If you’re like me, you get excited to see new trailers. Some catch us off guard, some make us say ‘WTF’ and some leave us ready to view the film right then and there.
Welcome to another #TrailerTuesday. We’ve got some exciting trailers with the likes of Scott Adkins, Dennis To, Michael Wong, Mario Van Peebles and a new CGI heroine!. Strap in and get ready for #TrailerTuesday! Click the poster to view the trailer.
IP Man: Kung Fu Master
DIRECTED BY
Li Liming
Action Director Sun Mei
(click on poster to view trailer)
Starring Dennis To, Michael Wong, Dongfeng Yue, Wanliruo Xin
Plot (courtesy of Magnolia Pictures) IP MAN: KUNG FU MASTER harks back to Ip’s early days before the Communist Revolution in 1949. Ip, portrayed by Dennis To for the third time as the martial artist who famously tutored Bruce Lee, was then a police captain who was framed for the murder of a ruthless but honorable mobster, and targeted for vengeance by his dangerous daughter. Forced to quit the force, Ip soon also has to contend with the arrival of the Japanese army in Guangzhou.
Film Fan Dojo reaction: It is clear that “Ip Man” has become the Wong Fei Hung of this generation in popular movie media. Dennis To (The Legend Is Born: Ip Man, Kung Fu League) revises his role as Wing Chun Grandmaster Ip Man in this release from Magnolia Pictures. In this trailer we get to see Ip Man as a police captain who witnesses the illegal activities of his superiors and he decides to use his formidable Wing Chun skills to right their wrongs. We get to see sneak peeks of Dennis using Wing Chun against Chinese gangsters (wielding hatchets), Japanese karatekas and even a potential Japanese ally. There also seems to be some tropes familiar to the Donnie Yen movies series: Ip faces a Japanese General in the finale (similar to the original Ip Man), a masked Ip Man fights crime a la Donnie Yen in The Legend of Chen Zhen and Ip Man as the morally upright fung fu master who cares about people. I like Dennis To and think he is an underrated, new-generation star. Hopefully, the fights do justice to what Dennis To can bring to the table. Although many are Ip Man-ed out, I think if one takes this as another take on the Ip Man movie mythology, it could be enjoyable.While I don’t typically enjoy the newer-style modern fights in many Chinese action movies (too much emphasis on wire work, the floor breaking apart to show power, “wushu” style poses and a mixture of camera undercranking AND shaky cam), I hope this movie does away with some of these conventions to focus more on the kung fu of “Ip Man” and the martial arts of the Japanese bad guys. Ip Man: Kung Fu Master comes to VOD and Digital December 11, 2020.
Max Cloud
Directed by
Martin Owen
Starring Scott Adkins, Tommy Flanagan, Lashana Lynch, Elliot Langridge, Sally Collett, FranzDrameh, John Hannah
Plot: When teen gamer Sarah finds an “easter egg” and accidentally opens a portal into her favorite side-scroller, she becomes trapped in a notorious intergalactic prison that is home to the galaxy’s most dangerous villains. To escape, she must finish the game with a little help from her not-so-savvy friend on the outside…or remain a 16-bit character forever.
Film Fan Dojo reaction: As a fan of Scott Adkins, I am happy to see that he is getting lots of work. Add to that the fact that I’m a big fan of video games, especially retro games, Max Cloud is my type of movie! We get retro game graphics, an over the top Max Cloud (Adkins) and some cool fight scene clips with video game enhancement (check out Cloud’s “Chun Lee” style machine gun kicks). Max Cloud looks like a fun movie with goofy humor and a crazy storyline that works in this type of movie environment! If you are a video game fan and/or Scott Adkins fan, Max Cloud should be added to your watchlist. The movie releases on VOD, Digital, DVD/Blu-Ray December 18, 2020 from Well Go USA.
Seized
Directed by
Isaac Florentine
Action Director Art Camacho
(click on poster for trailer)
Starring Scott Adkins, Mario Van Peebles, Karlee Perez, Steven Elder, James P. Bennett, Matthew Garbacz
Plot: A former special forces agent’s son is kidnapped and must now wipe out three dangerous crime syndicates if he wants to see his son alive again.
Film Fan Dojo reaction: Action movie director Issac Florentione, the man responsible for some of the best modern martial arts movies — Ninja, Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, Undisputed 2 and 3, and Acts of Vengeance — reunites with the prolific Scott Adkins for Seized. The simple plot promises a good formula for some explosive-looking action courtesy of veteran action director Art Camacho: “special forces” gun battles, vicious, quick-kill fight scenes and some great Scoot Adkins-style boot work. It is also cool to see Mario Van Peebles as the apparent bad guy with a plan! Seized looks to be a dynamic, action-packed movie! This Isaac Florentine-directed movie is currently available on digital platforms.
Raya and The Last Dragon
Directed by
Don Hall
Carlos López Estrada
Paul Briggs
John Ripa
Starring Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina
Plot: Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than dragon magic to save the world — it’s going to take trust as well.
Film Fan Dojo reaction: Filipino martial arts get some love in this Disney animated trailer. With slick CGI characters, Raya and The Last Dragon look good! It seems to follow the conventions of Disney animation with a slight twist, since this time the story centers around the cultures of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Laos, through the fictitious world of Kumandra. In the clips, we see Raya taking a pair of fighting sticks assuring us of some martial arts! Our suspicions are correct as later in the trailer Raya confronts a masked man armed with a sword and she begins Filipino-style stick fighting! Although we have seen Filipino martial arts in The Bourne Identity, Jack Reacher and a small scene in Steven Seagal’s Out for Justice this will be our first time seeing it in a CGI Disney film! Did we even mention there is a dragon? Dragons are so cool! Raya and The Last Dragon promises a great adventure story, a female protagonist and some cool-looking CGI martial arts! We are excited to see this and look forward to the release! Raya and The Last Dragon will be released March 12, 2021 in theaters.
Thanks for reading!
What trailers excited you? Please leave the name of must see action or martial arts movies in the comments.