'Shang-Chi' is a bold, original, and wildly exhilarating action film that injects new life into the Marvel Cinematic Universe

• "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is the newest MCU film, starring Simu Liu as Shang-Chi.
• The movie is one of Marvel's boldest entries yet, featuring hugely entertaining fight scenes.
• It also introduces new elements from the Marvel Comics, opening up different worlds in the MCU.

There's a moment in Marvel's latest movie, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," when a character tells another to take a "hard right" while driving. Moments later, the film itself takes a "hard right" into new territory the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never attempted before.

Embracing the stranger side of Marvel Comics, director Destin Daniel Cretton confidently steers the MCU in a new direction with "Shang-Chi," delivering one of the most original films the franchise has given us so far.

As the MCU's latest leading man, Simu Liu nails it as the titular hero Shang-Chi, a Chinese American immigrant who's forced to confront his past when his father attempts to draw him back into his infamous organization, the Ten Rings. What follows is a bizarre, exhilarating, and visually stunning adventure, culminating in an entertaining and genuinely moving film that's right up there with Marvel's very best.

Why you should care: 'Shang-Chi' introduces a brand new superhero and a world that will be vital for the MCU going forward

Doing a Marvel movie "the right way" is complicated because they all have to work on two levels: in their own right as a standalone film and as one piece in the puzzle of the larger shared universe, building on previous franchise-wide plot points, like the Blip, and moving this behemoth superhero saga forward.

"Shang-Chi" does both, with the added bonus of neatly retconning one of the MCU's more controversial moments - the depiction of the Mandarin (this movie's villain) in "Iron Man 3," as played by Ben Kingsley, who cleverly features in this new movie more than you'd expect.

It's also an origin story that introduces us to Liu's Shang-Chi. It's clear that he's being set up by Marvel as one of the key players of the MCU as confirmed in a fascinating post-credits scene. And if his performance in this first entry is any indication, Liu will have no problem shouldering that responsibility.

Liu anchors the movie in the same way the MCU's established leading superheroes do - with charisma, charm, and an impressive physical presence. In fact, Liu probably does more stunts and displays more physicality in "Shang-Chi" than any other MCU actor before him.

What works: It's the MCU's most beautiful movie, featuring their best-ever fight scenes

There's no shortage of impressive fight scenes in the movie, each with their own distinctive flavor - and boy, are they entertaining to watch.

Slick cinematography glides around stunning locations, from a moving bamboo forest to skyscraper scaffolding, capturing the most beautifully choreographed fight scenes that quite literally look and feel like mesmerizing dance sequences, akin to those seen in classic martial arts films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

These scenes, choreographed by fight coordinator Andy Cheng, are far and away the best action sequences in any Marvel film, with only the Thanos battles in "Infinity War" and "Endgame" rivaling them.

But it's not just technically-impressive stunt choreography that sets this film apart. From the heart-racing battles to the cinematography to the landscapes and production design, not to mention the various conversations about life, death, and everything in between, "Shang-Chi" is Marvel's most poetic movie yet.

What doesn't work: It might be too 'weird' for some fans, but that's actually one of the movie's strengths, too

There is a definitive moment when the film shifts gears and we are introduced to a (literally) different world that's new and strange to the MCU, with touches of fantasy, magic, and even adorable creatures that look kind of like Pokémon.

It may prove jarring for some fans to wade into these waters, but director Cretton pulls off the mystical, almost fairytale-like elements, embracing the shift with confidence and bringing viewers along on the ride.

It's fascinating, fun, and promises so much more entertaining newness in the road ahead for the MCU and future Shang-Chi movies now that we know a Marvel film can successfully incorporate new, fantastical elements like these.

Charismatic players such as Awkwafina, Ronny Chieng, and Meng'er Zhang help to sell the fun, but what really adds to the movie is the presence of screen legends such as Tony Leung (who plays Wenwu, Shang-Chi's father and the leader of the Ten Rings) and Michelle Yeoh (who plays Jiang Nan, Shang-Chi's aunt and mentor). Both have a wealth of experience in wuxia movies from "The Grandmaster" to the aforementioned "Crouching Tiger."

Their presence bring gravitas and weight to the movie, helping to sell the new-to-the-MCU elements and giving the fight scenes a level of unrivaled expertise. Leung, in particular, is a stand-out as the movie's villain, Wenwu, who is one of the more layered and complex antagonists the MCU has featured.

But while the movie explores mythology and fantasy, it also remains grounded in a compelling family drama story.

Shang-Chi tries to come to terms with who he is and confronts his father as well as his own past mistakes. Cretton utilizes flashbacks more than any other MCU movie and it's very effective - painting a picture of the young Shang-Chi (the impressive Jayden Zhang) and his difficult childhood, and how the older Shang-Chi deals with that as a man.

For a film that has dragons and creatures that look like Pokémon, it gets pretty emotional at more than one point thanks to smart, poignant writing from Cretton and cowriters Andrew Lanham and Dave Callaham.

The bottom line: 'Shang-Chi' deserves to be a billion-dollar box-office smash

Part of the emotional journey of this film is recognizing it as a major step forward in diversity.

People of Asian heritage around the world will no doubt be filled with joy at seeing themselves on the big screen in one of the biggest movies of the year. Chinese culture is celebrated and on display throughout: The scene-setting first several minutes of dialogue in the film are spoken entirely in Mandarin (with English subtitles), the costuming blends east and west, and there are references to folklore both real and invented for the world of the film.

Let's just hope that "Shang-Chi" begins to get the marketing it deserves from Disney, as some Marvel fans have voiced concerns about what they see as a lack of promotion.

Indeed, "Shang-Chi" deserves to be a billion-dollar box-office smash, the same as several other MCU movies have been. Whether that will happen, due to its limited 45-day theatrical release "experiment," plus release issues in China, and the coronavirus pandemic, is another thing.

But it would be a mighty shame if it didn't. "Shang-Chi" thoroughly deserves it.

Grade: A+