THE LEGEND IS BORN: IP MAN is a prequel to the two widely successful IP MAN films starring Donnie Yen. I absolutely love those movies, finding them a delight with strong storytelling and outstanding action, so I wasn't quite sure how this prequel - which DOESN'T feature Yen - would stand up.

The answer is that it's worth a shot, although not of the same calibre as the other two films. It's an amiable enough martial arts story, mixing biographic storytelling with some action sequences that don't disappointment. Dennis To is an exact lookalike for a young Yen, but he doesn't have the same level of acting ability although his martial arts skills are quite good.

The film is well shot by Herman Yau, the notorious bad taste director of the 1990s, who puts every penny of the budget up on the screen. The story is familiar and contains some rather generic and stereotypical villains, but that's par for the course for a martial arts flick. The supporting cast is exemplary, however, and where the movie really shines. Fan Siu-Wong (THE STORY OF RICKY) excels as Ip Man's adopted brother, and Sammo Hung has a nice opening cameo as a martial arts master. Better still is Yuen Biao, off our screens for too many years and still cutting it where it counts. There's even an important role for Ip Man's real-life son, Ip Chun, which can't be scoffed at.

Awesome movie but out of all the characters in the film, the one that grasped my tiny little eyes the most was the niqqa square head. He's such a valuable visual addition to the production and I can't wait to see what other non-speaking roles his talented head will takes him to. God Bless square head and God bless China. IpIP

There has been a heap of movies about legendary Kung Fu master Ip Man in recent years, and each does portray a slightly different character.

With that said, then this 2010 version portrays the early years of Ip Man. And while being a newcomer to a lead role, then Yu-Huang To did manage to put on a persuasive and good performance of a young Ip Man. And his performance was good in martial arts and acting alike.

The story was good and captivating, and it does offer a good variety of drama, action, intrigue and romance, all mixed together in a manner that worked out quite well.

Being a martial arts movie, then the martial arts is crucial, and it needs to be impressive, well-choreographed and most importantly well-executed. The martial arts in this movie was good and varied; from street fights, playful sparring and deadly brawls. It was well-performed and looked impressive. And the movie was relatively free of 'Wire Fu'. There were some disappointing transitions into 'Wire Fu' though, which was a shame.

"The Legend Is Born: Ip Man" (aka "Yip Man chin chyun") has some good names on the cast list, including Yu-Huang To, Sammo Hung and Biao Yuen, to name but a few. Most impressive, though, is the fact that they got Ip Chun to be in the movie.

If you like Hong Kong martial arts movies, then "The Legend Is Born: Ip Man" is definitely well-worth watching.