【电影简介】

唐高宗末年，高宗与武则天（刘嘉玲饰）力排众议出兵攻打敌国，岂料舰队出海遭遇事故损失惨重。年少的狄仁杰（赵又廷饰）初到洛阳便卷入他人掳掠花魁银睿姬（Angelababy饰）一案，几经波折解救睿姬并获得大理寺卿尉迟真金（冯绍峰饰）信任，携尉迟与沙陀忠（林更新饰）一同查办“龙王案”，而睿姬昔日情郎元镇（金范饰）则成为破案关键。与此同时，神秘人、巨型海怪以及有关皇族的安危的阴谋接连而至，洛阳城陷入一片危机四伏之中。

【音频文本】

When you decide to watch Tsui Hark's new film, "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon," don't be fooled by its title. The word "detective" doesn't guarantee a detective story, but a crime-action film packedwith magnificent action scenes with the aid of upgraded filming gadgets and technique.

In his latest outing, the Hong Kong director presents a prequel to his 2010 box office hit, "Detective Deeand the Mystery of the Phantom Flame". The story traces the footstep of Tang Dynasty official, Dee Renjie,as he starts his political career in the capital city of Luoyang. His arrival coincides with a devastatingattack on the empire's naval fleet: an entire armada is allegedly annihilated by a sea dragon. Dee's boss,Yuchi, is charged to root out the attackers. He will need the help of Dee and many others to solve the case and uncover a conspiracy against the empire.

Just like many other contemporary detective films, for example the new Sherlock Holmes series starring Robert Downey. Jr., "Rise of the Sea Dragon" doesn't offer a satisfactory detective story. The audience wouldmost likely have an idea of what the story is all about after they've seen a quarter of the narrative, so there is no room for any kind of suspension at all. Perhaps, the directors of today are less willing to risk challenging the viewers' intellect. I guess we'll just have to keep paying for mediocre stories, unlessenough of us decided to otherwise make a difference.

Fortunately, Tsui Hark is the kind of director that likes to try new things. Tsui is previously known for his work involving the world of martial arts, or Wuxia, but in recent years, he's been seeking new ways topresent his world. In 2011, he adopted IMAX filming techniques when making "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate."This time, in "Rise of the Sea Dragon," he pushes himself further by filming 3D underwater scenes. His efforts were not un-rewarded, as many of the magnificent action scenes were reminiscent of "Pirates of Caribbean"--only better.

Tsui's enterprising spirit is also show in his selection of cast members. Apart from Lau Kar-ling, who plays the Tang Empress, all major characters are portrayed by younger generation actors and actresses. The new blood brings vitality to the cast, but also weakens the characterization.

Throughout his career, Tsui Hark has created many distinctive characters, but during his experiment with "Rise of the Sea Dragon," the director traded story and character development for greater visual spectacles, a stronger sense of modernity and better box office returns. For the audience, the visuals alone may be satisfactory enough, but is it really a good trade? Tsui Hark himself will be the judge of that.

On a scale of one to 10, I give "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon" a seven.

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