Rise of the Legend

"Lee Chong Wei: Rise of the Legend" follows Lee's life from a young age, when as a little boy he discovered his passion and talent in badminton, up to the moments when he had to face off against his rival on the court, China's two-time Olympic champion, Lin Dan.

As the movie title indicates, the biopic is not about the glitz and glamour of being an internationally-recognised badminton champion. No, it is the journey undertaken by said champion, the years he spent struggling and training before he was the World's No.1 Player (as ranked by the World Badminton Federation (BWF)) and bestowed the title 'legend' by admiring fans who aspire to follow in his footsteps one day.

Lee's childhood and adolescence were a complicated tangle of being too poor to even dream of owning a racquet, being laughed at by other kids for his underprivileged life, having a strict father who absolutely did not approve of him playing badminton and having a gentle mother (Khor Kim Choi, played by Yeo Yann Yann) as well as encouraging mentors who set him on his path to becoming who he is today.

Not to say that his father is the villain, however, stick around to see how Lee Ah Chai (played by Singapore's Mark Lee who cheekily threw in a few words about Singaporeans in his dialogue that made the crowd titter) eventually became one of the sturdy rocks in the badminton champion's life.

The movie was no doubt visually arresting, thanks to cinematographer Eric Yeong. Even just a shuttlecock perched precariously atop a badminton net was mesmerising to watch, and that was just in the opening scene, so the audience can rest assure knowing that the rest of the movie will follow the same stylistic setup. Though the movie does suffer from choppy editing on certain parts, resulting in some rather abrupt cut of visual and audio elements, it shouldn't take away too much from the audience's enjoyment of it.

Story-wise, those who've read Lee's biography "Dare to be a Champion" will be familiar with it, though director Teng Bee and producers Josiah Cheng, Ben Lee and Tony Hu did add several dramatic touches to make it more apt for a big screen adaptation.

The main cast, made up of Tosh Chan who bears a striking resemblance to the titular hero he stars as, Jake Eng as the young Lee, Ashley Hua as Lee's love interest and now real-life wife Wong Mew Choo, and Datuk Rosyam Nor as Lee's mentor Dato' Misbun Sidek, delivers a solid performance despite most of them being newcomers in the acting industry.

The movie doesn't just show the audience the story of Lee's early life, it also inspires everyone watching to work harder in achieving their dreams, imparts the message that everyone must have faith in themselves and in a sense, it also instills patriotism - there's just something about watching sports and especially seeing the side you're rooting for winning that immediately forges a bond among spectators (when watching this movie in cinema, expect the hall to keep erupting into cheers whenever Lee is on the court, especially when Lin Dan enters the scene).

.....you will like this movie. I know you are a liar if you say you are badminton's fans but know nothing about Lee Chong Wei. I'm glad that the cinematography of this movie, the technicality is done very well because you make a biopic movie about malaysian lovable man, you cant messed it up. The only cons is the acting of Tosh Chan is really kind of bad, I dunno if they just took him because his face is somehow looks like LCW (they are really look alike, what a cast!!) But its not important because the acting is the main one. Jake Eng, the young LCW is act much better than Tosh Chan. However, a must watch for Malaysian or any badminton's fans all over the world.

Amazing, unforgettable story. A great inspirational story for badminton players that nothing can come between you and your dream to become the number one in the world. He was descriminated for being short, laughed at for being underprivilege, having an unsupportive father, low self confidence, etc. How he overcome them all is what makes him a hero and the best badminton player in the world.

If you are interested in badminton, it's a must watch for you.

LEE CHONG WEI MOVIE is consists of hardship, struggle, frustration and never give up attitude for a sportsman. The movie tells one important message that "it's not about win one game but how to be a champion for long journey". The film directed by Teng Bee with based on "Dare to Be a Champion biopic by Lee Chong Wei". Screenplay done by Teng Bee, Luke Hwong, Tony Hu & Wong Siew Chooi. We can get the actual tense during watching the national badminton games during watching this movie. Two actors played the character of Lee Chong Wei, one is Jake Eng (13 years old) & Tosh Chan (22 years old) while Rosyam Nor acted the role of Misbun Sidek. The chemistry between Tosh Chan & Rosyam Nor were well executed especially for the bridge scene after the loss in Hong Kong game in 2005. Cinematographer Eric Yeong gives wonderful visuals especially for the training sequences around the location of Putrajaya. Overall, I will give 10/10 imdb rating.