One thing that you may not know about me, is that I was obsessed with Kung Fu in high school. I loved watching Kung Fu, practicing Kung Fu – I was like the song, “Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting.”

That means, I obviously have a bias, and to no surprise, I enjoyed all the Ip Mans, including the Fourth and Final installment. This is my sickness.

Would I recommend to see it? Yeah, I would say so. Especially if you like Kung Fu Movies.

Is it worth the fifteen bucks? Uhm, maybe? If you like Kung Fu Movies. It’s also safe for kids.

But if I put on my storyteller’s hat, I will tell you that Ip Man is heavily flawed. The main plot hole that really bothered me in this movie, was that Karate was labeled as a self-defense of White Americans, and not considered an Asian Martial Art. Karate, if you don’t know, is a Japanese Martial Art.

Now, I assumed during this movie, this narrative was created because China doesn’t really care for Japan. There is a deep-rooted hatred for the Japanese that traces back before World War II, and it’s pretty understandable; so maybe that was their reason to not acknowledge Karate as a Martial Art. But then my opinion changed when Karate Masters in the movie, pretty much schooled 99% of the Kung Fu Masters, including Ip Man. The only Kung Fu Master they didn’t school was Bruce Lee, who is American, by the way.

So did the Chinese hate the Japanese? Maybe not, because they showed Karate Masters schooling Kung Fu masters.

Then, why was Karate not considered a Martial Art?

I don’t know. I’m still confused. Could there be no agenda and this just be a result of really bad writing?

Unfortunately, the script wasn’t very strong either, so I’m not going to bother writing a Maverick Review.

The Ip Man movies are a superhero version of the real guy who trained Bruce Lee, that’s it. The storyline is a bit cheesy, but the bar is not exactly high when it comes to Kung Fu movies. I’m just happy the lips are in sync. Between fight scenes, the movie does drag a little. But if you manage to not fall asleep through some of the talky parts, you’ll be greatly rewarded with action scenes that are rather cool.

Maybe this is a good Netflix movie.

GRADE: B

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Steve Young

I go by either "Steven" or "Steve" it really doesn't matter. I'm not a professional screenwriter anymore, so there's no need to suck up to me and send me your latest script. I have zero ambition to work in the entertainment industry. I'm now just a regular guy who knows a bit about storytelling, wants to share that knowledge to inspire new writers, and to share my work with everyone!