Kung Fu Academy

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, all aspects, and the acting is fine all round, though it won't be so much for KF purists. The idea is that the fighting style later adopted by Ip Man and therefore formative for Bruce Lee was named after its greatest practitioner, a woman called Wing Chun, who, as an old woman meets and inspires the boy Ip Man. This seems to be complete fiction, but the film is accurate in depicting the style as being developed by anti government rebels at this period in history, the principal components of the style are well and accurately described by a teacher-nun, and her point that these techniques are particularly suitable for women with their strong legs and weaker arms, is a good one.

The first half of the film is pure comedy and Jing Bai as Wing Chun is hilarious throughout, at the same time giving us a great character journey from carefree girl to bitter rebel sympathiser. There's lots of fun stuff going on (the various diarrhea references not so much) and her battle with her unwanted 'fiancee' is a comedy highlight. Loved the circle!

The film is described here as a romantic comedy. It's not just that, neither is it just comedy-fu. There is a bit too much emphasis on the romance side for my taste - I prefer my KF women to have more important things to worry about. But in the end Wing Chun is ready to leave her husband somewhere safe and put her life on the line to protect her master and the rebel cause. The final battle, in which for once she is clearly shown using the particular techniques she has learned, is really good (though this is the only top-quality fight in the film).

105 minutes of fun entertainment, highly recommended.

This is easily along with the Bruce Lee movies my top martial arts movies. This movie is simply a masterpiece,. All the main characters are flawlesly acted . Jing Bai as the main character called wing chun is easily worth of an academy award in this movie. Her character grows from a happy go lucky girl to a more mature person who learns about love and justice in the world. It is an incredible performance which culminates in the most dramatic ten minutes you will ever see.

Shaoqun Yu is also excellent as the man chosen by her parents she should marry,he goes from a perplexed and dissapointed suitor to perfect match.

Kara Wai who plays Ng Mui.is also academy award worthy ,a fantastic performance full of wisdom and warmth.

Cllin Chou makes a chilling bad guy in an also great performance.

But generally,all the main and supporting actors do a fine job,theres noone lacking in this movie.

The story revolves around the popular story about the origins of the wing Chun style and develops in a more dramatic adventure.

The IMDB rating is simply ridiculous. This a classic .If you like Kung Fu movies theres no way you can have missed this one.

As I am a huge fan of Hong Kong movies, I am very familiar with classics such as the classic 1994 Wing Chun that told the story of the origins of the martial arts style. Starring Michelle Yeoh as the title role, the movie was both a martial arts fest and a touching, funny romance with now famous Donnie Yen, and it became one of my favorite 90s Hong Kong movies. So imagine my surprise when I chanced upon this 2010 remake with Ying Bai as the starring role, and I immediately watched it.

After seeing this, I have to say this modern remake exceeded my expectations and has become of my favorites of 2010: the action here comes in intense does as Wing Chun fights off her foes like the original, especially at the ending. The romantic part of the movie started off with a misunderstanding, like the original, that eventually is reconciled in a funny yet touching manner, and it helps to have Yuen Wah and Yuen Qiu to bolster the funniness, though the leads certainly carried the film. Shaoqun Yu is convincing as the scholarly gentlemen Bao Chou who eventually sees the quality in Wing Chun, while Wing Chun herself is played winningly by Jing Bai, who I have never seen before but played the part beautifully. In the future I look forward to seeing her in other movies.

All in all, there is no reason why you should not see this movie, especially if you loved the original Wing Chun and/or love Hong Kong martial arts movies in general. Go see it! 9/10

I chanced upon this wonderful film on an international flight. I can say that, after spending more than 50 years in martial arts and seeing many Asian films with unbelievable plots and characters, this is a classic. The Kung Fu is authentic, the plot believable, the characters are real and yet there is enough humor to make this film a must-see. It ranks up there with Drunken Master and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. My only criticism is that the final fight sequence is a bit drawn out. It's difficult to believe that someone could take that sort of punishment and fight on. On the flight the English sub-titles were a bonus to overcome the aircraft noise, but a dubbed English version would be easier to watch and attract a wider audience.