Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 23, 2019

Hey, if March 14 is kind of cheekily called Pi Day (if you have to ask — don’t), why can’t we have an Ip Day, and not just for dyslexics (sorry) — you know, 24 hours devoted to the noted martial arts icon whose students included Bruce Lee? That would at least give an open ended opportunity to screen the seemingly nonstop array of films and television entries ostensibly about the mentor, a list which includes Ip Man, Ip Man 2 and Ip Man 3, as well as several other non- linked features like The Legend Is Born: Ip Man, Ip Man: The Final Fight, and The Grandmaster, as well as Ip Man: Season One (and this is just a partial list, as Ip Man also shows up as a character in a number of other films like Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story). The only downside to having an Ip Day is the fact that these supposed Ip Man properties keep coming, and sooner or later, only one day is not going to be long enough to be able to screen everything, at least not consecutively.

Those wanting a little background information on some of the story elements at play in this film might glean at least a little information from my now long ago Ip Man 3 Blu-ray review, since this film ostensibly picks up the story of Cheung Tin Chi (Zhang Jin recreating his characterization from Ip Man 3, but billed here as Max Zhang) from where it ended in Ip Man 3, namely with his stinging defeat at the hands of Ip Man. That may account for the Legacy aspect of this film’s subtitle, but it may perhaps not answer a central query as to why this particular character was chosen for what looks like the first entry in a franchise spin-off.

Now as I mentioned in several of my reviews of various Ip Man properties, some of them at least tended to depart from the historical record pretty significantly, though as I also mentioned, that was perhaps understandable given the pre-existing mythic admiration in which Ip Man was held. But Cheung Tin Chi doesn’t seem to be based on a real life individual (if I’m mistaken about this, let me know, and I’ll happily update things here), and so the “connection” to Ip Man, “legacy” notwithstanding, would seem tangential at best.

The early part of the film documents the sweet relationship between Cheung and his adorable son Fung (Henry Zhang), and there’s probably an unavoidable feeling of foreboding about the little boy given the fact that Cheung has made ends meet in the wake of his defeat at Ip Man’s hands (and feet) by acting as a professional hitman or at least enforcer. But perhaps unexpectedly Fung’s travails aren’t really a focus of the film, and soon enough in an almost random manner Cheung comes to the rescue of two women in a public square. That in turn puts him at odds with a local gangster named Kit (Kevin Cheng). Kit’s imperious sister Kwan (Michelle Yeoh) portrays a triad impresario who is trying to go straight (or at least give that appearance), in what might be thought of as a kind of distaff riff on elements from The Godfather: Part II. The two women Cheung saves early in the film of course continue to play into events, and one of them, Julia (Liu Yan), becomes the putative romantic interest of the story.

What’s ultimately kind of funny about Master Z: Ip Man Legacy is how it tries to give the story a kind of novelistic depth, but how finally rote a lot of the tale ends up being. That said, there is an almost insane amount of action in this offering, and some of the fights (many of which involve women) feature a sometimes staggering array of weird “weapons”. Dave Bautista is on hand as one of the villains, and I have to say his furrowed bald pate should have received a stipend as an additional supporting character, since it’s so expressive. The fight choreography is uniformly exciting, with the possible exception of a showdown involving Michelle Yeoh, which seemed kind of lethargically paced to me.

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Master Z: Ip Man Legacy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa Mini as having digitally captured the imagery, with a 2K DI. This is another very impressive looking transfer from Alexa Mini generated material, with an appealingly natural looking palette and consistently high detail levels. There's an intermittent emphasis on unusual tones like purples and chartreuses that make elements of this visual presentation quite striking at times, and saturation levels are really impressive throughout. Close- ups offer nice fine detail on elements like hair and facial pores, along with the occasional gruesome injury. There is slightly variant contrast at times, something that can give some of the darker moments a kind of hazy, milky overlay.

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Master Z: Ip Man Legacy offers a boisterous Dolby Atmos track in Cantonese (several other language options are available — see our full specs, above). With the possible exception of a sometimes overbearing score, the rest of this sound design is a ton of fun, with good engagement of the Atmos channels in several of the over the top fight scenes. Outdoor scenes often bristle with background hum and thrum from an urban environment. Some "simple" effects like panning noises from engines also provide sonic interest. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this enjoyable presentation, with excellent fidelity and extremely wide dynamic range.

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Director and Casts (1080i; 3:03)


• Battle of Strength (1080i; 1:50)


• The Cheung Lok's Fight (1080i; 1:47)


• Signboard Street Fight (1080i; 1:18)


• The Hitman Confrontation (1080i; 1:41)


• Teaser (1080p; 1:05)


• Trailer (1080p; 1:35)

As is typically the case with Well Go USA Blu-ray releases, the above supplements have been authored to follow one another automatically (so that playing the Directors and Casts supplement is essentially like hitting a "Play All" button). After the Trailer for this film plays, the disc has been authored to move on automatically to trailers for other Well Go USA releases. Those trailers for other Well Go USA releases also play automatically at disc boot up.

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Years ago in my guise as a musician I was playing a gig and there was a rather elegantly appointed woman sitting next to me listening intently. I played a lesser known song by Brasilian master Antonio Carlos Jobim, and this woman suddenly responded, "Oh, that was always junior's favorite." It took me a minute or two to put everything together, especially since I was genuinely surprised that anyone recognized the tune at all, but it suddenly dawned on me that the "junior" to whom she was referring had to be Frank Sinatra, Jr., since Frank Sinatra Sr. had in fact recorded this song with Antonio Carlos Jobim himself. I asked her about my hunch, and it turned out to be correct, as she was actually an employee of the Sinatras tasked with licensing images of Frank (Senior). On my break she kindly shared a huge catalog of photos of Frank she had with her that she had been using that very day to sell images to upscale hotels and restaurants for those facilities to adorn their walls with photos of Old Blue Eyes. I have to say I kind of hope the heirs and assigns of Ip Man have moved in the same direction for their own sake, as the Ip Man "train" seems to show no signs of stopping, and they might as well be cashing in on it all. That said, it's almost a cheat that this release even includes the venerable name of Ip Man in its (sub) title, since there's next to no connection to him at all in any real sense in terms of the story that plays out. Still, this film benefits from some handsome production design and fun performances, and the fight scenes are often spectacularly staged. My hunch is fans of any of the Ip Man films will probably find at least something to enjoy here despite its tenuous at best connection to those films. Technical merits are solid for those considering a purchase.