Simu Liu plays Shang-Chi, and Awkwafina plays his friend Katy. Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung play Ying Nan and Xu Wenwu respectively, and Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen and Florian Munteanu also appear. It is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz. With the friend who stays by the hero's side and the family he must stand against placed side by side as two axes, there is fun in gauging which side of Shang-Chi's world each character belongs to.
It is rated 12 and over and is available on Disney+ with a subscription. It comes with a notice that some flashing scenes may affect light-sensitive viewers, so if you are sensitive to light stimuli, it is a good idea to adjust the screen brightness and viewing environment beforehand.
What to watch for
- 01
Since the opponent he must face is both the head of a terrorist organization and his father, it is worth watching with the family conflict that overlays each action scene in mind.
- 02
Checking how Ying Nan and Xu Wenwu, played by Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung, are entangled with Simu Liu's Shang-Chi is a clue to following the story.
- 03
The premise of confronting a forgotten past shows that Shang-Chi's path to becoming a hero is also a process of reclaiming his own roots.
This work suits viewers who enjoy Marvel hero films and are looking for an action fantasy centered on a family story.