Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The Blu-ray appeared to replicate the source material nicely.
Sharpness remained solid. Only a smidgen of mild softness ever impacted on wide shots, as the majority of the movie demonstrated positive and definition.
Jagged edges and shimmering failed to occur, and I witnessed no signs of edge enhancement. Print flaws weren’t a factor, so the movie always remained clean and fresh.
Like most modern action movies, Rings went with a stylized palette that favored amber and teal. These choices seemed predictable, but the disc replicated them as intended.
Blacks appeared deep and dark, while shadows displayed good clarity and smoothness. Overall, I liked this consistently positive presentation.
With its action orientation, the DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack of Rings also worked well, as the movie boasted a wide and involving soundfield. This showed up during scenes both loud and quiet.
During the latter, music offered nice stereo presence. Various environmental elements displayed quality localization and involvement.
The bigger sequences added more pizzazz to the package. These used all the channels in a satisfying manner, as the action scenes created a lot of useful material. From start to finish, the mix used the speakers in a way that gave real life to the proceedings.
In addition, audio quality was strong. Music appeared vivid and full, with crisp highs and rich lows.
Speech was concise and natural, so no issues affected the lines. Effects appeared to be accurate and lively.
Those elements lacked distortion and they boasted nice low-end during their louder moments. Overall, I felt pleased with the mix.
As we shift to extras, we launch with an audio commentary from director Destin Daniel Cretton and screenwriter Dave Callaham. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific discussion of the source comics and their adaptation, story and characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music and costumes, various effects, stunts and action.
Overall, this becomes a decent commentary but not one that ever excels. While Cretton and Callaham deliver a reasonably informative view of the film, they don’t make this an especially dynamic chat.
Two featurettes follow, and Building a Legacy runs eight minutes, 53 seconds. It provides remarks from Cretton, producer Jonathan Schwartz, stunt coordinator Mark Ginther, art director Jacinta Leong, production designer Sue Chan, visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend, costume designer Kym Barrett, and actors Simu Liu, Fala Chen, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, and Ben Kingsley.
“Legacy” looks at the source and its adaptation, cast and performances, the movie’s martial arts and stunts, sets and locations, various effects, and costumes. Despite its relative brevity, “Legacy” offers a nice overview of some production elements.
Family Ties goes for seven minutes, 28 seconds and involves Liu, Callaham, Schwartz, Awkwafina, Yeoh, producer Kevin Feige, and actor Tony Leong.
“Ties” covers the comics’ move to the screen as well as more about characters, cast and story. Some of this leans toward happy talk, but we get some good insights.
A Gag Reel spans two minutes, 10 seconds, and delivers the standard allotment of goofs and giggles. While nothing compelling appears, at least the compilation ends quickly.
Finally, 11 Deleted Scenes take up a total of 14 minutes, 23 seconds. These add a little more action as well as a few character beats, especially related to Katy and Trevor. Nothing substantial appears, but we get some entertainment value from the clips.
Based on an obscure comic, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings becomes an unexpected pleasure. One of the more satisfying Marvel Cinematic Universe efforts, the flick delivers a consistently strong mix of action, comedy and fantasy. The Blu-ray offers positive picture and audio along with a modest mix of bonus materials. Rings becomes a terrific comic book adventure.