Don't Believe the Hype

Boring

Absolutely brilliant

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This is one of the, if not the greatest martial arts films ever made. The casting, writing, choreography, and story line are all in sync. I was in awe with this movie when I first watched it and have watched it several times since. That said, I feel it dragged on a bit too long but it is still an astounding film. I think I went through every emotion at my disposal watching this film, which says a lot about the writers, actors, and directors. What a ride!!!"Karate flicks" have been around for decades. Bruce Lee transformed "Karate flicks" into a global phenomenon. His influence on-screen opened the floodgates of respect for the Asian culture and made Martial Arts mainstream around the entire globe. This amazing film is the product of Bruce Lee's achievements. In it, Donnie Yen does not disappoint!!!Donnie Yen's skills are beyond belief yet so believable. His demeanor brings a level of civility, humility, love, and courage that is unmatched. Almost everything in this movie is just right at every moment in the film with one or two exceptions. The hero is heroic without being over-bearing. He is powerful yet gentle.The wife is simply drop dead gorgeous. She was cast well and played her part. I enjoyed her various scenes and enjoyed her expressions such as her look of "Boys will be boys even when they are grown men". When she was ticked-off her husband knew it and had that "uh-oh" look on his face. She basically kept her hero husband in check. When things got rough, she was the glue that held the family together. This film captured many nuances without going off track which is simply amazing.I love true martial arts, always have. Ip Man's character is the embodiment of what martial arts is to its core. There never will be a perfect film. When it comes to a film about martial arts and more, Ip Man is as good as it gets. They are not running up walls and jumping 100 feet into the air on top of trees. The speed and agility displayed in this film without all of that stuff is incredible.I deduct one star for a somewhat clumsy sub-plot that was added but did not add to the movie and only served to make the film longer than needed.

A movie based on the life of Master Ip Man, who's most well-known as the popularizer of Wing Chun style of kung fu and as the teacher of Bruce Lee. The movie follows his life in the years leading up to World War Two and his exploits during that conflict. The movie is notably anti-factual, but in an honest way. Director Wilson Yip has outright stated that he put the needs of a good story before historical accuracy. When it's done this blatantly, I cannot find any fault in it.The movie mixes martial arts with historical drama, and I do have to admit that the former of these two aspects works much better than the latter. As a period piece the film works okay. The costumes and locations are interesting, the cinematography is at times beautiful and although the script is clearly from the point of view of the Chinese, the Japanese are not depicted as outright monsters, like they sometimes are.But if we're all being honest here, it's martial arts side of things, which really elevates this movie above its peers. Donnie Yen has a deserved reputation as one of the best in the business, and this right here is one of his finest films. Add in the fact that the film had a lot of great background help, including Ip Man's own son, Ip Chun, working as a consultant, and you have one fine martial arts fest in your hands. The fight scenes in this film are gorgeous. Highly choreographed, beautifully shot, just all around beautiful to witness. And they're all so different from one another. You never feel like you're watching the same match twice.Ip Man is a great watch for all fans of the martial arts genre. Donnie Yen gives one of his finest efforts, both as a martial artist and as an actor. Sit back and enjoy a world where everyone is kung fu fighting.

The action is jaw dropping. The film is beautiful. The protagonist is compelling. But this movie kinda reminded me of Rocky IV...except this time the Russians were the Japanese. So it was really exceptional Chinese propaganda, but it was still kinda Chinese propaganda. That said, if someone told me they were interested in a martial arts film, I would not hesitate to recommend.

In FoShan, southern China, Master Liu challenges Ip Man (Donnie Yen) and gets beaten. Ip Man promises to keep it private but loudmouthed Yuan tells everyone. Jin from the north challenges every master in FoShan. He wins in every match except for Ip Man. In 1937, war starts between Japan and China. Ip Man loses everything. Japanese General Miura has organized fight tournaments. Yuan's older brother Lin is killed. Ip Man fights to avenge his death. Meanwhile, Jin leads his bandits including Yuan. They steal from Ip Man's friend Zhou Qingquan.The start is well-done kung fu movie and a good solid story. Donnie Yen has great dignity. The movie is essentially extended into two parts. The war scrambles everybody and everything. The second part is also good. It introduces whole new villains. I would have preferred having two separate movies. The fight action is fun, and energetic. This is a solid kung fu action movie.