If you are into the latest Detective Dee franchise, in terms of chronological narrative, Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings, the most recently released film, comes immediately after Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon, which I loved and was actually in theaters second, but unfolds before Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame, which was actually the first theatrically released film in the franchise. The Empress is obsessed with retrieving the dragon taming mace that the Emperor gave him in the prior movie, but a bunch of sorcerers are manipulating her in order to wreak vengeance on the kingdom. Can our titular hero protect himself, the weapon and the kingdom against such powerful enemies.

I considered seeing Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings when it was in theaters during the summer of 2018, but while I enjoy the franchise, it was to the level of going to a theater in another city. Instead I chose a handful of documentaries, which was the right choice, and Blindspotting, which was not. From a tertiary glance at other American theater goers’ reviews, apparently the version shown in other countries is more epic because it was available in 3D on other continents. I find 3D a bit obtrusive in being able to lose myself in a movie so I am satisfied with my decision to watch it at home, but fans of a few more features will be disappointed that they missed the opportunity to see it in theaters.

I do not think that I need another sequel, and one post-credit scene explicitly references Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame so maybe we will not get anymore of the famous detective from this particular group of filmmakers. Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings is colorful and entertaining, but if Dee is beginning to take a backseat to other characters, maybe just make a spinoff and declare a time of death. I really liked the concept of a great lawman, whether an enforcement officer or an actual lawyer, getting his hands dirty like an ancient Chinese take on Marshall, but he seemed less relevant to the story than I would like. In the beginning of the film, he displays his profiling skills, and the movie depicts it in a gorgeous sequence, but it is the first and last time that we get to revel in his expertise in his body. There was not a lot of Dee this time around, and when he was present, he was in disguise or sick.

It has been around three years since I saw the preceding Detective Dee films so I wonder if I forgot a lot since my last viewing or if Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings is just incredibly different from the other movies. I was fine with Yuchi, the head of the royal guard and Dee’s close friend, getting more shine, but was annoyed at the romance angle clumsily dropped in the middle of the proceedings between one of Dee’s chief followers, Shatuo, and a sorcerer assassin. Also I never wanted the Empress to play seductress except with her husband. It was kind of disappointing though it is possible that because I am unfamiliar with the mythology behind this movie, I am not appreciating the story enough.

My favorite aspect of Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings is that they build up this weapon, the dragon taming mace, and when you finally see it in action, it does not disappoint. It is similar to finally seeing John Wick wield a pencil. Believe the hype! The fight scenes are quite elaborate and fantastical so to create a weapon that seems credible and powerful enough to face those challenges is not a small feat. I wanted that mace in every scene, but the filmmakers probably gave me the perfect amount.

I also loved that another formidable weapon was basically words and the spiritual unity of the team. Even though it was not Christian, I really related to it. I did not notice it before, but is Detective Dee the head of the FBI, i.e. the Bureau of Investigations? I only noticed because I watched a lot of YouTube videos analyzing Mulan and the carvings on her father’s sword so now I am looking for Chinese shout outs to the FBI. Why is it a thing or have such references only occurred lately? I noticed the homage to the Ride of the Valkyries when Dee was profiling a crime scene early in the film.

Is Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings racist? I do not think that it was trying to be and was actually making the point that treating outsiders badly was wrong, and they did not deserve it, but the bad guys were supposed to be a bunch of Indian dudes though no Indian actors played them. I know nothing about the relationship between China and India, but as an outsider, it was similar to watching District 9, a South African film that took every opportunity to slander Nigerians. It felt as if I walked into a fight that I did not even know was going on. What is happening?

Putting that question aside, the bad guys were impressive. One pivotal scene in Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings kind of reminded me of Moses facing off against the court of magicians, and it may be the coolest part of the movie because suddenly formidable characters start biting it left, right and center. There is a chase scene that felt very Lord of the Rings, but in broad day light, and I loved it. It felt as if the stakes were high.

The denouement felt simultaneously heartwarming and dropped out of nowhere. My least favorite aspect of action-adventure series like Xena: The Warrior Princess is when we watch a battle, and the parties are basically voguing, but in another realm, they are actually doing impressive moves. Also my least favorite aspect of The Flash is when an animal humanoid character, i.e. CGI, basically takes over the story, specifically Grodd. I hate Grodd. Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings manages to fold in both hated features, but managed not to completely alienate me by making me check out and no longer be invested in the story. At one point, a weapon becomes a visual metaphor for letting go of past pain so the enemy gets defeated through healing trauma, and that resolution resonated with me; however I have zero memory of the person responsible for this twist and kept asking myself if he was really a deus ex machina. They kept quoting a line, “Hell is full of suffering souls, so enlightenment must wait,” and I could not grasp the real meaning considering that character was busy existing on another plane and seemingly doing the exact opposite. Maybe I got it and the added tension was not credible.

If you like the franchise and are a completist, definitely watch Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings, but if you do not have a lot of time to watch every movie and can only watch one, then Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon is the one for you.