The Best: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
With apologies to the fun but forgettable Black Widow and the beautiful but ultimately generic Eternals, 2021 was all about Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings. Marvel’s best film of the year was also its highest-grossing, domestically to date… almost as if audiences were more interested in more diversity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Go figure. Thanks to some incredibly creative martial arts fights (the scaffolding!), the genius of Awkwafina, and most especially a typically incredible performance by Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung as Shang-Chi’s father Wenwu, the movie had enough depth, emotion, and stakes to carry it through the standard MCU-brand CG-filled final act.
