Tai Chi Master 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Tai Chi Master 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Yuen Woo-Ping's Tai Chi Master (original title: Tai gik Cheung Sam Fung, 1993) is being released as part of Shout! Studio's ten-disc box set, The Jet Li Collection.

My colleague Jeff Kauffman reviewed two Blu-ray editions of the movie: Vivendi Visual Entertainment's 2010 BD-25 and Ronin Flix's 2022 BD-50. To read Jeff's critique of Tai Chi Master and his assessment of the discs' a/v transfers and extras, please refer to the linked reviews.

A tug of war between two childhood friends.

Tai Chi Master 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Tai Chi Master has also been released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray by 88 Films in the UK. The film was restored by L'Immagine Ritrovata and color-graded by Taiwanese-based One Cool Production. The picture appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on a BD-66 and a BD-25. It is presented on Shout!'s UHD in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible).

I own Vivideni Visual Entertainment's Blu-ray from fifteen years ago and have compared a handful of screenshots from that transfer with the two Shout! discs. Jeff observed damage marks on the source print used but they are completely absent here. He also noted general softness. After watching both the 4K and recent Blu-ray, I believe this can be attributed partially to the shooting conditions. A lot of scenes in Tai Chi Master were filmed with overcast skies, which are apparent during the main titles (see Screenshot #11). The 4K handles shots of rainstorm well. For example, see Jun Bao (Jet Li) laying in the grass in frame grab #18. Grain is abundant at times but never becomes chunky. Colors are better saturated on the UHD compared to on the Vivendi. For instance, the dark red paint on the doors of the Shaolin Monastery stand out more on the Shout! transfers (cf. #s 35-37). The image on the Shout! discs also boasts superior contrast. Notice how dark Tien Bao (Chin Siu Ho) and especially Jun Bao appear as they kneel in prayer before their master in Screenshot #26. The two friends' skin tones look brighter and clearer on the Shout!. In addition, contrast is improved in a wide shot of a field where Jun Bao and Siu Lin (Michelle Yeoh) walk together (cf. #s 38-40).

The UHD sports a mean video bitrate of 79.2 Mbps for the feature and an overall bitrate of 89.7 Mbps for the full disc. Shout!'s Blu-ray is poorly encoded with a standard video bitrate of only 14283 kbps, although compression artifacts and macroblocking are not really problematic. The feature on Vivendi's BD-25 averages 22883 kbps.

Screenshot #s 1-25, 28, 31, 34, 37, & 40 = Shout! Studios 2025 4K Ultra HD BD-66 (downscaled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 26, 29, 32, 35, & 38 = Vivendi Visual Entertainment 2010 BD-25
Screenshot #s 27, 30, 33, 36, & 39 = Shout! Studios 2025 Blu-ray BD-25 (from a 4K restoration)

Shout! has provided eight chapter stops for the 95-minute feature.

Tai Chi Master 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout! has supplied a Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1593 kbps, 24-bit) and an English-dubbed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track (2751 kbps, 24-bit). I listened to the original-language mix twice. It is a bit loud while played at regular volume level on my calibrated receiver so I would recommend turning it down by about five decibels. Jeff heard distortion and muffled, boxy sounds on Vivendi's two Cantonese sound tracks (the 2.0 and 5.1). Fortunately, the lossless monaural mix doesn't present any bad distortion or compressed sonics in its presentation. Dialogue is consistently audible. Sound effects during action sequences are crisp and accented well when characters and their weapons collide with one another. I didn't sample the English dub but it may be the same one that's on the Vivendi and Ronin Flix discs.

The new and improved English subtitles (e.g., Screenshot #25) are clear and legible.

Tai Chi Master 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Shout! apparently wasn't able to secure the rights to the audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan on the Vivendi Blu-ray so you will want to hold on to that disc. It has recorded a recent commentary track, which is not on the 88 Films discs, and an extended featurette about Michelle Yeoh. It has also ported over the interviews and featurettes which were on the Vivendi and Ronin Flix editions. Please consult Jeff's remarks about those extras.

DISC ONE: 4K Ultra HD - TAI CHI MASTER

• NEW Audio Commentary with James Mudge - Mudge is a Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks who also runs a Hong Kong film festival in the UK. His feature-length track concentrates on the HK film industry in the 1990s, which Jet Li was a major part of. Mudge covers the careers of Yuen Woo-Ping, Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Siu Ho, Fannie Yuen, Yuen Cheung Yan, and others. He discusses the martial arts, fight choreography, and the Taoist principles that are portrayed in Tai Chi Master. He also spends time unpacking the story, characters, and themes. Mudge's commentary is a little more screen specific compared to others he's recorded for different films. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Audio Commentary with James Mudge - Mudge is a Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks who also runs a Hong Kong film festival in the UK. His feature-length track concentrates on the HK film industry in the 1990s, which Jet Li was a major part of. Mudge covers the careers of Yuen Woo-Ping, Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Siu Ho, Fannie Yuen, Yuen Cheung Yan, and others. He discusses the martial arts, fight choreography, and the Taoist principles that are portrayed in Tai Chi Masters. He also spends time unpacking the story, characters, and themes. Mudge's commentary is a little more screen specific compared to others he's recorded for different films. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Tai Chi Madam - The Michelle Yeoh Effect (47:10, 1080p) - this program features interviews with film critic David West, academic Dr. Leon Hunt, actress/martial artist Cynthia Rothrock, and author Ric Meyers, each of whom discuss the movie career of Michelle Yeoh. The commentators delve into the films she's appeared in directed by Sammo Hung, Corey Yuen, and other filmmakers. They argue that the turning point in her career occurred when she starred in Yes, Madam! (1985). The participants cover her films up through A Haunting in Venice (2023). Meyers reads excerpts from his book. All interviewees speak in English, not subtitled.

• Nemesis: An Interview with Star Chin Siu-Ho (20:16, 1080i)

• The Birthplace of Tai Chi: On Location in Chen Village (14:56, 1080i)

• Meditations on the Master: Film Director Brett Ratner and Film Critic Elvis Mitchell Discuss Yuen Woo-Ping (13:41, 1080i)

• Twin Warriors: Film Director Brett Ratner and Film Critic Elvis Mitchell Discuss Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh (14:33, 1080i)

• English-Language Opening Credits (2:17, 1080p; Dolby Digital 2.0) - these English titles appear very similar, if not identical, to those that start the feature on the Vivendi disc.

• Trailer (3:08, 1080i) - a fuzzy-looking theatrical trailer for Tai Chi Master that hasn't been restored. It is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The Cantonese credits are captioned with English titles.

Tai Chi Master 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tai Chi Master doesn't have much of a plot at all but has a great story about two childhood friends who venture on separate paths only to converge later. The sword and bamboo-stick duels are absolutely marvelous to watch. Moon-Tong Lau's cinematography is underrated and wonderful to look at. I have to disagree with James Mudge about this one and Fong Sai Yuk. Tai Chi Master is superior. (The writing is better.) The Dolby Vision/HDR presentation on the UHD is excellent and a big upgrade over the Vivendi transfer. The Shout! set offers a commentary and mini-documentary on one of the stars that aren't on the 88 Films release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.