- Director : Li Xijie Adam, Zhang Zhulin
- Actors : Xie Miao, Hou Tongjiang, Hua Qilong, Chen Guanying, Zhao Yuxuan
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- Media Format : Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 17 minutes
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Release date : June 21, 2022
Following Donnie Yen’s successful portrayal of
Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, there have been seemingly endless imitations and
additional portrayals of the martial arts master best known for teaching Bruce
Lee. Many of these have been unrelated to the series starring Yen, but still
attempt to capitalize on its success. Ip Man: The Awakening is a perfect
example, having no connection to the previous film series and made by mainland
China while the Yen films were Hong Kong productions. Although the title suggests it is a
prequel of sorts and there are stylistic similarities, Ip Man: The Awakening
is something of a cheap knock-off.
As the title
suggests, the film follows Ip Man during an earlier time in his life than
previously depicted, with Tse Miu stepping into the title role. Depicting a
time when young Master Ip is visiting Hong Kong, the legendary teacher
discovers a human trafficking ring run by a British gang and becomes involved.
Members of the gang practice British Bartitsu, a style of fighting combining martial
arts and boxing, which is depicted in several fight sequences. These sequences
are the true focus of the film, which doesn’t provide much depth in terms of
story.
I have no
problem with a martial arts film remaining preoccupied with the fight scenes,
and even appreciated that Ip Man: The Awakening had the brief run-time
of 80-minutes. The problem isn’t even the way the fights are choreographed, or
the skills of the performers in the roles. The real issue is the way the movie
is filmed and edited. You can tell there is some decent choreography, but
directors Li Xi Jie and Zhang Zhu Lin seem to have no faith in the performers,
cutting incessantly and with so many close-up shots that it doesn’t even matter
if the actors have skills. This is disappointing for an Ip Man film, especially
one with so little to offer in terms of plot.
In some ways I
pity Ip Man: The Awakening, because it was always fighting an uphill
battle being compared to the far superior Ip Man films starring Yen. At
the same time, the filmmakers chose this subject to capitalize on that success,
and essentially shot themselves in the foot in the process. The Blu-ray release
is a good indicator of the lack of true faith in the film, with no special
features or perks to speak of. This is like one of those films named curiously
close to a blockbuster in order to trick unsuspecting audiences into renting
it. And for those who take a chance on Ip Man: The Awakening in hopes that
it will be a continuation of the previous franchise, it will be a disappointment.
For those who are aware it is unconnected, there is some base entertainment to be
found, however forgettable it ultimately ends up being.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
Special Features: 0/10
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