The Legend Is Born: Ip Man

I was not disappointed by this movie and certainly was entertained, but this is not a close match to the sequels with Donnie Yen. This actor is good as Ip Man but not a close match to Donnie Yen who was simply amazing. I understand that this was an early period of Ip Man's life so it had to be played by another actor, but I guess I am not the only one who would like to see one more sequel with Donnie. Everything else in this movie is somehow inferior to the previous two: composition, plot development and camera. While first two parts are slowly developing the core of the main conflict this one presents them by parts step by step making the movie somehow last tense and more slow. Pretty good acting must say. All in all, pretty good entertainment.

Being this is a time based prequel to the first film it sets the tone of how Kung Fu Sifu became the legend he is IP MAN. The plot and story were enticing as it brought the viewer into the life he led prior to becoming a master. It was a action filled film with very well choreographed fight scenes.

The strength of the film lies within the story of the political ties to the school and how the Japanese tried to infiltrate to have double agents learn the art. Ip Man would not stand for this and took on the Japanese agents and became a direct link to his mastery. If you have an affinity to the martial arts and how Wing Chun became the style of Ip Man the you will enjoy the format of this film. I give it a solid 8/10

I watched this in two sittings. It's a complex story and a bit to read. I felt a bit tired so I stopped watching and returned to it a couple of days later. Yeah there's a lot going on in this film. The skill of these guys is astounding. Even if you're not really into Martial Arts films it's still a good watch as it was a nice story that weaves and bobs it's way along. It's got action, a love story, intrigue and more action. Recommended viewing in an anti-Hollywood way if you know what I mean. Sometimes it's nice to sit through something with subtitles for once and experience different cultural elements. Good movie.

With the huge successes of "Ip Man" and the latest sequel, it's no surprise that the producers are cashing-in on their success, and therefore making a prequel. However, despite some solid moments, the film never really comes together, save for the action.

Now Dennis To is no Donnie Yen. He can fight, but that's about it. Yen can fight AND act with ease, while To, playing the lead instead of minor roles in the previous two, is as bland as a doorknob. One can never feel that he is in danger, or feel with his character as he delivers a boring and uninspired performance as pre-Grandmaster Ip Man. I wish I can't say the same for the other new actors, but....man, they really screwed up with the young cast. Many actors from the previous two movies return, including Sammo Hung and Louis Fan - but they both play different characters. Yuen Biao is a new addition to the franchise, but what stands out is a very nice special appearance by Ip Chun, the eldest son of the real Ip Man. Together these supporting actors make the best of what they are given.

But where they mostly fail with the actors, they make up for it in the fight sequences. The fights are fast-paced and well-choreographed, but they seem to make up the bulk of the movie; in fact this movie is basically all fight, little substance. Granted, they are well handled but basically you've seen it all before and the sequences look quite bland until the final act where it really heats up. But story wise, it's basically nothing, it serves as an excuse to see more fights and I think has practically nothing to do with the real Ip Man's history. And the music score is bland and uninspired as well - the songs on the other hand is atrociously arranged. Production design and cinematography however are great.

In short, it's an-OK time waster, it's not bad to kill an hour and a half, but it's something one wouldn't want to see again. See this as a temporary action/Wing Chin rush.

Entertainment value: 7/10

Overall: 5.5/10

Producer Checkley Sin had long wanted to make a movie about Ip Man, but it wasn't until he met veteran producer Raymond Wong that his plans came to fruition. Raymond brought on board undeniably the two most crucial elements that made Ip Man and Ip Man 2 such resounding successes- lead star Donnie Yen and action director Sammo Hung. With newfound interest in the subject and his newfound credibility, the real-life Wing Chun practitioner and disciple of Ip Chun (eldest son of Ip Man) has finally been able to make his own movie about Ip Man- without for that matter, Donnie or Raymond.

"Ip Man: The Legend is Born" takes place before the first Ip Man movie and chronicles the younger days of the Wing Chun pugilist. From a young age, Ip Man was already learning Wing Chun from Chan Wah-Shun (played by Sammo Hung), and then subsequently from Leung Bik (played by Ip Chun) when his father sent him to Hong Kong's St Stephen's College to study. Unlike the first two movies which arguably took some creative liberties with Ip Man's story, this prequel tries to be a more accurate biography of the life of the Grandmaster.

I say more accurate because audiences should know that though this film takes itself very seriously, sometimes too seriously, as a biography of Ip Man, it is only a semi-biography. Those familiar with Ip Man's history will immediately know that he had no adopted brother by the name of Ip Tin- Chi (played by Louis Fan Siu-Wong) and by extension, no romantic triangle with Tin-Chi and a fellow disciple (Rose Chan). Why these characters were added into the film becomes clear only much later- but this also ultimately proves to be its undoing.

For almost two-thirds of the film, director Herman Yau sets up an interesting premise about the rivalry between descendant schools of the same martial arts form. Leung Bik was in fact Chan Wah-Shun's elder fellow-disciple, and son of Wah-Shun's master Leung Jan. When Ip Man returns to Foshan after learning a modified form of Wing Chun from Leung Bik, Brother Chung Sok (Yuen Biao) who is in charge of the Wing Chun school after Wah-Shun's passing objects to Ip Man's new techniques and declares those movies unfitting to be called Wing Chun.

The opposition among different schools of Wing Chun is no doubt an interesting and in fact prescient topic to explore, considering how the number of Wing Chun schools would have increased dramatically in recent years following the success of the Ip Man movies. How many of them can claim to be teaching authentic Wing Chun? Have the techniques been modified over the years? Does any form of refinements in fact dilute their essence? Despite a promising discourse on the subject between Chung Sok and Ip Man, screenwriter Erica Li abruptly casts the matter aside in favor of more dramatic tension by way of Ip Man and Ip Man 2.

Ah yes, both Ip Man and its sequel advocated a strong sense of nationalistic pride for the Chinese as Ip Man fought against the Japanese in the first movie and the 'gwai-los' in the sequel. The threat of the Japanese is once again revived in this prequel- which accounts for the sudden change in tone in the last third of the film- as someone close to Ip Man turns out to be more than meets the eye. Yes, the filmmakers have tried to work in a twist at the end, but it is not only rushed, it is also unconvincing.

It doesn't help that the climax is only barely more interesting than the rest of the unspectacular fight sequences in the movie. Though the film tries to showcase some rarely before seen Wing Chun techniques, these are lost amidst a bland performance by Dennis To. He may bear the physical resemblance to Donnie Yen, but Dennis lacks Donnie's screen charisma and acting prowess. Obviously imitating Donnie's understated performance as Ip Man, Dennis takes it one step too far by not injecting enough emotion especially in the fight sequences. Sure Dennis can fight, but by playing it too low-key, one never gets the sense that Ip Man is in any sort of real trouble.

But really, the fault isn't with Dennis since neither director Herman Yau, screenwriter Erica Li nor of course producer Checkley Sin seem adventurous enough to move out of the shadow cast by the earlier two Ip Man movies. So the cast remains largely similar (except for swapping of roles), the theme remains largely similar and Dennis tries to portray similarly Donnie Yen's performance as Ip Man. That's a shame- given that there is much wasted potential here that could have been used to take this prequel in a bold new direction away from the earlier films. This prequel could very well have taken a leaf from its own advice from Ip Man to Chung Sok- without change, how can there be progress? Indeed, how true.