Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) is the holder of the ten rings, which he wears on his wrists. They give him the strength of a god and eternal life. But instead of using them to do good, for the past 1000 years he has used them to fill his never-ending thirst for power. With the help of his army, which he calls The Ten Rings, he has won battles, toppled governments and changed the course of history. Xu Wenwu has gone by many names over the century, including The Mandarin. It seemed like he had nothing left to conquer, but then heard of a place called Ta Lo, a village in another dimension, populated by magical creatures. However, when he went to find it, he discovered that it was guarded by the beautiful Ying Li (Fala Chen), and the two unexpectedly fell in love, and Li left her powers behind in her village to start a family with Xu Wenwu.

When Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) was just 7 years old when his father, Xu Wenwu, started to train him to be an assassin, but he didn’t want that life. When Shang-Chi was assigned his first hit at age 14, he ran away, heading to America, where he met Katy (Awkwafina). The two became best friends over the next 10 years, now working together as parking valets for a hotel. Katy still knows nothing of Shang-Chi’s past—she only knows him as the fun, but uncoordinated Shaun. However, fate is about to change all that. Shang-Chi’s father has sent The Ten Rings to bring his children back home. It is time for Shang-Chi and his estranged sister, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), to take their proper places by their father’s side. However, they don’t really have any interest in working for their father and his crime business.

Meanwhile, Xu Wenwu has been hearing voices, telling hi, that his love, Ying Li, is being held captive by her people, behind a locked gate in Ta Lo. He plans to save her, even if that means burning the entire village to the ground. But Shang-Chi believes his father is delusional, and that his mind has been altered by the ten rings he constantly wears on his wrists. If Xu Wenwu manages to complete his so-called rescue mission, he could unleash a deadly magical power that would no just wipe out Ta Lo and its people, but threaten the entire world. And so Shang-Chi and his sister, and a small band of misfit heroes, set off to try to find their mother’s magical homeland before their father, to warn its people of the forthcoming onslaught by Xu Wenwu and The Ten Rings, and help them defend their magical land.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a welcome addition to the MCU, finding its roots in Easter eggs laid way back in the first Ironman film (though some fancy retconning had to be done to make it all work properly). The film is an action-packed thrill ride, mixing Chinese locales and culture with fantasy and magic. The movie is filled with many amazing fight sequences, as well as a lot of humor. Shaun and Katy have this really fun best friend dynamic, and the chemistry between the two actors is delightful. While the film does showcase Shang-Chi’s excellent martial arts skills, we first get to the know the character as the fun-loving Shaun—who likes to hang out with his best friend at work, go for some midnight karaoke, and has become a part of Katy’s family. Meanwhile, Katy provides a lot of the film’s comic relief, in a role that seems perfectly tailored for Awkwafina. Katy is a young woman running from adulthood—a parking valet with an honors degree from Berkeley, who doesn’t take life too seriously. However, both of Kay and Shaun are forced to grow up when they learn what Shang-Chi’s father is planning, and join the fight against him. For Katy, it means becoming a more responsible adult and finding what she is good at in life. And for Shang-Chi, it means coming face-to-face with the sister he hasn’t seen in a decade, and who is still upset that he abandoned her when they were kids. Xialing may still hold a grudge, but the two are going to have to reconcile their past if they are going to help protect the future of Ta Lo.

The film’s fight and action sequences feature all sorts of martial arts styles. Shang-Chi uses more standard hand-to-hand techniques as he fights off attackers on a bus or on scaffolding on the side of a building. Meanwhile, his sister likes to make use of a rope dart; their mother has more of a dance style that resembles the wirework type of fighting from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon; and their father is more into brute force, using his ten rings as projectiles, or to generate bursts and balls of energy to thrust at at his foes. Joining the group on the mission to protect Ta Lo—and adding even more comic relief—is Liverpool actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who’s been locked away in Xu Wenwu’s basement for a long time, but that certainly doesn’t seem to have dampened his spirit or resolve. Also, every villain needs an eccentric sidekick, and for Xu Wenwu, that’s Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu), a man with a sword for an arm whom he treats like another son.

While Disney’s physical disc release of the film won’t be out for another two weeks, the movie is already available for purchase on Digital. I was sent the 4K version for review, which I watched this on the Apple TV. The video was stellar, with a clean and pristine picture throughout, making nice use of the Dolby Vision HDR to showcase the film’s beautiful color palette. Whether the action was taking place in a high speed bus in the bright daylight of San Francisco, the colorful and magical world of Ta Lo, or at night atop a Macau skyscraper lit only by neon lights, the picture always remains crisp and detailed, with perfect blacks and no bleeding of colors. While Disney+ recently added an IMAX Enhanced version of this film to the service, the digital release does not switch aspect ratios at any time, remaining in the standard theatrical 2.39:1 ratio throughout the entire film.

The Dolby Atmos audio track provides clear dialogue, and a general level of ambiance throughout, which helps to give a fully-immersive viewing experience. The soundtrack really shines during the action sequences, even when we don’t actually see the action on screen, such as when Xu Wenwu gets his revenge on the men who hurt his wife—while we can’t really see what’s going on, the sound is crystal clear, helping you to fill in all the gory and gruesome details.

The bonus material, which should be the same as what will be on the physical release, consists of 15 minutes of deleted/extended scenes, a gag reel, 17 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and an audio commentary by the writers/director.

What’s Included:
Digital specs and bonus material may vary per retailer

Film: (2:12:35)

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
  (Does not include IMAX Enhanced version, which is exclusive to Disney+)
• Dolby Vision
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Extras:

• Building a Legacy (8:53)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about updating the comics for a modern audience, creating an Asian superhero, the martial arts training and choreography, shooting the bus sequence, building Ta Lo village, the magical creatures, the costumes, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes and pre-vis footage, and interviews with producer Jonathan Schwartz, director Destin Daniel Cretton, stunt coordinator Mark Ginther, art director Jacinta Leong, production designer Sue Chan, visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend, costume designer Kym Barrett, and stars Simu Liu (“Shaun/Shang-Chi”), Awkwafina (“Katy”), Fala Chen (“Ying Li”), Michelle Yeoh (“Ying Nan”) & Ben Kingsley (“Trevor Slattery”).
  
  
• Family Ties (7:38)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss the backstory of Shang-Chi, how The Mandarin and The Ten Rings were Easter eggs starting from the very first MCU movie, the father/son relationship at the core of the film, Shang-Chi’s personal journey, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes and interviews with producer Kevin Feige, writer Dave Callaham, producer Jonathan Schwartz, director Destin Daniel Cretton, and stars Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung (“Xu Wenwu”) & Michelle Yeoh.
• Gag Reel (2:11)
  Fun with the cast as they laugh, improv and flub lines, and deal with other mishaps on set.
  
• Deleted Scenes (15:03)
  Collection of 11 deleted scenes. Select From:
  • They’re Waiting (:41)
    Xialing facetimes with Shang-Chi and Katy.
  • Take a Shot (1:07)
    Katy prepares to take her big arrow shot when Trevor rides in on a giant creature.
  • Apology (1:37)
    Shang-Chi apologizes to Xialing for his leaving her when she was young.
  • I’m Here (1:12)
    Katy and Shang-Chi have a heart-to-heart conversation in the alley before heading off to karaoke.
  • Pep Talk (1:26)
    Katy starts to doubt herself in the battle, but receives a pep talk from Razor Fist.
  • Greatness (:57)
    Katy and Trevor discuss their life passions while siting in the car.
  • Escape Tunnel (1:33)
    The gang uses Trevor’s escape tunnel to get to the garage, where Katy and Shang-Chi distract the guard
  • Two Sons (1:00)
    At a tense family dinner, Xu Wenwu refers to Shang-Chi and Razor Fist as his two sons.
  • Postcard (1:46)
    Shang-Chi sees Xu Wenwu lighting a candle for his mother, but makes it clear that he will not take his place by his father’s side.
  • Just Friends (1:22)
    Xialing asks Katy some personal questions about her relationship with her brother as they get to know each other better.
  • Do It Yourself (1:48)
    Xu Wenwu returns home to decide the fate of the Iron Gang boss, who has been captured and tied up.
• Audio Commentary (2:12:21)
  Co-writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton and co-writer Dave Callaham provide a fun and interesting commentary throughout the film—the jokes and humor start almost instantly. They discuss the comic origins, casting the film, and so much more, sharing lots of behind-the-scenes stories.
• The Costumes of “Shang-Chi” (1:31)
  Available only in the Movies Anywhere app—this is just a clip from the “Building a Legacy” featurette.

Final Thoughts:

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings finds the perfect blend of humor, action and fantasy, making it a thoroughly entertaining ride. There is excellent chemistry between the actors, and each character is given his or her own personal growth/arc to work through over the course of the film, while also progressing the overall story arc/mission. The 4K digital release provides excellent picture and sound, as well as a solid selection of entertaining bonus material. Those who wish to own the film on physical media may wish to hold off a week or so to pick up the disc, especially since it will include the same digital copy. However, whatever format you choose, this is definitely one to own, particularly for MCU fans. That said, no prior knowledge of the MCU is required to fully enjoy this movie as it is primarily all new characters. I can’t wait to see more of these fun characters in future, and see how they fit into the larger MCU!