Ip Man 2

Donnie Yen returns as the titular kung fu grandmaster in Ip Man 2, with Wilson Yip reassuming his directorial duties and, most importantly, Sammo Hung back in his role as action director, and also as a main character.

The story picks up from where the first movie left off. Ip, having survived the war period in Foshan, moves to Hong Kong with his family and attempts to make a living teaching his beloved art of Wing Chun boxing. However, he is met with opposition and hardship in the form of rival martial arts schools and the atypical British oppressors, and finds that even his formidable martial arts prowess may not be enough to resolve these problems.

But the story aside, anyone with a little background knowledge of this film should know what to expect; a dose of intense Hong Kong kung fu film action. As the story begins to drag, at some point even a unsuspecting viewer should have realized that all the plot devices and dialogue serve little purpose other than as catalysts leading to the combat scenes. And at helm of the fight scenes is none other than the legendary Sammo Hung, in familiar territory choreographing the Wing Chun style, which he made a name for himself in movies such as The Prodigal Son in the 80s. With some creative input of his own, he manages to compose complex and graceful fight sequences that stays true to traditional kung fu styles, from Praying Mantis to Hung Gar Kuen. And who better to bring his imagination to life than the ever reliable Donnie Yen? What Hung designs, Yen executes with masterful control and precision. And in the movie when the former steps up to challenge the latter in a sparring session, we witness two of Hong Kong's greatest kung fu stars pushing themselves doing what they're best at in a brilliant exchange of strikes and blows. Absolutely a sight to behold.

In the end, the typical viewer is unlikely to be captivated by the highly borrowed storyline, save for some who still enjoy the cinematic display of Chinese pride that is rather blatant and unsubtle. But you will be blown away by the fights, you will be in awe of the moves, and, if you're able to, appreciate the action scenes not as the mindless, disposable portion of the movie, but rather the core of it, carefully thought out, executed, and filmed as a true form of art. With that, forgive the storyline, and enjoy the film for what it is.

Much cornier and more emotionally broad than the first, this sequel doesn't care much about story or character logic. Luckily, the fight scenes are still the saving factor; Ip Man fighting all the masters on the wobbly table is outstanding and the main reason to watch this thing.

Overall, Ip Man's series has been a very inspirational trip for me. I grew up with Bruce Lee and from the direction of the director, I see where the movie is going to, whether it's historic or not. Before anyone else say anything about the western boxer in this movie, I lived through the end 70's of Asian martial arts world and I must say it has has it's share of "to the death boxing matches". Growing up in asia, we have had our share of nonregulated matches where contestant signed papers which declared their fight to the death. So it is no surprise that in this movie such a scene would occur. Not having TV at that time, the thrill of hearing such a match from radio (I remember my first Ali match and it was also on Radio, not TV) I can sympathise for the director's broad representation of history.

On the whole, when Ip Man told his disciple Leung, that he wasn't trying to teach him how to fight but to teach him the values of "martial morals", reminded me of my martial arts training under my master. Movies reflect life and in this moment of the film, I totally understood what the movie was going to.

I can only say, seek the truth and not be blinded by what is presented.

Ip Man 2 contains top-notch action sequences from the beginning to the end. It is a befitting sequel that is almost on par with the first movie.

However, it is unfortunate that some of the action scenes rely too much on wire-works. The battle between the masters for example, was inventive but a bit on the fantastical side. Looking back at the first movie, all of the best action sequences were much more grounded in realistic portrayal, as the Wing Chun style looks good in this manner.

It was good to see some cool style vs style fights though, as we get to see Animal Style, Baguazhang and Hung Gar vs. Wing Chun. A friend and I were wondering though if it'd be more accurate to present Preying Mantis, Taiji and Choy Li Fut in the mix as these styles are well established in Hong Kong.

In terms of plot, Ip Man 2 transitions nicely from the first movie, where we get to follow Ip Man as he establishes and propagates Wing Chun in Hong Kong after escaping Communist persecution in 1949. A fact that was obscured by making the character look like he's escaping the Japanese Army instead. No doubt this is a marketing ploy to make sure the movie would not upset the powers-that-be in China.

And like the first movie, Ip Man 2 takes liberty with many facts and plot to condense the essence of Ip Man's characters and what he stood for. It is interesting to note that little is mentioned about his sibling and extended family who helped him in some capacity during this difficult period of time. One of his first pupils was loosely based on a real-life counterpart, the late Master Wong Shung Leung. In Ip Man's old life, he'd often send Wong to successfully answer challenges.

Sammo Hung has delivered yet another amazing feat with choreographing this movie, despite his declining health during production.

My biggest disappointment has to do with the blatant stereotype and one-dimensional characterization of the British colonists and the Twister character. It's a lazy writing that may excite a certain segment in the Chinese market, but in my eyes this serves only to bring down the movie to B-grade martial art flicks of bygone era. There's no denying the populist appeal of this method considering the main target market.

All in all, this has been a fun movie to watch, and I hope the prequel will be as fun, if not more mature in its storytelling.

The most impressive thing about Ip Man was its action choreography, not because it was expertly carried out but because after a long time, martial arts in cinema didn't look like a joke that went way too over-the-top. Instead, it had a very realistic feel, something that I'd been waiting for so long. There's no denying that the film had its storytelling issues but most of those complaints were simply brushed aside by its adrenaline-fueled, high octane & wildly spectacular action.

Now as for Ip Man 2, almost everyone who went in expecting the same thrilling experience that the original delivered didn't really come out feeling exactly the same. The film had an opportunity to be a worthy sequel to Ip Man but it exhibits such a massive downgrade in all aspects that it turns into a disappointment quite easily. Even its action choreography discards that grounded feel & ends up taking the same over-the-top route we've seen so many times in so many martial arts actioners before.

Following the events after the first film, set during the early 1950s & very loosely based on the life of Chinese martial artist Ip Man, Ip Man 2 presents the Wing Chun grandmaster's life in Hong Kong under British colonial rule where he opens a school to teach his discipline but soon faces opposition from local practitioners. After managing to earn their respect, things go extremely wrong when a cocky British boxer makes fun of the Chinese tradition & throws an open challenge to anyone, thus forcing Ip Man to step into the ring.

Directed by Wilson Yip, there are a handful of positives in this film such as its good pacing, an enjoyable plot & another charismatic performance from Donnie Yen. But that's all there is to this picture for it is marred by dull characters, horrible dialogues, poor performances, fractured storytelling & the most heartbreaking of them all, lacklustre action. What was done so amazingly well in the previous film is completely forgotten here although there are a few glimpses of such moments when the filmmakers aren't trying too hard.

On an overall scale, Ip Man 2 lacks the elements that made Ip Man such a terrific example of its genre & feels like those sequels which are made to cash in on the success of the original rather than trying to push forward what it achieved with the first film. Replacing the authentic martial arts choreography with eye-candy moments full of gravity-defying stunts in slow-motion within the first act of the film, Ip Man 2 is a massive disappointment in every manner, lacks the kinetic energy of the original & falls remarkably short of its expectations.