Movies in Review: "The Grandmaster"

I love a great martial arts film, and who wouldn't be interested in the story who taught the highly acclaimed Bruce Lee. I was on board to see this movie from the first glance at the movie trailer. I missed it's opening weekend, so this review is a bit late, but I had to see it and review it.

With most foreign films please be aware that it is likely to have subtitles. So if subtitles aren't your thing, then this movie isn't either. I don't dislike subtitles, and they rarely distract from the film, but for some reason this one did. I must admit that the subtitles made this movie drag only because there was very little dialogue to keep the story moving. Other than the martial art sequences, I felt this movie moved at a very slow pace. It was the music and facial expressions which told the story, instead of the dialogue. I loved the music and felt it went superbly with the action sequences. The cinematography was beautiful, and did so much for the visual appeal of the movie. This was a major plus for me with this movie. However, as long as this movie seemed to run, it lacked character development and sequence. The story was sometimes a little hard to follow. I left the theater wanting to know more about Ip Man, and don't get me started on the ending...I have no idea what the ending was about, and what I was supposed to conclude from it.

This movie is a great visual martial arts film, that has a tendency to movie slow. I would not recommend rushing to see this one, because you may find yourself falling asleep. For the guys, this movie is more of a romantic martial arts film than I think you would like. If you are a visual person and have an appreciation for music, then this is the movie for you. For everyone else, you can wait until this one has exited the theaters...C+