Ip Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Ip Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Note: This film is available as part of Ip Man: The Complete Collection 4K.

As has been repeatedly documented by a number of reviewers at Blu-ray.com including yours truly, the story of Ip Man seems to be the gift that keeps on giving, cinematically speaking, with an almost insane number of films either overtly or in some cases ostensibly dealing with the famous martial arts master (some of which I've at least tried to list in some previous reviews). Well Go USA is now continuing this apparently "unending story" with new 4K versions of the first three Ip Man films, bundled in this new edition with the previously released 4K UHD version of the fourth film. All four 4K UHD presentations also offer Dolby Atmos audio. As of the writing of this review, it does not look like Well Go USA is offering standalone 4K UHD releases (with or without 1080 versions also included) of the first three films.

Ip Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ip Man 3 is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Well Go USA with a 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. The original 1080 version got almost top marks from me, and this 4K UHD iteration easily improves on the iffy 4K UHD presentation of the first film and even the generally excellent 4K UHD presentation of the second film. Upticks in detail are noticeable across the board in this presentation, from the opening moments, where the mottled plaster wall behind Ip Man is virtually palpable, to the final showdown where the ornate floor tile resolves with almost startling precision. This also ups the already colorful ambience of the second film, and that allows for some expressive highlights courtesy of Dolby Vision. Greens, teals and blues are especially prevalent and radiate really nicely throughout, and little pops of color like the purplish and plum colored sweaters Cheung Ying-sing (Lynn Hung) wears are often incredibly vivid (the fine detail on elements like the fabrics of clothing, including the sweaters, is also notable). The film offers a number of almost byzantine patterns in both costuming and sets that look nicely sharp and very well detailed in this presentation.

Ip Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ip Man 3 features a great sounding Dolby Atmos track in Cantonese that to my ears was not substantially different in any major way from the also excellent DTS:X track on the original 1080 Blu-ray. There are numerous instances of panning effects at play in various action sequences, as well as some clear overhead wafting of sonic information. Some of the sound effects are extremely visceral, including the whack of wooden poles or the silvery sound of blades hitting each other. It goes without saying that the sound of flesh meeting flesh also provides great opportunity for some fun (if wince inducing) sound effects. Directionality is extremely well handled, with nice attention paid to where various combatants are in the frame. Dialogue is also very cleanly rendered and is always well prioritized on this problem free track. Optional subtitles in English, French and Spanish are available.

Ip Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc in this set does not offer any supplements and the score above reflects that deficit. The bundled 1080 disc repeats the supplements detailed in my above linked review of the 1080 release.

Ip Man 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This entry in the Ip Man saga is probably too preposterous for its own good, and having stunt casting like Mike Tyson probably doesn't help lend credibility to the enterprise. On the plus side, however, this outing's technical presentation is often quite arresting and may help some audience members to look (and/or listen) past some of the film's sillier aspects. The 4K UHD presentation offers some nice improvement in fine detail and some lustrous accountings of an often very impressively colorful palette. The Dolby Atmos track sounded pretty identical to the excellent DTS:X track included on the original 1080 release. With caveats noted, Recommended.