I watched Ip Man way back during my student days. It made Donnie Yen a star ten years ago, and now here comes Ip Man Prequel: Zhang Tianzheng. Before going to the theater, I didn't do much research—I just went in with a casual mindset. As I watched, my heart kept racing. I couldn't predict what would happen next. Most unexpectedly, I found myself thinking "it's better than Aquaman."
Recent blockbuster releases have been flooded with superhero films. Of course I enjoy them too, but as I've gotten older, I increasingly feel that superhero films are just about big-screen special effects and thrills. The plot basically leaves your mind as soon as you exit the theater. What stays with you is very little. At most, while watching, you wonder: how do actors immerse themselves in a movie shot against green screens? Even Amber Heard, who played Mera, said in interviews that she'd sometimes hit the wrong target during filming because none of it was real.
So when I saw Ip Man Prequel: Zhang Tianzheng, a grounded Chinese film that doesn't rely on special effects or sound design to carry the story, I was genuinely amazed. No wonder kung fu and martial arts have captivated the world.
Let me compare Aquaman and Ip Man Prequel: Zhang Tianzheng directly on several points:
Heroes Never Die: Aquaman Revived by Special Effects, Zhang Tianzheng Faces Real Combat with Life and Death Uncertain
Do you remember holding your breath along with the movie's emotional ups and downs? That's how superhero films work. Special effects are maximized: underwater Atlantis launches a civil war, triggering a tsunami that floods the shore, sweeping away people and cars. The music, special effects, and changing waters are magnificent. Aquaman and his human father drive a truck and inevitably get caught in the disaster. But following the usual formula, after the water passes, the hero appears, parts the waters, drags his father out of the truck with superpowers, extracts the water from his lungs, and brings him back to life. This is predictable. Heroes never die, the protagonist never dies, exhausting themselves to protect their loved ones—this stacks emotions without creating genuine feeling.
But Zhang Tianzheng is different. In every martial arts scene, every punch lands squarely, and getting hit is inevitable. On Hong Kong street signs high above, standing firm, jumping or climbing to escape, sometimes teetering on the edge, sometimes using force against force. These all keep the audience holding their breath, hearts rising and falling with the character's circumstances. After winning, finally you can breathe again. No excess soundtrack or special effects needed. The sound of a fist hitting flesh, the clang of blade against blade—this is already enough to fill emotions to the brim and release them all at once.
Both Are Metaphors: Aquaman's "Ocean Waste" Stated Directly / Zhang Tianzheng's "No Choice" Subtly Expresses Hong Kong's Plight
Every film carries a deeper meaning behind its production. Aquaman tells the story of an underwater world where humans dumping garbage and polluting the ocean cause nature to strike back catastrophically. Like The Day After Tomorrow and other disaster films, it uses news footage, floating garbage on shores, and grand spectacles to overtly warn people worldwide: "Stop polluting the environment or humanity will face nature's retribution." Strictly speaking, it's clichéd.
Most people already know this, but those who don't want to change won't change. People break the rules repeatedly—for example, Taiwan recently heavily fined imported pork from China, yet people still smuggle meat in and throw it in toilets pretending nothing happened.
But in Ip Man Prequel: Zhang Tianzheng, there's one line that's burned into my mind, spoken by an Englishman: "Chinese is no choice." The Chinese subtitles translate it as "Chinese have no choice." I believe this line carries deep meaning. Let's recall the film's setting: 1959, when Hong Kong hadn't yet returned to China—it was still "British Hong Kong." From the English perspective, Hong Kong wasn't considered Chinese; it was merely the colonial territory "Hong Kong." But "Chinese is no choice" appears multiple times in the film, and it's always said by the English (the invaders) to the Hong Kong people.
Every time this phrase is directed at Hong Kong people in the film, the characters explode with indignant fury. At one point, numerous Hong Kong people gather in the streets to resist English officials. So what's the deeper meaning? If it were rephrased as "I have no choice to be Chinese," I think it would be closer to what the film is trying to imply subtly—Hong Kong people had no choice but to become Chinese, yet they could never say this themselves. So they "borrow the voice," allowing the invaders to be tyrannical, oppressive, lawless, and complicit, polluting Hong Kong. Isn't this quietly revealing Hong Kong people's current predicament?
A Tribute to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"! Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Jin's Duel is the Film's Highlight
The most brilliant segment in the entire film is the fight between Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Jin. First they trade bare-knuckle punches, then they switch to blades and staffs. Unlike the tension of the street sign jumping fight earlier, Zhang Tianzheng has come to his enemy's door seeking revenge—he's like a lamb entering a tiger's den. Yet he's fearless. This embodies the Chinese cultural spirit of "the brave are fearless," which is also the title of director Yuen Woo-ping's 1981 film. All the martial arts films he's directed are infused with this spirit.
In this duel, the fight moves from the table to the ground, from the window back to the table—flashing blades and sword light everywhere. It immediately recalls "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Yuen Woo-ping was the martial arts choreographer for the first Crouching Tiger film and director of the second, and Michelle Yeoh returns, wielding a similar curved blade. The over five-minute fight sequence captures the knife work in close-ups and the fluid martial arts flow in wide shots. This segment is truly spectacular and awe-inspiring.
After leaving the theater, my friend and I both nodded appreciatively. Ip Man Prequel: Zhang Tianzheng is truly a martial arts film that's genuinely stunning. The details are exquisite, and every shot has meaning. Words can't do it justice—you have to experience the spectacle in the theater yourself!
