Master Z: Ip Man Legacy was a good film, so there’s some hope there. Produced by Raymond Wong and Donnie Yen, and written by Edmond Wong, Wilson Yip stepped down as director, passing the chair to the King of Kung Fu choreography, Yuen Woo-Ping. Knowing that the fourth would be the last, it was an attempt to keep the golden goose alive. It starred Max Zhang reprising his role as Ip Man’s rival from Ip Man 3, Cheung Tin-chi, and featured Michelle Yeoh in a triumphant return to the Kung Fu genre, and Dave Bautista as the villain. There was a spin-off to this series, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy, which fits in between the 3 rd and 4 th films. The last installment came out last year and it was the final film by this core team, ending with Lee attending Ip Man’s funeral (another event that never happened).
The films follow Ip Man’s life very loosely until the final film where Ip Man travels to San Francisco to visit Bruce Lee, an event which never happened. After the first film, each successive sequel featured Donnie Yen facing outstanding martial adversaries: Sammo Hung in Ip Man 2, Mike Tyson in Ip Man 3, and Scott Adkins in Ip Man 4. Wilson Yip’s Ip Man films tell a linear story in four chapters. Bruce Lee is also depicted in several of the Ip Man films because their legends are intimately connected and it’s unclear if those characterizations were condoned by the Lee estate. After what was perceived as a negative portrayal of Bruce Lee, Lee’s daughter Shannon protested to the press, which only resulted in Tarantino’s film getting more publicity. And while it’s best to have the blessing of the family estate, as was seen with Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, it’s not necessary.
Since Ip Man is a historic figure, his character is somewhat in the public domain. The four films were major box office hits in Asia, resulting in the production of several other Ip Man films that rode the coattails of its success. Those collaborations set up the success of their first Ip Man film, and it’s noteworthy that Yip and Ip are different romanizations of the same Chinese character, meaning that although not directly related, Wilson Yip shares surnames with Ip Man. Yip and Yen collaborated in some previous critically acclaimed martial arts films like Kill Zone (aka SPL: Sha Po Lang), Dragon Tiger Gate, and Flashpoint – all of which were well regarded for their high octane action and brutally satisfying fight choreography. It began in 2008 with Ip Man and retained the same core team for four installments: directed by Wilson Yip, produced by Raymond Wong, and written by Edmond Wong. The most prominent Ip Man franchise stars Donnie Yen. There have been multiple actors, directors and filmmakers featuring Ip Man, and this new film is independent from all of those, although confusingly enough, it’s very connected. All the films have been heavily fictionalized, and the Ip Man film franchise is far from unified. Ip Man: Kung Fu Master is the latest film to portray the legendary grandmaster of Wing Chun Kung Fu, Ip Man, the real life teacher of Bruce Lee who lived from 1983 to 1972.
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