Benz Eye View: Ip Man 4: The Finale

Merry Christmas, everybody!  I hope you guys are having a happy holiday, so as a small Christmas treat, I will bless you with a new review…on a Chinese Kung Fu movie.

Ip Man 4: The Finale

Pros: 

1.) It is kung fu movies like these that make you wish that why no one (except for Chinese cinema) does this anymore.  The fight choreography is great with sound effects that make each landing blow sound painful.  These actors can fight, and their fast movements and coordination are proof of that.  There is one problem with these fight scenes that I have noticed in many Chinese kung fu movies, but I will get to that in a con.  I still like watching these kung fu and karate masters fighting each other relentlessly, and it provides plenty of entertainment.

2.) There is one subplot between Ip Man and his son, Ip Ching that may not have many scenes, but it is surprisingly the most emotional.  Ip Man wants to send his son to a private school in San Francisco after Ip Ching was expelled, but Ip Ching does not want to for his own reasons, creating a strain in their relationship.  When Ip Ching finds out another reason why his dad is in San Francisco, it has a pretty good emotional scene that could bring tears to anyone’s eyes.  This father-son dilemma is not bad, and it is probably the best subplot in the movie.

3.) I like how the movie establishes the antagonists are powerhouses.  It shows many fighters trying to take these guys on, but no matter how fast they are, these villains can take a hit and not go down so easily.  The only reason why Ip Man can challenge them is that he knows where to hit, but even he had a hard time fighting them.  That makes these antagonists very challenging for the protagonist…

 

Cons: 

1.) …However, these antagonists are stereotypically and cartoonishly racist people to the point of exaggeration.  They remind me too much John Kreese from The Karate Kid; these guys are slightly over the top that I can barely take them seriously at times.  They say that Americans are superior and that they do not need any cultures (especially Chinese Kung Fu) to learn how to fight others…yet they are using Japanese Karate as a basis of their fighting style…am I missing something here?  Also, it is kind of funny that these guys are the typical white racist people, and one of them is clearly half-Asian.  If the movie wants me to see them as a threat, they are, but I wish they are written better than typical white racists.

2.) It is cool to have Bruce Lee in the movie, but he is barely in it.  There are a few scenes with him to establish certain characters and plot points, but he has no reason for being there.  Having Bruce Lee do one cool action scene does not excuse why he has to exist in the movie.  Nice to see him in action, but he can be removed from the movie, and little would have changed other than a few rewrites.

3.) As much as I like kung fu movies, there is one thing that has been bothering from many of them I have seen so far: the cinematography and the editing.  Keep in mind, I have not seen many recent kung fu movies, but the ones I have seen kind of bothered me because I have noticed that there are plenty of quick cuts and close-up shots.  I like to see the actual fighting usually in wide shots, and close-up shots when the fighters make a powerful hit.  The movie has medium shots and too many close-up shots which are noticeable thanks to the quick cuts.  It got annoying to me, and I wish that the fight scenes are filmed and edited better than that.

 

Overall: 

A little note: I never watched any of the Ip Man films other than The Grandmaster, but that does not have anything to do with those films, so keep that in mind as I review this last and latest installment.  Based on the real-life figure named Ip Man (which after watching this movie, I am sure that it is exaggerated), Ip Man 4: The Finale is not a bad way to end the Ip Man franchise, but I feel like that this is probably one of the weaker ones.  It makes me want to watch these previous movies because this has some forced moments and weak writing areas, not to mention the antagonists are racists to the point of absurdity.  It still has some great bits, but it seems subpar to me.  I know this is not saying much from a reviewer who has not even seen the previous installments, but that is what I got for Ip Man 4: The Finale.  If you like kung fu movies, I can recommend this movie to you, but I get the feeling the previous Ip Man movies are better.

6/10

Have a Merry Christmas, everybody!