Review of The Legend Is Born: Ip Man (2010) by Tedrico L — 07 May 2014

KILLER WUXIA WIRED KUNG-FU CHOREOGRAPHY & SHINOBI SWORDPLAY! A PLEASANT MIXTURE OF POLITICS, ROMANCE, & CUTTING EDGE KUNG FU! 1920'S ERA CHINA PERFECTLY ILLUSTRATED UNDER HERMAN YAU'S SUPERIOR DIRECTION! With a run time of only 100 minutes, at first I was stunned to see Sammo Hung Kam-Bo playing Chan Wah Shun, Yip Man's master, because he died in IP Man 2.

But, ... as one who often watches prequels and sequels alike, I opened my mind up and quickly got passed this, as Sammo's appearance is brief, and relatively unimportant in the large scope of the movie's sole plot .

.. to illustrate the growth of Yip Man from a promising young pupil into an unstoppable force. I appreciate the inclusion of competition between Cheung Wing Shing (Huang Yi) and Li Mei Wai (Rose Chan) who both are in love with Yip Man, all while his brother Yip Tin Chi (played by iu-Wong Fan) desperately tries to match make Cheung Wing Shing with Yip Man, so that perhaps, his fellow pupil, Li Mei Wai will finally acknowledge and welcome his undying love for her.

This story's antagonist is not a mere single individual, as in all 3 trilogy films, but instead political corruption ... which later threatens his temple, his friends and his honor, forcing Yip Man (played by Yu-Hang To) to single handedly fight off a swarm of Japanese Shinobi in what yields, ONE HELLUVA ULTIMATE MARTIAL ARTS SHOWDOWN! This film rates 5 stars just like the IP Man trilogy does!