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The Ip Man movies, starring Donnie Yen
Are some of the most successful Kung Fu films
Of the past 20 years
(Ip Man Montage)
Four installments of exhilarating action
One spin-off featuring Dave Bautista
(Bautista smash)
Naturally, with success comes copycats
Many other "Ip Man" movies were made
Trying to capitalize on the name recognition
Now, full transparency
I went into this video idea nice and pissed off
I mean, these are "Ip-sploitation" movies
It's gonna suck, right?
Then I watched the movies, and...
They are kinda good
(Action Montage)
I know! Is that even legal?
These films are, of course
No replacement for the Donnie Yen blockbusters
But that's the thing, they don't try to be
Within their limitations and constraints
Each film shines in its unique way
So, instead of getting angry
Let's take a look at 3 of these movies
Check out how each film differs from the main series
And why they may be worth a watch
[The Other Ip Man Movies (Are Kinda Good)]
[Chapter One]
First up, The Legend is Born: Ip Man
Released in 2010
No, it is not a prequel
It wasn't even from the same production company
Though it stars some of the same actors
None of them are playing the same role as the main series
It is as close to a cash-in as you can get
(The Summary)
The film tells the story of Ip Man's life in Wing Chun school
The main plot involves a love triangle between him
His childhood friend, and his adoptive brother
Other side plots include Ip Man learning Wing Chun
From two different masters
To the disapproval of his elders
All of it is set against the backdrop
Of an impending Japanese invasion
But the story is more about interpersonal drama
Not so much about national pride
It's a very Wuxia-esque plot
Which is already different from the Donnie Yen series
(The Challenges)
From the title's questionable font choices
You can tell this movie has some... budgetary constraints
Kung Fu movies are expensive
Take this classic scene for example
Even in the chaos of a 1 on 10 fight
Ip Man is always backlit
Even when the camera moves to the opposite side
The light still silhouettes him
That means, between every shot
The lights have to be adjusted
The dramatic close-ups require a lens change
Moving shots like this require a jib
Stunt shots like this one require many tries
For the dude to land in just the right position
A film needs time and money
To achieve a cinematic result
Legend is Born has no money for any of that
Resulting in fights that have flat lightings and mostly flat angles
Which require minimal equipment and lighting setups
People also don't fly through the air nearly as often
However, when the film does show a fight with impressive stunts
The fight is also a lot shorter
Pointing to it being a budgetary constraint
Rather than a creative skill issue
(The Solution)
Knowing that they couldn't do everything
The filmmakers then had to make a choice
Lighting, cinematography, set design, costume
Some of these had to be sacrificed
So, they decided to trust the choreography
And the capabilities of their Kung Fu stars
They believed that good action speaks for itself
And I'd incline to agree
As a result, we get a much less fanciful
But also a much more raw look
At the actors' performance
When there is some stiffness in the action
The flaws are on full display
But when it gets good
It also gets really impressive
The starring actor, Dennis To
Is Hong Kong's youngest Wushu Champion
Opposite him is Louis Fan
A seasoned Kung Fu star
We are seeing two capable martial artists putting on a show
With no fancy camera moves
Completely unfiltered
And the body movement of these actors are impressive indeed
Because the core of the action is good
The movie may look low budget
But it doesn't feel cheap
Way better than a cash-in has any right to be
With a serviceable story
And impressively performed action
This is one more Ip Man movie for the Kung Fu fans
Grab a beer, give it a shot
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[Chapter Two]
Next up, Ip Man: Kung Fu Master Released in 2019
Dennis To reprises the role
But this production has no relation to Legend is Born
For one thing, it looks a million times better
In fact, it looks downright impressive at times
Hard to believe this is a web movie
(The Summary)
In the film, Ip Man is a police officer
Who grows disillusioned in the justice system
In the face of a Japanese invasion
So, Ip Man becomes a vigilante
To right what the law cannot
The premise actually sounds cooler than it is
But the crime thriller edge is a core part of the film's identity
(The Challenges)
Being a Chinese streaming release
This movie likely didn't have a large budget either
Chairs and tables rarely get broken
Handheld cam and flat angles are also prevalent
The low budget is compounded by the fact that
Outside of Dennis To and one other actor
No one else has any martial arts experience
As a result, the choreography is pretty sluggish
And it gets chopped to pieces by the editor
Yet, despite all that
It feels better than it actually is
(The Solution)
The reason this film can get away with less impressive action
Is because it is not a Kung Fu movie
It's a crime thriller
It sells you the thrill of the drama
Instead of Wing Chun action
For example, we see two assassins
Trying to kill Ip Man's wife
Ip Man's teacher intercepts them
We then cut to a parallel action
Ip Man being held hostage
Tension is high
Once that crisis is resolved
We come back
And the two assassins are already dead
There is still heightened drama
But the action is only implied
And since the static shot of the hostage situation
Is a lot easier to film
The movie also looks a lot better
That's not to say the film doesn't have good actions
The film opens with a one on one hundred fight
In which Ip Man fights through the axe gang
To arrest their leader
Here, the action is actually well presented
But even then, the film still cuts away from the action
To show the gang leader about to murder some dude
Almost all fights in this movie have some parallel drama to it
Fighting in the rain to stop an execution
Protecting his wife while she's giving birth
The suspense and drama always supersede the action
Sadly, drama is where this film falters a bit
You don't feel the love between Ip Man and his wife
Nor does Ip Man ever feel threatened, desperate
Or even confident
He really is a wooden dummy
Without his emotion
The tension gets deflated
It's still a decent time
It has good ideas, just not so well executed
[Chapter Three]
I saved the best for last
Release in 2013, Ip Man: The Final Fight
Was made by the same creative team from Legend is Born
Except, this is a completely different movie
Despite its cheesy title
This is actually a biographical film
(Summary)
The Final Fight sticks much closer to the actual life of Ip Man
Depicting him as a human, wise but flawed
Living a mundane but meaningful life
It shows Ip Man as remembered by his son and pupils
A stubborn and introverted old man
Who, in fact, did not think very highly of Bruce Lee
"Master."
"No thanks. I prefer to walk"
Hong Kong acting legend Anthony Wong
Brings some much-needed humanity to Ip Man
Beyond the action hero archetype
This timid expression when he says he is hungry
Is instantly memorable
And what does he eat?
Rice mixed with soy sauce
So much information with so little action
(The Challenges)
Since this movie is a biography
The film prioritized acting over martial arts
Anthony Wong may be an acting master
Kung Fu, he does not
Veteran choregrapher Nicky Li
Who worked on SPL 2 and Raging Fire
Created some amazing sequences
Taking into account each actor's capability
But you can tell how much the footage has been sped up
And even then, it lacks power
However, I can't begin to tell you how little that matters
(The Solution)
You know what the filmmaker didn't do?
Settle with using only stunt doubles
As much as possible
The actors perform the fights themselves
Even if it's to the detriment of the action
And for good reasons
In this biography
Action is secondary to the characters
Going back to the fight we just saw
"You win if you knock me off this newspaper."
This fight isn't about the thrill of it
It is about Ip Man, the character
His proficiency, confidence
And because Anthony Wong is doing it
You also see how much joy he takes from fighting
This is the beauty of this film
The action always offers some insight into the characters
We see Ip Man being challenged
The two spar for a bit
And the moment they get heated
They stop
There are no wins or loses
It's not even a draw, they just have enough
The film and the characters
All understand that victory isn't what is important
Kung Fu to him is a conversation
This is one movie where Ip Man is just as interesting
Even outside of fights
Here is my favorite scene
After a long period of separation from his wife
The two finally can share a bed together
They simply...
Do nothing
It's the most interesting non-action
I've seen in a long time
Highly recommended
[Conclusion]
Of course, none of the directions are mutually exclusive
A fight can simultaneously be dramatic, be thrilling
And builds characters
But the real world has constraints
And sometimes, you have to make choices
In our video about Ip Man and Superman
I said that a good Superman story
Should attack his vulnerability
Instead of challenging his strength
Funnily enough, this also applies to all of these Ip Man movies
All three films, on some level
Understands that they cannot possibly compete
With the bombastic Donnie Yen action
So they don't
Instead, they shift their focus elsewhere
A different style of action
A different genre
A different way to tell a story
To me, that's the best kind of Ip Man movie I can ask for
The ones that, despite the great challenge
Still refuse to settle with mediocrity
And find their own ways to fight