Why Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a particularly important movie.

It is the fervent opinion of this writer that 2019 saw one of (if not) the most important cinematic event in recent history. Avengers: Endgame was the culmination of a solid decade’s worth of storytelling and world-building that has never been seen before in the history of motion pictures. Its defining moments being an epic battle that was filled with the characters that cinemagoers like myself had spent almost eleven years building an emotional attachment to. It was a journey that we had all been on since the humble beginnings of the 2008 film the incredible Hulk and slowly became not so much a series of films but an institution in its own right. So, it is perfectly understandable that the millions of fans across the world would be left in somewhat of a vacuum after Endgame closed the lid on an era of Marvel history that we all know as the Infinity Saga. And in this post-stark, post-infinity stones, post-Avengers world, we all stand hand in hand looking to the vast unknown that is Marvel's phase four.

Since we last saw the curtain close on the original Avengers, we have been given a unique look at our beloved cinematic universe in the form of television shows courtesy of Disney’s answer to Netflix Disney Plus. The shows themselves have given us a glimpse into some of the characters that we have fallen in love with over the years and shed light on their lives since the Blip. Each new installment in this televisual adventure has pushed us ever so slightly deeper into the vast unknown that is the future of the MCU. Some of them going as far as to venture sideways into the precarious yet excitingly prospect of introducing the multi Universal aspects of Marvel’s canon. As well as the TV shows, we have been given a glimpse into the struggles of the franchise’s heir apparent, Spider-man. Far from Home Shows how Peter Parker has been dealing with the loss of his mentor and friend Tony Stark, while also trying not to buckle under the weight of the man’s legacy. We are only at the beginning of the story for Peter Parker, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and many other big names that have teased our screens these past few years. But I would like to spend a moment and talk about a film that has quietly arrived at the party and taken its place at the table without causing too much of a stir. That film is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The critics' consensus on the movie offers a very apt description:

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn't entirely free of Marvel's familiar formula, but this exciting origin story expands the MCU in more ways than one.

– Rotten Tomatoes.

The film tells a well-insulated story of Shang-chi and his efforts to escape the darkness of his past and live a normal life. Of course, his past catches up with him and he is forced to fight against the tyranny of the mysterious organisation known as the Ten Rings. Despite being a Marvel movie, it plays like an exquisite Wuxia movie akin to classics like Hero or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. It deviates from the physical laws of the established canon by taking us into an entirely new realm where dragons, soul-sucking monsters, and magic rings and defy even the mind of Geniuses like Bruce Banner. Shang-Chi takes you on a new journey entirely, while simultaneously respecting its heritage as an MCU installment. And it is alongside this heritage, that the movie plays its most important role. In the mid-credit scene. Wong tells Shan-chi and his friend/sidekick, Katy, that their universe is about to change in ways that they had never imagined. And that they must rest and prepare for what is about to happen in the days to come. This moment gave me a feeling of excitement that I hadn’t felt since the “We’re putting a team together.” Scene in the credits of The Incredible Hulk. I was taken back to the moment when I realised that something was about to happen that was bigger than a simple series of movies. Simply coming to the cinema and watching superheroes beat bad guys was no longer going to be enough. We were now watching the formation of an entirely new kind of world. A world with a character that will grow and develop with each new story. A world that that will expand and grow into infinite realms. And Shang-chi is the first film to achieve this feeling of coming into a brand-new world. Granted, phase four hasn’t failed to move the story along, but only in a way that makes you anticipate when something bigger will happen. Shang-chi is being brought into the world with the fresh eyes of a brand-new hero. And viewers will now be able to step into the unknown future of the MCU and see it with fresh eyes. And it is with this renewed sense of excitement and anticipation that I would consider Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to be the first true installment of Marvel’s Phase Four.