Arthur Wang

I remember when I was 10, on a flight and my father was watching Ip man 1. I started watching the Ip man saga and immediately fell in love with it. Ip man 4, like the other films, had great fighting cinematography and a brilliant demonstration of martial arts. By incorporating the racial discrimination faced by Asian-Americans in the 20th Century into the core of the film, made it a feel-good and real underdog movie, seemingly Ip Man taking on all the prejudice each minority may have experienced in America. The only shortcoming I believe of this martial arts film... Was that there were no build-ups to the fight and I feel that this aspect was really rushed. For example, during the first Ip man film, the Japanese general is seen to kill Chinese Kung fu fighters as well as the audience seeing the unjust situations Ip man and his fellow Chinese were forced into. Ip man 2 already had racial discrimination in the film but was able to build up the abilities of the American Boxer by showcasing his skills against other Chinese fighters. Ip man 3 showcased the antagonist skills as well, with many of Cheung Tinchis fights against other martial art teachers. With Ip man 4 just throwing in Scott Adkins near the very end of the movie, I felt that the movie just didn't grab the attention of the viewers in the final fight. TLDR: Ip man 4 is still 5/5 stars and a must-watch, but being a viewer of the other Ip Man films, I believe that this film comes short compared to its brothers.