Starring: Mark Chao Yu-ting, Angelababy Yeung Wing, William Feng Shaofeng, Carina Lau Ka-ling
Director: Tsui Hark
Category IIA (Putonghua)
Andy Lau Tak-wah may be absent, but the exotic poisonous bugs remain in this 3-D prequel to Tsui Hark's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010). It's a tall order to replicate the critical acclaim of that supernatural detective thriller, which starred Lau, Li Bingbing and Tony Leung Ka-fai, and marked a significant return to form for the veteran auteur who appeared to be losing his way for much of the 2000s.
Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon falls short, but is nonetheless a valiant attempt to recreate that magic.
Set in AD665, 24 years before the events that took place in the earlier work, it opens with a suspenseful scene at sea; an entire fleet of warships is seemingly destroyed by a giant monster from the deep.
As if any encouragement is still necessary, Justice Department chief Yuchi Zhenji (William Feng Shaofeng) is given 10 days by Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau Ka-ling) to either solve the mystery of the purported Sea Dragon or lose his head.
In comes Di Renjie (Mark Chao Yu-ting), the Detective Dee of the English title. He's a law-abiding investigator who's been sent to the eastern capital city of Luoyang to work as a low-ranking officer at the Justice Department. His skills include lip-reading and being able to identify acupuncture points during combat, and he is able to memorise every case record in the department's archives. Dee immediately makes his mark by saving Yin Ruiji (Angelababy Yeung Wing), the capital's top courtesan, from kidnappers, and antagonises Yuchi in the process.