A Chinese Ghost Story Returns: Wilson Yip & 4K Trilogy

Explore how A Chinese Ghost Story returns: the 1987 trilogy’s legacy, the 2011 remake, and the upcoming Shout! Studios 4K release.

A Chinese Ghost Story GenericA Chinese Ghost Story Returns with not only a look back at Wilson Yip’s 2011 remake, but also news of the upcoming Shout! Studios 4K trilogy release. With Ghost Month here, it feels like the perfect time to revisit one of Hong Kong cinema’s most haunting sagas. This supernatural romance has captured audiences since 1987, and it’s about to return in stunning form. The folklore is classic, and how can not weep for the shadow whose only glimmer of hope is that of a naïve scholar?

Director Wilson Yip took on A Chinese Ghost Story (2011) with the goal of reimagining the classic tale for a new generation. While opinions remain divided on whether his version matches the original’s magic, it undeniably keeps the legend alive. By comparing both versions, we see how this story of love, spirits, and duty continues to evolve. When the third film slightly deviated from the formula (I reviewed this instalment when Fantasia played it), there’s room to grow. And with the classic trilogy getting a fully remastered release (Amazon link), I’m eager to revisit it!

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It’s Not Ip Man’s Finale, but the Grandmaster of all Collections!

IP MAN 4 Movie Collection ART

IP MAN: THE GRANDMASTER 4-MOVIE COLLECTION
Release Date: April 7th

Wilson Yip’s work in the fictional biography of Ip Man is getting a box set! Not only will it feature all four films (previously released as separate films by Well Go USA) featuring Donnie Yen in the titular role, but also we’ll be getting the much needed featurettes that should help fill in the gaps that the cinematic treatment doesn’t touch on.

In the fourth film, which I reviewed a few months ago here, Ip Man lands in San Francisco to help ease tensions between the local Kung Fu masters and an up and coming talent, Bruce Lee. However, there’s more than just tensions between keeping Chinatown in peace. There’s problems with other locals; when the military gets involved, the xenophobic tensions can almost speak for the current situation going on presently between the White House, China and COVID-19.