There has been a heap of movies about legendary Kung Fu master Ip Man in recent years, and each does portray a slightly different character.
With that said, then this 2010 version portrays the early years of Ip Man. And while being a newcomer to a lead role, then Yu-Huang To did manage to put on a persuasive and good performance of a young Ip Man. And his performance was good in martial arts and acting alike.
The story was good and captivating, and it does offer a good variety of drama, action, intrigue and romance, all mixed together in a manner that worked out quite well.
Being a martial arts movie, then the martial arts is crucial, and it needs to be impressive, well-choreographed and most importantly well-executed. The martial arts in this movie was good and varied; from street fights, playful sparring and deadly brawls. It was well-performed and looked impressive. And the movie was relatively free of 'Wire Fu'. There were some disappointing transitions into 'Wire Fu' though, which was a shame.
"The Legend Is Born: Ip Man" (aka "Yip Man chin chyun") has some good names on the cast list, including Yu-Huang To, Sammo Hung and Biao Yuen, to name but a few. Most impressive, though, is the fact that they got Ip Chun to be in the movie.
If you like Hong Kong martial arts movies, then "The Legend Is Born: Ip Man" is definitely well-worth watching.
