Although a little bit cornier than the first movie, the sequel still did not fail to impress me. The actions, story line, and acting were all great. (Except the acting of the Englishmen were a bit awkward at times)
The only problem I had with the movie was that it ended up being kind of like a 'Rocky' movie. It was a boxing match between a world champion and a Chinese martial art master (Ip Man). Although the world champion seems invincible, Ip Man successfully defeats him and runs to his loving wife. (typical Rocky movie ending)
The movie had great action, just like the Jackie Chan movies when he used to be young.
It's always great to get to see Chinese martial art in movies.
What makes the Ip Man movies most memorable are the plots. Similar to Korea, China suffered through the imperialism of Japan and the Westerners. They had to endure the the pain of racial discrimination. In this chaos, Ip Man is a type of hero for the peasants. He is a poor martial art master, who can't stand injustice. He is sympathetic and cares most about his family and his pupils. By teaching a form of martial art called Wing Chun, he teaches that you can attack by defending. Thus, his way of fighting is not aggressive, but rather passive.
The most memorable lesson viewers should get out of the movie is the modesty shown by Ip Man. Although he is the best fighter in his city, he never is pompous. Rather, he uses violence as a last resort. Unlike other martial art masters, he never even forces his pupils to pay, since he understands the hardship everybody is going through due to the imperialistic forces. The contrast shown between him and the European boxer is the epitome of modesty. The press conference where Ip Man directly challenges the European seems to symbolize the European Arrogance vs Asian Humility.
Overall, the Ip Man sequels are both well made movies. I love the acting of Donnie Yen as Ip Man. Maybe for the third movie, it will be based on the rise of Bruce Lee as his pupil.
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