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Why The Action in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is So Epic

The quality of the action in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of the aspects that the critics, in spoiler-free early reactions, have raved about. Whether it’s Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) fighting Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) or Shang-Chi facing off against his own father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), the fight choreography is next level. A new behind-the-scenes featurette just released by Marvel gives us the best look yet at what makes the action in Shang-Chi so sensational.

Shang-Chi is more closely connected to martial arts than any MCU film in history. Tai Chi, Wing Chun, and other regional practices are all harnessed to create a signature style. But it’s not just the fact that Shang-Chi, Wenwu (also known as the Mandarin), Razor Fist, Jiang Li (Fala Chen), and Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) are all martial arts experts that makes Shang-Chi‘s action so relentless—it’s that Cretton, his stunt performers and coordinators, the film’s effects department, and the actors were all committed to creating a Marvel film that was as unique as it was thrilling.

And yet Shang-Chi is a Marvel movie, as Simu Liu himself notes at the top of this new video, which means that all this action unfolds in a story that pushes the MCU deeper into Phase 4. (It’s the second film in the new phase, following Black Widow). One sequence, in particular, comes into sharper focus here (pictured in the above image)—an epic fight on a moving bus. Fight coordinator Andy Cheng, director Cretton, and Liu himself describe just how wild the sequence is, with the bus careening down San Francisco’s iconic, and insanely steep, hills as Shang-Chi fights off some bad guys, including the no joke bruiser Razor Fist.

Check out the video below. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters on September 3.

For more on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, check these out:

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“Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” Reveals New Track From Swae Lee

First “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” Social Reactions Are Raves

Listen to This Epic Track From The “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” Soundtrack

Get To Know The Cast of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”

“Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings” Will Connect Directly to First “Iron Man”

Featured image: (L-R): Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

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