For only the third time in my life I watched Shang-Chi this morning and yeah, it was fun. This film is a one-of-a-kind MCU movie with its martial arts and Asian themes. There’s so much to love about this movie but with every viewing there has always been a hitch in the otherwise perfect production.

That hitch is the film’s lackluster second act, the sometimes underwhelming humor, and the sporadic pauses that give way to someone performing a martial arts pose or staring intensely at one another.

The film’s first forty minutes and its last forty minutes are undoubtedly the movie’s best, with the first forty minutes feeling like a non-stop action ride and the last forty minutes becoming the emotional knockout of the story. Every time this film gets to the nitty-gritty in the last act I can barely contain my emotions and the same can be said today.

After my third viewing today, I definitely think I like this movie less than Black Widow, which has become my favorite MCU movie of the year so far. That may seem controversial to some but honestly, Black Widow is a solid movie and Shang-Chi is really good at times and at other times… not so much.

But I am ridiculously excited for the sequel.