Amazon Prime Video is streaming four adventures with a fantasy twist, in which a brilliant master detective is at work. It’s worth tuning in.
If you are looking for a good dose of adventure with puzzle and fantasy elements at the weekend, you should watch the Detective Dee films, which you can stream by subscribing to Amazon Prime Video. That’s because a directing legend has created an elaborate blockbuster movie somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones.
The fantasy series is about a character who really existed
The Detective Dee films are set in ancient China, where the powerful consult the headstrong official/rebel/detective Dee to investigate mysterious events. The cases are sometimes fantastical, sometimes more criminal in nature. For example, Dee (Andy Lau and later Mark Chao) investigates a series of fiery deaths that cause unrest around the first Empress of China, or is confronted with a sea monster that decimates the empire’s fleet.
Not only are fantasy and adventure always in the foreground, but above all the wit and humor of the hero, who has to get to the bottom of tricky conspiracies. It is no coincidence that Detective Dee is described as the Chinese Sherlock Holmes. In contrast to Arthur Conan Doyle’s master detective, however, Dee is based on a real figure, namely an official active in the 7th century who made a name for himself by fighting corruption. But don’t worry: the films have little to do with reality.
That’s why the Detective Dee films on Amazon Prime are worthwhile
Meanwhile, there are numerous Detective Dee films on various channels (including Amazon). It’s easy to lose track of which ones are really worth watching. With a Prime subscription, you can stream four films that were released between 2011 and 2020.
Stream these Detective Dee films with an Amazon Prime subscription:
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2011)
Detective Dee and the Curse of the Sea Monster (2013, prequel)
Detective Dee and the Legend of the Four Heavenly Kings (2018, prequel)
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Rat Curse (2020, not part of the main series)
The first three films are the best. They form the main series of the Detective Dee adventures and were directed by master director Tsui Hark, who made some of the classics of Hong Kong fantasy and martial arts cinema, including Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain and Once Upon a Time in China.
Tsui also puts his stamp on Detective Dee. You can expect an entertaining narrative pace, a mischievous hero and, above all, a creative staging that literally draws you into the film. Few directors are as good as Tsui Hark at immersing the audience in the action. Crazy camera ideas and digital (3D) effects are just some of the ways the Detective Dee films keep you entertained.
Added to this are the charming leading actors Andy Lau and Mark Chao (as the younger Dee), who in each of the three films have to compete with the cunning Empress (intimidating: Carina Lau), with whom you never know whether she wants to ask Dee for help or have him executed.
If you like Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes adventures, have a heart for martial arts adventures, or just want to spend a few hours immersed in a strange blockbuster world, the first three films are for you. On the other hand, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Rat Curse is a low-budget adventure without Tsui Hark’s involvement, which is more for completists.
