THE DOG STARS : Tuesday 1st September 2026.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE DOG STARS' earlier this week, and this post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi film is Co-Produced and Directed by Ridley Scott, who I'm sure needs no introduction. Suffice to say some of his more acclaimed prior feature film making credits take in the likes of 'Alien' in 1979, 'Blade Runner' in 1982, 'Thelma & Louise' in 1992, 'Gladiator' in 2000, 'Black Hawk Down' in 2002, 'American Gangster' in 2007, 'Prometheus' in 2012, 'The Martian' in 2015, 'House of Gucci' in 2021, 'Napoleon' in 2023, and 'Gladiator II' in 2024. This film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Peter Heller, was released last week too in the USA, has so far recovered US$21M at the Box Office from its US$70M production budget and has generated mixed or average critical reviews. 

Set in 2035 many years after a devastating flu pandemic almost wiped out all of the human race, Hig (Jacob Elordi), a former mechanic, lives in a self contained heavily fortified compound in Erie, Colorado, with his dog named Jasper, and Bangley (Josh Brolin), a hardened former Marine turned survivalist. Hig from time to time pilots a small single prop Cesna light aircraft into an abandoned and desolate Denver to gather supplies of fuel, food and medical stores. To Bangley's chagrin, Hig also supplies a nearby Mennonite community, led by Aaron (Benedict Wong) with food and occasional mechanical repairs.

When two opportunistic teenage strangers approach uninvited (referred to affectionately as 'roaches') Bangley shoots them dead in quick succession from his distance look-out point, creating a conflict with the more sympathetic Hig. They douse the bodies with petrol and burn them. 

While out flying his plane one day with Jasper, Hig picks up a distorted radio signal originating from Grand Junction, Colorado, that suggests human life there. Hig has picked up this signal on various occasions over recent years, but always quickly lost contact.

While sleeping outside one night under the stars Hig and Jasper are awakened by a larger group trying to ambush their home. The pair fight them off until Bangley appears and finishes them off. The next morning they douse the bodies with fuel and burn them. Jasper, however dies in the attack, spurring Hig to visit Denver to bury him next to his deceased wife Melissa (Sai Bennett) at their former home. 

Heartbroken and distraught, Hig decides he must find the source of the Grand Junction radio signal, believing there to be more to life out there than the confines of their compound. Bangley, who does not approve of the journey, stays behind in Erie, seemingly bringing an end to their five years partnership. After experiencing a mechanical failure, Hig lands his Cesna in a valley bringing the plane to an abrupt halt within inches of a stand of trees. Within a few minutes there is a stampede of wild buffalo that causes minor damage to the plane while Hig takes cover under the fuselage. Dusting himslef off he spies a donkey in the distance with a bell around its neck. He follows the donkey and comes to a remote farmstead where a father and daughter, Pops (Guy Pearce) and Cima (Margaret Qualley), live. The two form an uneasy alliance with Hig, as he repairs his plane and cuts down trees to make a runway, using the donkey to pull out the tree stumps. Hig starts a romantic relationship with Cima, who asks him to stay with them.

After their farm is raided in an attack by a marauding group of roaches on horseback Hig, Cima, and Pops flee on Hig's plane. They make it to Grand Junction Regional Airport, where the radio operator hesitantly allows them to land and enter their community unarmed. Upon arrival, they feel a sense of unease. Darlene (Allison Janney), a former flight attendant who is the leader of the community, orders Cima to marry a soldier, due to her previous medical education, making her a most welcome catch. Hig, Cima and Pops escape, having discovered the community's cannibalism, as evidenced by the dismembered corpses hanging in plastic bags in a walk-in freezer through which they make their escape. As they fly away, they bomb Grand Junction with grenades from the air, which Bangley had handed to Hig when he left, as a precautionary measure in the event that he ran into any trouble.

The three fly back to Erie to check on Bangley, where they discover a major attack occurred at the compound and much of it had been wiped out. There is no sign of Bangley but there are plenty of dead roaches strewn around the place, which are already being picked on by carrion birds. Bangley is found injured but alive, and welcomes the group with fresh brewed coffee, after which nurse Cima stitches up his wounds. He then reluctantly joins them at the Mennonite (which he refers to as Mormons) community in the mountains to establish a new settlement there.

'The Dog Stars' is hardly going to go down as Ridley Scott's finest film in his fifty or so year long film making career, or his best entry into the Sci-Fi canon for that matter too, but there are some moments nonetheless when the Ridley Scott magic shines through. Such as the sweeping vistas of river valleys and looming mountain terrain, the snow capped peaks, the desolate cityscape that once was Denver, and the Grand Junction airport terminal that looks as though it was lifted straight out of 'Blade Runner'. That said there's nothing new here in the story that we haven't seen before in other post apocalyptic dystopian thrillers such as '28 Days Later', 'The Last of Us', 'I Am Legend' and countless others. The performances of Josh Brolin and Allison Janney (as brief as her screen time is) are on point, but I found Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley's undercooked and too sugar coated. And to cap it off there are a couple of glaring plot holes that I will not expand on here, but see if you can spot them for yourselves.

'The Dog Stars' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

WEAPONS : Tuesday 12th August 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'WEAPONS' earlier this week, and this American mystery horror film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Co-Scored by Zach Cregger, whose prior feature film making output are 'Miss March' in 2009, 'The Civil War on Drugs' in 2011 and the critically and commercially successful horror thriller 'Barbarian' in 2022. The film was released in the US and here in Australia last week, cost US$38M to produce, has so far grossed US$101M and has garnered universal critical acclaim.

The film opens with a young child narrating the story of how seventeen children from Justine Gandy's (Julia Garner) third grade elementary school class all run from their homes in Maybrook, Pennsylvania and disappear into the night at exactly 2:17 AM. Though only one child, Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher) from the class didn't vanish, Justine herself counts as one of two people from the classroom who didn't, and so a months long Police investigation begins, but to no avail. It is from this point on, that the story gets interesting as the narrator (Scarlett Sher) says. 

Approaching a month after the disappearance of the children, and following a very heated meeting with the school community with all relevant stakeholders including Justine, Principal Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong), and the local law enforcement, Marcus places Justine on compulsory leave, as the local townsfolk and parents of the missing children suspects her involvement in the children's disappearance. 

Depressed and anxious, she turns to vodka and seeks comfort from her ex-boyfriend, local Police Officer Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich). Meanwhile, Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), a local property developer and the father of one of the missing children Matthew (Luke Speakman), struggles with his sons disappearance and, frustrated by the Police's seemingly ineffective investigation and glacial progress, commences his own. 

Concerned about Alex's well-being, Justine seeks authority from Principal Marcus to visit Alex just to check up on him, as a friendly familiar face that he might confide in. Marcus flatly denies her request and tells her to keep well away. However, she follows him home and observes that all of the windows of the house are covered in newspaper. Banging on the door and making her presence known, she creeps around the back of the house, and through a small opening between the sheets of newspaper, sees Alex's parents sitting completely motionless on the couch. She tells Marcus and insists he perform a wellness check. 

Later that night Justine and Archer have separate dreams about the missing children and a strange woman with clown-like make-up. Justine revisits Alex's house to stake it out, but as night time comes falls asleep in her car. Alex’s mother (Callie Schuttera), walking in a stilted manner and carrying a large pair of scissors, exits the house and enters the car through an open back door and cuts off a lock of Justine's hair, and then disappears back inside the house.

James (Austin Abrams), a local homeless drug addict who supports himself by pawning stolen items, breaks into Alex's house in the pouring rain seeking shelter, thinking it is abandoned, where he finds Alex's parents sat on the couch and the missing children in the basement, all in a catatonic state. After spotting a poster for the missing children promising a US$50K cash reward at his local pawn shop, he goes to the Police station to report his findings. However, Paul, who threatened James following an earlier altercation, in which the Police Officer pricked his finger on the needle of a syringe concealed in James's pocket fearing AIDS, hepatitis or some other nefarious virus, spots and chases him. James runs into the woods, where he becomes disoriented and sees the woman from Justine and Archer's nightmares. Paul catches James, who in attempt to gain favour with Paul says he knows where the missing children are located and offers to split the US$50K reward with him. Paul drives to Alex's house to investigate, leaving James handcuffed in the patrol car. Hours later undercover of darkness, Paul returns to the car and drags James into the house kicking and screaming.

Marcus is visited at school by a mysterious heavily made up woman wearing gaudy clothes - Alex's eccentric aunt, Gladys (Amy Madigan), who claims to be the family's caretaker after Alex's parents have fallen ill. Marcus insists he must meet with Alex's parents. The next day, being a Saturday, Gladys appears at Marcus and his husband Terry's (Clayton Farris) home claiming she missed the bus and had to walk all the way to their home and that she is distressed, exhausted and needs to talk to Marcus. She performs a ritual with a stick from a potted tree that she carries around with her, and a lock of hair she cut from Terry's head, and with a small bell hypnotises Marcus into violently killing Terry by head butting him multiple times until his skull caves in. 

She then orders Marcus to kill Justine. Marcus attacks Justine at a petrol station, interrupting an argument between her and Archer, who does what he can to defend Justine. She narrowly escapes in her car, with Marcus frantically running after her. Archer giving chase in his pick-up truck sees Marcus being fatally struck by a car travelling at speed through an intersection killing him outright with his brains spilled out all over the road. That night, Justine and Archer reconcile their differences after coming to the conclusion that the children were running toward Alex's house.

It is subsequently revealed that Gladys is in fact a dying witch posing as Alex's aunt, who can subdue people and weaponise them against others, using personal items from her subjects and a lock of hair from any target of her choice. After entrancing his parents, Gladys ordered Alex to keep her secret and threatened to murder his parents if he disobeyed her, saying that she can turn them against each other, and even make them eat one another if she so chooses. Gladys instructed Alex to gather one item from each of his classmates, and a desperate Alex complied after she promised she would leave once recovered. Using the personalised name tags Alex stole from his classmates' individual storage boxes, Gladys cast a spell on the children, drawing them to Alex's house at 2:17 AM and keeping them in the basement in order to feed off their life-force and extend her own longevity.

After maintaining a kerb side vigil outside Alex's house to see if there are any movements or developments Paul appears at the front door and motions for them to enter. Upon entering to investigate, Justine and Archer are attacked by Paul and James, both now hypnotised. James relentlessly attacks Archer, and Paul has Justine pinned up against a kitchen cupboard with both his hands around her neck. Justine is able to wrest Paul's gun and first shoots him through the throat and then cleanly through the temple killing him outright. James by now has the upper hand over Archer, as Justin appears from behind and unloads a single bullet straight into the back of James head. Searching for Matthew in the basement, Archer encounters Gladys, who enchants him into attacking Justine. 

Chased by his parents, Alex enters Gladys' room and copies her spell using hair from Gladys' wig. The possessed children suddenly chase Gladys out of the house and through the neighbourhood, smashing through windows, doors, fences and upending furniture as they go until they catch, dismember, and decapitate her, breaking the curse and snapping all of her living victims out of their trance. Justine searches through the house for Alex finding him cradling his parents in his arms and Archer follows the trail of destruction left by the rampaging children until he comes to a house, and in the front garden are the children looking down on the blood stained grass and what remains of Gladys. Archer reunites with a seemingly catatonic Matthew. 

The narrator explains that Alex moved out of town to live with a kinder aunt after his parents were institutionalised. The children were all reunited with their parents, though only some have started to speak again.

With 'Weapons' Writer and Director Zach Cregger  has crafted a taught and tight horror offering that proves that he is no one trick pony after the critical and commercial success of 'Barbarian', and at the same time has delivered us one of the best original and inventive films of the genre this year. The film masterfully blends dark humour, with a few jump scares, psychological horror, mystery and a chilling and interesting premise that will keep you fully engaged for its 128 minute running time. And the performances by the principle cast are all top notch, but particularly from Garner, Brolin and young Cary Christopher who all bring a sense of angst and immediacy to their roles. Told in perhaps for the genre, a non-linear fashion, this film sets the standard by which others will be judged, and if you have to see one horror movie this year, make it this one.

'Weapons' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS : Tuesday 10th May 2022.

'DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS', which I saw at my local Multiplex this week, is an M Rated American Superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of Doctor Stephen Strange and is the sequel to 2016's 'Doctor Strange' which grossed US$668M off the back of a production budget of circa US$200M and is the 28th feature film and part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film is Directed by Sam Raimi who replaced Director Scott Derrickson from the first instalment. Originally slated for release in early May 2021, it was pushed back to early November 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before it was further shifted to the end of March 2022, and in October 2021, it was shifted once more to its current May 2022 date with the World Premier on 2nd May and its world wide release last week. On a budget of US$200M, the film has so far grossed US$533M and has received generally positive Critical feedback. 

Set a few months following the events of 'Spider-Man : No Way Home', the film opens up with teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) and an alternate version of Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) being chased by a demon in the space between universes while searching for the Book of Vishanti (the greatest known source of white magical knowledge on Earth that contains spells of defensive magic). Strange is killed before he can reach the Book of Vishanti and Chavez accidentally creates a portal that transports herself and Strange's corpse to Earth-616, where that universe's version of Strange is attending the wedding of his former love interest Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). 

Sipping Martini's post ceremony Strange springs to the rescue of  Chavez from an octopus demon with help from the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong (Benedict Wong). Chavez later explains that the demons are hunting her because she has the power to travel through the multiverse, although she is unable to control when and where she travels to and from. 

Recognising witchcraft runes on the now slaughtered octopus demon, Strange consults Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) for help but realises that she is responsible for the attacks. After acquiring the Darkhold (also known as The Book of the Damned, a textbook of black magic) and becoming the Scarlet Witch, Maximoff believes that controlling Chavez's powers will allow her to reunite with Billy (Julian Hilliard) and Tommy (Jett Klyne), the children she created during her time in Westview, New Jersey. When Strange refuses to surrender Chavez, Maximoff attacks Kamar-Taj in Kathmandu, Nepal and the main HQ for the Masters of the Mystic Arts, killing many sorcerers. 

Chavez accidentally transports herself and Strange to Earth-838, taking in a multitude of multiverses to arrive there, while Maximoff uses the Darkhold to 'dream-walk', taking control of her Earth-838 counterpart, who lives a suburban life with her own Billy and Tommy. With Wong strung up and powerless, a surviving sorceress sacrifices herself to destroy the Darkhold and break the dream-walk. Enraged, Maximoff then forces Wong to lead her to Mount Wundagore (a mountain which holds the power of the Darkhold and features a shrine sitting atop dedicated to the Scarlet Witch), a forbidden ancient ruin, to reestablish the dream-walk.

On Earth-838 Strange and Chavez pay a visit to the Sanctum Sanctorum in that universe's version of New York City. There they are greeted by Sorcerer Supreme Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and brought before the Illuminati, a group consisting of Mordo, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Blackagar Boltagon (Anson Mount), Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), Reed Richards (John Krasinski), and Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). They explain that through reckless use of their universe's Darkhold in an attempt to defeat Thanos, Earth-838's Strange triggered a universe-destroying 'incursion' whereby two universes collide with one completely destroying the other. After defeating Thanos, the Illuminati killed their Strange to prevent him from creating more damage and danger to their universe. Mordo is of the belief that Earth-616's Strange is as dangerous, whereas Charles Xavier is prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. 

Maximoff re-establishes her dream-walk at Mount Wundagore and arrives in her Earth-838 counterpart's body before they can pass judgment. Despite their best valiant attempts she slaughters all of the Illuminati except Mordo. Strange and Chavez meanwhile escape aided by Earth-838 counterpart of Strange's ex-fiance Christine Palmer, here a scientist working with the Illuminati.

Strange, Chavez, and Palmer enter through a doorway that leads them to a space between universes to find the Book of Vishanti, the polar opposite to the Darkhold, but Maximoff appears and destroys it. She then takes over Chavez's mind, using her powers to send the others to an incursion-destroyed universe. Back in Earth-616, Maximoff begins the spell to take Chavez's powers. Strange defeats the destroyed universe's Strange in a blackened out wasteland that was that universe's version of New York City and the Sanctum Sanctorum. 

That version of Strange had become corrupted by his universe's Darkhold, but Strange then uses it to dream-walk in the corpse of the deceased alternate Strange that Chavez was with when she jumped through the portal into Earth-616 initially. With Wong's help, Strange saves Chavez from Maximoff and encourages Chavez to use her powers. 

She transports Maximoff to Earth-838, where she sees Billy and Tommy retreat from her in fear while crying for their real mother. Maximoff relents and uses her powers to bring down Mount Wundagore, destroying all copies of the Darkhold throughout the multiverse and seemingly sacrificing herself in the process, along with the zombiefied Strange. Chavez returns Strange and Palmer to their respective universes.

Later, when peace has returned to Earth-616 Kamar-Taj is in the throes of being repaired as the surviving sorcerers, joined by Chavez, continue with their training. Strange having just exited from the Sanctum Sanctorum falls to the ground in agony as he develops a third eye as a result of using the Darkhold and dream-walking into a corpse. In a mid-credits scene, Strange is approached by a sorceress who introduces herself as Clea (Charlize Theron) who warns him that his actions have triggered an incursion that he must help fix. Strange follows her into the Dark Dimension. 

Sam Raimi's 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' has his trademark touches all over it, from the humour to the horror, and the drama to the thrills, here he explores various worlds within the multiverse that make for an entertaining and enjoyable watch, and, at at little over a very respectable two hour run time. The film is certainly a feast for the senses, but it misses out on an emotional heartbeat in favour of wham bam thank-you Ma'am action set pieces and mind bending CGI eye candy, that sure enough help propel the story along and I guess there's nothing wrong with that either. With twenty-seven MCU films before it, here the Studio and Raimi have delivered perhaps the most supernatural, dark fantasy tinged with elements of horror offering to date replete with the Director's touchstones from his forty year plus filmmaking career. Cumberbatch and Olsen provide the standout performances in their roles, as you would expect now given how settled they both are in their respective capacities, but Wong could have done with a little bit more meat on his characters bones, and I was left wanting to see more of him. As for the numerous cameo's - they're all on point despite many of them coming to a sticky end, albeit in an alternate universe which means that we're likely to see them again!

'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

'SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS' : Tuesday 12th October 2021

Finally, Greater Sydney has come out of three months+ of COVID-19 enforced lockdown on Monday 11th October, and with it movie theatres have reopened. As such, a whole slew of films released elsewhere in Australia and across the world are now available for the avid moviegoer to play catch-up on some of those more recent cinematic releases. The first film that I saw post-lockdown at my local multiplex earlier this week is 'SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS' - the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose previous film making credits take in 'Short Term 12' with Brie Larson and Rami Malek in 2013, 'The Glass Castle' in 2017 with Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson and 'Just Mercy' in 2019 with Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson. This film has so far grossed worldwide US$404M off the back of a circa US$180M production budget and has generated positive Critical acclaim. 

And so the film opens up setting the scene for how the ten rings came about. It seems that one thousand years ago (plus or minus a few years) Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) discovers the mystical ten rings which grant the owner of said rings immortality and other worldly powers. He forms the Ten Rings organisation, over throwing kingdoms and toppling governments throughout history to accumulate wealth and power. Fast forward to 1996, and Wenwu searches for Ta Lo, a village that exists in a different dimension and reportedly harbours mythical creatures. He travels through a magical thick bamboo forest to the village entrance but is stopped by guardian Ying Li (Fala Chen). After an initial (sort of) fight between the pair, the two fall in love, and Wenwu foregoes the Ten Rings for a life of normalcy with his new wife and children Shang-Chi (Jayden Zhang) and Xialing (Elodie Fong). When Shang-Chi is seven years old, Li is murdered by Wenwu's enemies, the Iron Gang. Wenwu goes in search of the Iron Gang with the young Shang-Chi and massacres them all except for the leader who was not present at the time. Wenwu then resumes leadership of his organisation again. He makes Shang-Chi undergo brutal martial arts training, but does not allow Xialing to train so she teaches herself in secret, having observed Shang-Chi's training techniques and replicating them, only better! When Shang-Chi is fourteen (Arnold Sun), Wenwu sends him to assassinate the Iron Gang's leader. After fulfilling his mission, a disheartened Shang-Chi runs away to San Francisco and takes on the name of 'Shaun'.

And so we fast fast forward to the present day and Shaun (Simu Liu) is working as a hotel valet car parking attendant with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina), who knows nothing of his past life. Travelling on a bus together, the pair are attacked by members of the Ten Rings organisation, with Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) who has a machete blade for his right hand, stealing a pendant that Li gave to Shang-Chi when he was a young boy that gives him access to Ta Lo. Wenwu anonymously provides Shang-Chi with the location of Xialing in Macau and, fearing that the Ten Rings will go after Xialing's matching pendant from Li, Shang-Chi decides to go in search of her. Katy, not wanting to be left out and having survived the vicious attack on the bus, imposes herself on Shang-Chi, who reveals his past to her on the flight over to Macau. They find Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) at an underground fight club in Macau, which she formed after escaping from Wenwu. The Ten Rings attack the fight club with Wenwu arriving to capture Shang-Chi, Xialing and Katy. Wenwu takes his daughters pendant.

The three are helicoptered into the Ten Rings compound, where Wenwu uses the pendants to reveal a magical water map leading to Ta Lo. Wenwu explains that he has heard his wife, Li, calling to him and believes she has been held captive in Ta Lo behind a vast sealed gate. He plans to destroy the village by burning it to the ground, unless they agree to release her. When Shang-Chi and Xialing object saying that he must accept that their mother and his wife is dead, he imprisons them with Katy. In an ante-room to the cell where they are locked up, the three meet former actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) who previously took on the guise of the Mandarin and was abducted by the Ten Rings for impersonating Wenwu, now becoming a 'court jester' or Shakespearean fool for Wenwu. They also meet his hundun (a legendary faceless furry animal the size of a wombat with wings from Ta Lo) that Slattery has named Morris, who offers to guide them back to his village.

The group escapes in Razor Fist's souped up 4WD and drive through the bamboo forest with the trees rapidly closing in behind them en route to Ta Lo. They drive through a portal hidden within a water fall which sees them exit in a separate dimension and into Ta Lo, with a myriad of Chinese mythological creatures all around them. There they meet Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh), Li's sister, and aunt to Shnag-Chi and Xialing. Nan explains the history of Ta Lo, saying that thousands of years ago, the village was attacked by the soul-eating Dweller-in-Darkness and its guardians, but was saved by a Chinese dragon called the Great Protector who helped seal the Dark Gate to the Dweller's world. Nan further states that the Dweller-in-Darkness has been influencing Wenwu to believe Li is still alive so that he will open the Dark Gate. Shang-Chi, Xialing, and Katy join the villagers in training and preparing for Wenwu's imminent arrival, using weapons they have fashioned from dragon scales. 

Wenwu and the Ten Rings heavies arrive and attack the villagers. Wenwu overpowers Shang-Chi and forces him into the nearby lake where he slowly sinks to the bottom unconscious. Wenwu then attacks the Gate with the rings. This gives some of the Dweller's guardians the chance to escape, and through the onslaught the Ten Rings heavies, now abandoned by Wenwu, join forces with the villagers to fight them off. Shang-Chi is revived by the Great Protector, which flies out of the lake to battle the marauding guardians. Wenwu and Shang-Chi come head to head once again and Shang-Chi gains the upper hand, but chooses to spare Wenwu. The Dweller-in-Darkness bursts out of the weakened Gate and attacks Shang-Chi. Wenwu saves Shang-Chi, bequeathing him the rings before being killed by the Dweller-in-Darkness. Shang-Chi, the Great Protector, Xialing, and Katy battle and kill the Dweller-in-Darkness. Afterwards, Shang-Chi and Katy return to San Francisco where they are summoned by the sorcerer Wong (Benedict Wong) to the Sanctum Sanctorum, with more divulged in the mid-credits scene. 

With nods to 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in some of the fight sequences, the return of Trevor Slattery apologising for the misstep of the racial stereotypes of his impersonation of The Mandarin in 'Iron Man 3', and the reference to the Sanctum Sanctorum in the final mid-credits scene, together with the well crafted action set pieces, the usual dose of MCU humour, emotion and a smattering of pathos all make for an enjoyable Asian-centric addition to the MCU canon. The performances by Leung especially as the antagonist with heart is the stand out role for me, with Liu, Zhang and Awkwafina all giving solid enough performances but still clearly finding their way, which will undoubtedly come in subsequent Shang-Chi instalments, and cross-over films within the ever expanding MCU. And in the Director's chair, Cretton here makes effective use of flashbacks to move the story arc forward in a way that most other Marvel films have not, while keeping this origin story grounded and relatable. The ending when it comes however, feels protracted and over the top with too heavy a reliance on CGI dragons, mythical creatures, and a battle in which not a drop of blood is shed and everyone who dies does so off screen. The film does not reach the dizzy heights that 'Black Panther' did in 2018, but nonetheless, as your first visit to the cinema post-lockdown you could do a lot worse. 

'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-