A review for IGN on 2021-08-23

Screen Rant

Bolstered by a star-making performance from Simu Liu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings gets the MCU's newest hero off to a promising start.

A review by Rachel LaBonte for Screen Rant on 2021-08-23

ReelViews

As a stand-alone movie with no connections to anything else, Shang-Chi is an engaging piece of comic book art. It remains to be seen how it will fit into Marvel’s overall plan.

A review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews on 2021-09-01

Chicago Sun-Times

Shang-Chi gets a little bogged down in the grand finale, which features an overlong and typical MCU battle featuring all manner of otherworldly creatures and bombastic special effects — but the journey to that final destination is fantastic.

A review by Richard Roeper for Chicago Sun-Times on 2021-08-31

The Associated Press

Beneath the beauty and the violence is a story about the ties between siblings, fatherly expectations, the modern world’s demands versus traditions and our own legacies.

A review by Mark Kennedy for The Associated Press on 2021-08-31

San Francisco Chronicle

“Shang-Chi” gives us Shang-Chi, a likable, thrilling-to-watch and ultimately very welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A review by Peter Hartlaub for San Francisco Chronicle on 2021-08-23

Washington Post

It remembers to have fun. It’s a kick to watch — often literally — and the kind of popcorn movie summer is made for.

A review by Michael O'Sullivan for Washington Post on 2021-08-23

CNN

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.

A review by Brian Lowry for CNN on 2021-08-23

USA Today

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.

A review by Brian Truitt for USA Today on 2021-08-23

Rolling Stone

The promise of Shang-Chi, which is as much martial-arts movie as it is standard superhero origin fare, is that a lot of people will get their asses kicked: sometimes gracefully, even beautifully, and other times with the battering-ram power you can expect of a movie advertising 10 rings at play.

A review by K. Austin Collins for Rolling Stone on 2021-09-07

Los Angeles Times

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.

A review by Justin Chang for Los Angeles Times on 2021-08-23

Screen Daily

As the action sequences grow more elaborate, Shang-Chi loses a little of its personality, succumbing to de rigueur effects-driven spectacle. Granted, some of these scenes can be stunning, but the visual pizzazz means less than Liu’s graceful navigation of this tale of a man who long ago fled his father and must finally face him. It’s these intimate character moments that help distinguish Shang-Chi from other MCU pictures.

A review by Tim Grierson for Screen Daily on 2021-08-23

The Hollywood Reporter

While its disparate elements don’t meld together as smoothly as they should, they do, in the end, add up to a superhero movie fresh and fun enough to feel worth a spin.

A review by Angie Han for The Hollywood Reporter on 2021-08-23

Austin Chronicle

Shang-Chi doesn't just pull off a fun western xuanhuan, but makes it feel like a door being opened for future Marvel films. Where Shang-Chi stumbles is in the script.

A review by Richard Whittaker for Austin Chronicle on 2021-08-23

The A.V. Club

Shang-Chi’s hero is on a journey to become himself, but the movie is lost inside of the machine.

A review by Katie Rife for The A.V. Club on 2021-08-23

Uproxx

When the characters are just being the characters, instead of listening to exposition, this is a really fun movie. (And Destin Daniel Cretton excels at characters.) It’s all here. And it’s why I’m really looking forward to the next chapter now that we got all the explaining out of the way.

A review by Mike Ryan for Uproxx on 2021-08-23

Slashfilm

As Marvel remixes go, Shang-Chi is one of the more successful ones. Maybe not as stylistically strong as Black Widow and certainly not as much of a watershed moment as Black Panther, it is elevated by the strength of its hard-hitting fight scenes and the supporting performers — especially the Tony Leung of it all.

A review by Hoai-Tran Bui for Slashfilm on 2021-08-23

Boston Globe

Overall the movie has too many dead spots. And they aren’t necessarily the non-action sequences.

A review by Mark Feeney for Boston Globe on 2021-09-03

Observer

Marvel's latest movie feels just as sanitized and safe as its other products, even with its killer cast and talented director Destin Daniel Cretton.

A review by Oliver Jones for Observer on 2021-08-23

We Got This Covered

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn't top-tier MCU, but it's a solid origin story anchored by two fantastic performances from Simu Liu and Tony Leung, as well as some of the franchise's best action.

A review by Scott Campbell for We Got This Covered on 2021-09-03

The Irish Times

Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Just Mercy and Short Term 12, continues Marvel’s reasonably successful practices of unlikely hires from the indie sector. The dialogue is snappy. The action has real kinetic clatter. What a strange industry this has become.

A review by Donald Clarke for The Irish Times on 2021-09-03

ScreenCrush

Ultimately a mixed bag. But to its credit, it isn’t too tied-in with other Marvel movies, and mostly stands on its own.

A review for ScreenCrush on 2021-08-23

Variety

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.

A review by Peter Debruge for Variety on 2021-08-23

Paste Magazine

The main attractions for Marvel’s Ten Ring circus are better when freed from the MCU’s captivity.

A review by Jacob Oller for Paste Magazine on 2021-08-23

New York Magazine (Vulture)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may give us the franchise’s first Asian American superhero, but what may be the most Asian American thing about it is the way it’s caught between the legacy of its forebears and a still-developing sense of self, its protagonist yanked away from that journey and enlisted as the face of the latest representational win, without ever seeming entirely decided on what he’s representing.

A review by Alison Willmore for New York Magazine (Vulture) on 2021-09-01

Slant Magazine

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.

A review by Jake Cole for Slant Magazine on 2021-08-23

The New York Times

The film uses the superficial markers of Asian culture and filmmaking without presenting anything unique in its Marvel take on that tradition.

A review by Maya Phillips for The New York Times on 2021-09-02