carothehotmess:

Also I love the fact that in the movie, Shang Chi was born in like 1996 so he’s what- 25? Or I guess 27, since the post-Blip stuff is set in like 2023 technically.

And I just love the fact that two of the main characters of the film are late twenty-somethings with advanced education who are working shitty jobs unrelated to their degrees bc they don’t know what to do with their lives.

That just speaks to me on a whole other level.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of th Ten Rings

LET’S GO!!

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS SPOILER-FREE REVIEW!

I’ve watched Shang-Chi twice now, and all I have to say about this movie is supremely positive. I don’t know how to start this review, because I just wanna scream and parade around with glee. Shang-Chi is a movie we should have had a long time ago in the MCU, but better late than never.

Shang-Chi is a martial arts bonanza from start to finish. The story jettisons in such a compelling direction, gripping you and embedding itself as a vital story worth watching. Simu Liu is guaranteed to be people’s new favourite actor in the MCU with ease, but the supporting cast are equally fun and engaging - this is definitely a movie about a family though, not just one guy kicking butt to save the day.

Fight choreography in the MCU has always been something I greatly appreciate, but we’ve certainly been blessed with Shang-Chi, raising the bar for future installments. This film has some crazy elements we’ve never experienced, and just get crazier as it goes - paying homage to kung fu films of old, and Jackie Chan slapstick fights, but then also amplifies things with the Marvel stimulant. That being said, it feels like the least ‘Marvely’ movie for the majority (in the best way possible), but of course has bold implications for the future of the MCU.

I apologize that this review is an absolute shambles with next to no structure, but it’s difficult to find words worthy of use. As I said at the start, the Chinese mythologies and unbridled martial arts are things I feel the MCU should have had a long time ago - it instantly feels like such a key/favourable direction for storytelling in this universe. Yes, I was expecting some amazing fight choreography/cinematography similar to Crouching Tiger, Hero, even the Matrix, but the film then takes things ten times further and embraces such unexpected (but extremely welcome) directions. You are not ready for this movie!

My final notes: Anyone unhappy with the rings being bracelets rather than their original comic book depiction, just know that these rings are so goddamn awesome, and the fight scenes they feature in are insanely inventive and creative. Other than Endgame, the final act of this movie is my favourite final act in any MCU movie (and I imagine the only reason Endgame wins for me is because of all the longterm development it’s built upon). With this being the first actual Phase 4 movie, I can confidently say that Marvel still have a plethora of worthy stories to tell beyond the Infinity Saga. Shang-Chi has a grand future ahead of him.

What did you guys think? Let me know! (If you haven’t seen it yet, please avoid the comment section).

SHANG-CHI POSTERS!

Plus: Exclusive Clip, “Scaffolding Escape!”

New: SHANG-CHI CHARACTER POSTERS!

Plus a new character featurette…

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MOVIE SPOILERS…

Don’t worry, there’s no spoilers in this post - just a rant about people’s insatiable need to spoil things.

If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’re a fellow movie enthusiast. Entertainment by any means has the ability to bring people together. We can anticipate and experience things, then discuss and share said experiences. Sometimes we have to wait an agonizing amount of time - often seemingly forever… but when it finally arrives, we’re happy we waited, and most often than not, it’s usually worth waiting for too.

As a kid, spoilers were never really a risk I encountered, partly due to the internet being not as, let’s just say, socially collosal and expansive as it is today. I was able to enjoy movies, games, TV shows and comics from start to finish and get surprised along the way. The duration between a piece of media being announced/confirmed, and the time it took for it to release and be ingested was never a spoiler minefield, partly because such a minefield didn’t exist.

Flashforward to present day, and we all have the same social media apps installed. We use these apps to discover content and stay updated with friends and family, though for some reason, in the last few years, all I seem to encounter on a daily basis are just spoilers for things I care about. The argument could be made that the algorithms are attempting to tailor content to me for convenience. I’m not denying that this is a beneficial system in theory, but when I’m forced to see spoilers against my will purley due to it relating to something I’m interested in, it gets a little annoying.

Another argument could be made that I don’t have to use these apps, which is certainly true, but I shouldn’t have to deprive myself of near-infinite entertainment that I do care about, just because a portion of people/organisations make it their mission to recklessly splurge out exclusive content for the sake of views.

These spoilers range from rakishly explicit images, to implicit news headlines trying their hardest to be allusive, though fail to realise most people aren’t stupid and will probably know what a cryptic headline is implying, without needing to read the actual article. I’ve seen screenshots from upcoming movies that I would’ve rather not seen, I’ve seen people posting pictures of merch and figurines for things before we’ve even seen a trailer. Yes, merch/toys aren’t always accurate, but they still give you a good idea of what’s in store.

I miss being able to just sit and wait for a trailer, enjoy the hell out of it, wait in anticipation for the movie to release, and then just be able to f**king enjoy it when it’s out! Now, everyday just feels like I have to dodge spoilers no matter what I’m doing. If I get a whiff of a spoiler, I have to double down on my vigilance to ensure it remains unspoilt. I have to make sure that remains the case right up until release day, and then let out a sigh of relief when I finally rest my cheeks on the cinema seat. If you’re excited about something, why the hell has it become an obstacle course to make sure that remains the case?

I understand that some people are okay with spoilers, and I understand that some outlets try to share spoilers with some sort of security attached, for people that don’t want to inadvertently see things, which I definitely appreciate… but to some degree, you have to acknowledge that there is nothing stopping a fellow reader taking that spoilery information and passing it along without the same degree of care.

Posting spoilers is easy content. It comes with an element of exclusively that is bound to pull in a larger audience, but I dislike this severely. If you have encountered a spoiler deliberately or accidentally, it is your responsibility to make sure others aren’t forced to learn about them. If everyone else around you is posting spoilers for views, don’t worry, it doesn’t suddenly make you uncool for not taking part. If anything, I find it admirable if you’re making the conscious effort not to participate in sharing spoilers.

At the end of the day, seeing spoilers isn’t life or death, and in the grand scheme of things, this issue seems petty, but when you’re passionate about something, you want to be able to enjoy it properly. If you bought a new book, you’d be annoyed if the person next to you skips to the last page and bellows out the ending. If you’re queuing up to watch the final of a football tournament, you’d be annoyed if a time traveller teleported in front of you and spoiled the outcome. The irony of these over the top examples is that we’re actually encountering this for movies/shows, however they’re in the form of mundane social media posts.

This issue is just getting worse by the day, and I imagine every new movie that’s set to release will just breed more and more spoiler content. I think there needs to be greater consequences for the initial leakers, and more of a deterrent for the people/outlets that are itching to share them. I’m not a tech whiz of any kind, but why can’t we have something similar to an AdBlocker which censors potential spoilers? Silly, I know - ideally though, it would be nice to not have to suggest desperate ideas to avoid things I don’t want to see. These are first world problems for sure, and I’m not denying that in the slightest, but it still sucks. It shouldn’t have to be like this. Why is there such a need to declare you know something before other people? I honestly don’t remember the last piece of content I experienced that hadn’t had an aspect of it spoilt. I watch the trailers, featurettes and interviews as it’s the quantity the content makers want me to see prior to the movie. I look at the poster because they want me to visualise what’s in store. It should stop there. This is what we should discuss, speculate on and get hyped about and nothing more.

What are everyone else’s opinions?

SHANG-CHI POSTER!

I think the poster is a bit dull. Come on, Marvel, be brave! Don’t just have my man standing there - we’ve already seen that! Have him fists clenched in a flying kick stance or something!

What do you guys think?

ABOMINATION VS WONG!

Check out the awesome new Shang-Chi trailer below:

This film is shaping up to be insane! I love how crazy the MCU is getting lately!