Welcome to The Morning After, where I share with you what movies I’ve seen over the past week. Below, you will find short reviews of those movies along with a star rating. Full length reviews may come at a later date.

So, here is what I watched this past week:

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Although there is a formula to films made within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, certain filmmakers have been able to tinker with the formula and make the action feel original. Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy managed that, as did, to a lesser extent, the Ant-Man, Thor: Ragnarok, Captain Marvel, and Black Widow. More akin to the first two films in this list, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings delves into the Wuxia style of filmmaking popularized in Asian cinema. It’s the perfect setting for giving the MCU its first Asian superhero in the guise of Shang-Chi (Simu Liu).

Shang-Chi is an émigré to America, escaping his haunted past and his tyrannical father (Tony Leung). When a group of thugs ambush him and his friend (Awkwafina) on the San Francisco city bus, his father’s plan begins to unravel as he reveals that he is seeking to rescue their entrapped mother (Fala Chen) in the mystical realm of Ta Lo. Along with his estranged sister (Meng’er Zhang) and a figure from the MCU’s past, they discover that he’s being misled by dark forces who want him to unleash catastrophe on the world.

It’s not uncommon for Wuxia films to blend in ancient mysticism with their extreme martial arts choreography, but director Destin Daniel Cretton worked hard to enfold so many traditional themes and action sequences in the film, making the whole Marvel production feel like it stood on its own while linking itself into the universe itself. This delicate balancing act is well handled, helping the film stand out against the sea of cardboard cut-outs that have for so long dominated the MCU. The actors give the production all the gravitas and importance of a familiar Wuxia event picture while grounding the affair in warmth and humor.