Hong Kong Reviews Reviews

Ip Man 3 (3D): Movie Review

Picking up the 3D glasses and walking into the cinema about to watch 3 on the big screen felt amazing. The cinema was packed, i placed myself on the second row and began the journey through Ip mans life for one last time, the final installment.

The Story

The movie starts off with the introduction of Bruce Lee, played by (Danny Chan), here we get to see Ip man put Bruce through some movements and we get to see the first section of Ip man in 3D. In this scene the 3D is fine, it's not amazing but it works well as Bruce showcases his moves in slow motion with kicks slicing through water in mid-air. Danny only really resembles Bruce Lee with a few mannerisms, but was nice to see Ip man and Bruce Lee on the big screen and in the story.

Ip Man is even more of a family man, his wife (Lynn Hung) gets to showcase more of her acting ability throughout the movie and also gets some devastating news which changes not only her life, but everyone around her. IP Man wants to be around more for his wife but gets caught up in local events which demand his attention. A local school is being forced to sell to the hence men, who is led by Mike Tyson. But when they push them so far, Ip man steps in and explodes into his magnificent Wing Chun and wipe the floor with them. He ends up protecting the school for a short while but runs into more trouble and is finally helped by newcomer Max Zhang who is fantastic in this movie.

Max gets along quite well with Ip Man but you find out quickly that what Ip man has right now, the Fame, the Glory, the people's trust, He wants all that and more. Has he issues a challenge to fight Ip man, he is asked to prove his skills in a number of fights which he does quickly and to the point. His presence on-screen is great to watch and he will certainly become a huge star for many years to come with a good range of acting ability and Martial Art skills.

He ends up working for the local thugs and his first job is to fight and destroy . They fight in an umbrella shop (Run by leung Kar Yan), the fight scene is a great watch as you realise you are watching Leung Kar Yan in 3D showcasing his close combat skills was amazing. The scene is explosive and doesn't end to well for one of them being hospitalized with a broken arm.

Ip mans wife condition gets worse as the movie progresses and we get to see the caring side of Ip Man, as he stands by his wife and has to deal with the public invitation of a duel. Ip man decides not to fight and goes dancing with his wife (A scene they show also of Bruce Lee dancing in the movie earlier), but after speaking to his wife, she asks him “If i was well, would you fight”. Ip Man takes a moment and just says “Yes”, so she asks him to do it for one last time. As they go back home, she asks Ip man to show his skills on the wooden Dummy so she can hear the noise for one last time. Here Ip man () runs through the wing chun moves which are always great to see on-screen as his wife watches on, a nice moment in the movie.

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is not in the movie very long, he comes into it for a short burst earlier on, then enters later for the big showdown with Ip man. They did a good job with the action in this scene, showcasing Mikes power and movement (Throwing heavy Punches) and Ip mans ability and fast thinking to defend and strike back. The choreography close up was done well and was better than i thought it would be before viewing.

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Ip man vs Max Zhang

The end fight was between Ip man and Max Zhang (Cheung Wing-sing), this was a fight i was waiting for the most and i was not disappointed one bit. The fight kicks off with a pole fight between the two and showing more of the Ariel shots above the fighters. This moves onto a knife fight which is right up there with the fight between Donnie Yen and Wu Jing in Sha Po lang. Fast and hard-hitting and one that has you on the edge of your seat. The final section of the fight is done hand to hand combat, i wont go much more into how it ends but its dignified and what martial arts is really about.

The Fight Choreography

I was very intrigued to see how Yuen Woo Ping would show his talent in this series as Sammo Hung did the first two movies. Yuen Woo Ping did a great job, he does use his trademark slow motion and some wire work, but most of it is solid feet on the ground Wing Chun action.

Stand out moments with focus on the choreography are: Ip man vs Thugs, Ip man and Max Zhang vs Thugs (Who kidnap their children), Ip man vs The Muay Thai fighter in the lift is amazing and had me gripped.

The action starts off in a tight lift with Ip man's wife stood behind man, Ip man strikes and blocks some hard-hitting Muay Thai moves, finally getting him outside the floor for the fight to continue.

Yuen Woo Ping in this fight and in some other fights, does a bird's-eye view with the camera which is a nice touch as Ip man and the Muay Thai fighter throw down in a shot which last about 10 seconds ending with Ip man kicking him down some stairs.

As i mentioned earlier the fight between Ip man and Mike Tyson was better than i thought.

The fight got better as it went along and Mike did a good job fighting against such a different style.

The final fight once again was a great watch, showcases the art of Kung Fu movies moving their way through poles and knifes to going fist to fist which ends in a good light. A good way to end a kung fu movie is with a great fight and we get one here.

Overall Verdict

This is a softer Ip Man, here we get to see how his relationship goes through ups and downs and how he deals with that along with local enemies and attacks. There are a good number of fights (But could have done with 2 more), saying that thought, the choreography was very well done and every fight scene was great viewing. It was a good way to end the trilogy, as Ip man enters a new phase in his life and i did enjoy listening to his philosophy. Leung Kar Yan has a great fight scene and I enjoyed his role, but once again Donnie Yen kicks butt as Master Ip man and in a role which he has made his own.

The key stand out performance for me overall was by Max Zhang.

His fight scenes alone matches anything involving Ip man and love how both try to out do each other to showcase the true art of Wing Chun during the movie. The build up for their fight throughout the movie grows as i wasn't sure who'd actually win and made me want to see that right away but of course i got there in the end.

A great way to end the Ip man story, more character based especially with Ip man and his wife. The fights and choreography were done very well, maybe just needed 2 more fights and the 3D worked well indeed the best ive seen used for a Kung Fu movie so far. But last word is I fully enjoyed it and it was a pleasure to be watching it on the big screen.

About the author

kingofkungfu

Hi my name is Justyn Hughes, I have been involved or watched martial art kung fu movies most my life. I started muay thai when i was around 4-5 years old for ten years. I became a fan of kung fu flicks after watching prodigal Son in the mid 90's and that blew me away. Some of my favorite stars are: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, lam Ching Ying, Lau Kar Leung, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Chen Kuan Tai and many more.

King Of Kung Fu (Justyn Hughes)

Favorite movie: The prodigal Son

  • Donnie is fascinating, the story moves right along, and the martial arts sequences are impressive. Conclusion, is a very worthy movie to watch.

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