Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

Slackers turned superheros, cute and terrifying magical creatures, family drama, martial arts as dance and a runaway bus. What a strange mash-up is the latest expedition into the world of Marvel. When his immortal father sends a gang of goons after him, San Francisco parking attendant Shaun must reveal his true self to his best friend Katy and to the world. First stop Macau and his estranged sister and then on to the magical world of his mother’s people, which is threatened by his father. The film has faint echoes of Black Panther, with its mystical hidden world and non-Western culture. A largely Asian cast and settings indicates an orientation to the large Chinese market. But despite its fun blend of action and comedy there are some interesting messages about finding your own path, female empowerment and questioning how much power will ever be enough. Canadian actor Simu Liu makes a different kind of hero and Awkwafina makes a great sidekick. Michelle Yeoh is always a class act, while Ronnie Cheng gives a fun cameo and Ben Kingsley a weird one. At 140 minutes, this is one of the shorter Marvel movies but it is still too long. It is entertaining and often amusing, but it could easily have lost 15 minutes without lacking anything.