“Shang-Chi” introduced the title character, played by the handsome Simu Liu, as the son of an immortal gangster named Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung). Xu gained immortality through ten magic bracelets that he wore along his arms and that he could control with his mind. Shang-Chi was trained in martial arts as a child and was intended to be an assassin for Xu, but Shang-Chi left the family business due to moral objections and became a valet in San Francisco. Shang-Chi’s story is slowly revealed to her best friend Katy (Awkwafina) after they encounter some high-octane super soldiers on the street one morning.

What follows is a complex Marvel adventure involving a magical bamboo forest, killer dragons, a resentful sister, a hidden kingdom, and a portal to Hell. Michelle Yeoh has a small role and Ben Kinsley returns, reprising his role as Trevor from “Iron Man 3.”

“Shang-Chi” received good reviews, with an approval rating of 92%, based on 344 reviews. No one put it on their best of the year list, but almost everyone gave it a pass. Additionally, many people logged onto Rotten Tomatoes to give it a positive rating, giving it that 98% audience score, now called Popcornmeter. More than 10,000 people have given their approval. We might, however, want to take this figure with a grain of salt; it is not necessary to see the film to give it a positive or negative rating on the Popcornmeter. Indeed, some films tend to be bombarded with reviews by online “fans” who simply want to make a point about films they object to, without having seen them.

But still, 98% is impressive, even with the salt.

In terms of critical rating, “Shang-Chi” is the ninth highest-rated in the MCU, behind “Thor: Ragnarok” (93%), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (93%), “The Guardians.” of the Galaxy Holiday Special” (94%), “Avengers: Endgame” (94%), “Iron Man” (94%), “Agents of SHIELD” (95%), “Black Panther” (96%), and “Ms. Marvel” (98%).