Over the past few years, there have been a series of films about Ip Man, the Wing Chun grandmaster who trained the famous Bruce Lee. While the other films focus on the adult life of Ip Man, Herman Yau’s version focuses on his early stages of life in the new film, The Legend is Born: Ip Man.
“Packed with Kung Fu combat and thick with drama, The Legend is Born follows Ip Man as he grows from a promising young pupil into an unstoppable force. When political corruption threatens his temple, his friends and his honor, Man singlehandedly challenges a swarm of shinobi in an ultimate showdown.”
The film focuses on Ip Man’s introduction to Wing Chun and how he was able to evolve his style. It also focuses on his western education, introduction to the English language, his struggle with his master of “authentic Wing Chun” and his love life. As much as the film orbits around the action sequences, which is what we all want to see, we are given an opportunity to explore the other side of a great man which we don’t normally see or hear about. It’s the drama and deception that helps create a well rounded film versus one falling to the typical pitfalls of an action oriented flick.
The Legend is Born: Ip Man isn’t anything special for most audience goers, but for fans of martial arts films it is a must see for the sheer fact that it gives us an introduction to the man who later on trained Bruce Lee. I am a huge fan of the two Donnie Yen Ip Man films and think both are better by a long shot, but this is a perfect film to watch in order to fill the earlier void that the first Ip Man film leaves. Having a basic understanding about his youth will allow you to understand the man’s philosophies and principles in his adult life. That is the one significant benefit that this film offers.
Speaking of the Donnie Yen versions, Yu-Hang To, aka Dennis To, appeared in both of those films, so he actually had the opportunity to see Donnie Yen channel Ip Man twice before he took on the role himself. I think that’s a pretty cool way to start your career and learn about your character, especially one that’s culturally significant. As for his 
acting, he did a pretty good job channeling the master and maintaining his calm demeanor but you could tell that he is still developing as a performer. I was impressed with his action sequences, as there are points where he pulls off some impressive moves, even if there was wire work involved.
In addition to Yu-Hang To, the movie stars Sammo Hung (in a small role), Sui-Wong Fan, Huang Yi, Rose Chan and the eldest son of Ip man himself, Ip Chun. I thought Huang Yi did a really good job as Ip Man’s love interest and wife to be, especially for her first feature. Everyone else in the cast held their own and maintained the integrity of the film.
Lastly, the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack only comes with 15 minutes worth of special features, the entire duration of which is comprised of about 5 or 6 interviews with the actors and director. Nothing of significance is really learned but it is cool to see some of the behind the scenes work that is played while the interviewees are speaking. The discs also contains previews of upcoming FUNimation releases and the original trailer for the feature. The feature looks good in blu-ray but the DVD quality is pretty good as well so if you don’t want to spend the extra money the DVD feature is perfectly fine.
Overall, The Legend is Born: Ip Man is a decent counterpart to the two existing Ip Man films. It shines light on a topic rarely mentioned when people discuss the life of Ip Man so it is an interesting watch for that reason alone. The action is pretty good and there is a story to it, but the drama can get a bit melodramatic at times and can test your patience on occasion. This film was made as an educational action piece for those who are in love with Asian and martial arts cinema.
Rating: A worthy film for Ip Man and Martial Arts fans, but not many others (6/10)
The Legend is Born: Ip Man is being released by FUNimation Entertainment on December 13th. Both DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo packs are available.
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