MOVIE: IP MAN 2

I didn't catch Ip Man, as I usually avoid martial art flicks. But I acceded and in a momentI was catching Ip Man 2 with my friend at AMK cathay. It couldn't be that bad, eh? After all, Ip Man received rave reviews. And any show with Sammo Hung is usually delectable. I was wrong.


Synopses: I hate writing synopses. go google it yourself.

Review:
My oh my. The movie started well enough, with Donnie Yen(Ip Man) acting every bit a hero. Cringe at the overacting of his first disciple. The fight scenes were well choreographed, though i can't help but notice that Ip Man's moves are always repetitive. Too much use of the "fast forward" meant that the motions were too fast sometimes to follow.
However, midway through the movie, the plot collapses like a pile of bricks. The bricklayer went on a strike. By the time you get over the ridiculous overacting of the Western actors, you arrive at a equally superfluous and mundane plot. It is almost as if the movie unfolds in your mind even before the scene is enacted on the movie screen. It is as predictable as a Minesweeper game at beginner mode. By then, you will be watching a repeat telecast on the same martial arts moves. Lynn hung (as Ip Man's wife), by far the better actress, is sorely under utilised. Her two expressions consisted of a blank face, and a smile.
The only saving grace of the movie was the transient humor provided by Bai Yun, who is marvelous as a police inspector's sidekick. The film's take on glorifying China's cultural medallions and anti-western sentiments(again) falls so flat, it like watching the movie in a cinema with seats that aren't elevated at all. Donnie Yen acts like the wooden sticks he's training with throughout. Sammo Hung's antics and limp attempts to instill patriotism couldn't save the movie from deflating faster than a balloon pierced to death.

Bad. Horrifying. Almost as bad as the stinker Spiderman 3. Nope, I retract that, but leave it for another time okay?

2 out of 10, for Bai Yun's humour and Lynn Hung's providing limited visual entertainment.