Detective Dee is a mystery fantasy series of films that began in 2010, with the third film being released in 2018. All three of the films did very well in the Chinese box-office. Hence the reason why three films have been made. The films are loosely based off of historic figure, Judge Dee from the Tang Dynasty who was a political hero…. not a detective but I'll take it for what it is.
Each film tells the story of Detective Dee as he solves mysteries that seem the keep having connections to the rulers of China at that time period. The first film called the Mystery of Phantom Flame, introduced the end result of Dee which was interesting character development. Somehow I read somewhere that these films were supposed to be full of mysteries that Dee solves. One would have thought wrong in the way that the film unfolds on screen. Phantom Flame got a whole lot of praise from critics and in Chinese media where I couldn't see the hype after watching the film nine years after it's release. Dee spends more time fighting off "mysterious" enemies than he does actually solving mysteries. Can we also talk about how some Chinese films grasp for a love connection between characters all most too much to the degree that the romance doesn't feel real. Instead the dynamics of the relationship comes across as forced in the story. Plot progress doesn't give any room for the viewer to work out who is causing the conflict in the story either. It just tells you before getting back to watered down comedy mixed into Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon action. I feel asleep of this film a couple times then crawled my way toward the second film titled Rise of the Seas Dragon. You can see the improvements made in the second installment that should have already been in the film. Detective Dee actually has detective traits in this film. The plot takes the time to highlight this fact making the film more cohesive in the idea of the main concept of it's storytelling. On top of that, the mystery of the sea dragon was actually a solid conflict that needed viewers to watch the full duration of the film to kill curiosity. I'm not sure why this film wasn't the first film. I'll actually be the first one not afraid to say that Mystery of the Phantom Flame wasn't needed if we are to judge based on quality of film. Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon is my favorite film out of the three films. Everything about this film flows together to create an exciting film without any conflicts. Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings follows right behind Rise of the Sea Dragon seemingly. No, events pick back up right where we left off. I was a little bit disappointed since I was tired of seeing the corrupt Queen by the end of the last one. Things take place in the palace again as everyone fights over the super strong ass sword that was rightfully given to Detective Dee for saving the palace in the last film. Throw some more "mysterious " looking villains in the mix and there's the whole film. I'm choosing to gloss over the forced love connection that was put in there too. The last installment relies similar traits of the first two films minus the terrible lack of mystery. Heavenly Kings excels in the mystery of the evil forces at bay and I'm afraid to say that this is the only thing that keeps the film from sinking down to the bottom of the ocean like Dee almost did in the previous film. The story is too simple compared to all the action that transpires. Think Martel Arts for dummies and meat heads…. That totally should be a title of a book![INSERT ME LAUGHING.] I could have forcibly swallowed this final film had the ending not been so in a rushed to get to the credits. We all know another Detective Dee will be made probably in another two years. Can't say I'll be watching it though.
Timelines of Detective Dee can get kind of blurred based on the film's scripts. Andy Lau plays the first version of Detective Dee which is the oldest of the three. I thought he did alright in this film. It's not the type of role that brings out an A performance in an actor. Andy is very well known which is why he go so much praise for really no reason other than is status as a popular entertainer. Not saying he isn't talented in his own right… just not for this role. Carina Lau plays an excellent two faced Empress as the role calls for her to act in many different forms as well as revolving situations. Her awards are much deserved. Mark Chao is the true Detective Dee. No if ands or buts about this. He embodied what I was expecting from Andy Lau: A serious take on being a detective. Mark gave me the perfect balance of smarts, whit, and courage as the character of Dee. Casting accomplished a huge clean up when they got him for the last two films. His acting made the last two films easier to digest. What my biggest question outside of the acting is, what order are the film suppose to go in based on the origin of Detective Dee? My guess is that the last two films are events that happened before the events of Phantom Flame. Kind of confusing right?
The special effects of the last two films looked pretty up to par for the most part. I liked the look of the dragon but the sea monster was breathtakingly ugly as hell…. A blind person could look at the village and the palace to see it was a set. At least it looked halfway believable. Detective Dee isn't one of those bad looking films. It's a nice taste of old China in a fantasy.
These films could have been better even with the improvements made in the last two. I would recommend watching the second film only. Forget the other two unless you have the time to waste.
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