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G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: If nothing else, the film is colorful. Read more
A.O. Scott, New York Times: Witty but not campy, grand without being unduly somber, it is a crazy, almost-coherent riot of intrigue, color and kineticism anchored by the charisma of its cast. Read more
Keith Uhlich, Time Out: The film becomes more deliriously nonsensical by the moment, which is part of its intermittent charms... Read more
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: Some of the action in "Detective Dee" is computer-generated hallucination, some is just good-old life-threatening stunt work, but it is almost always a thrill. Read more
John Hartl, Seattle Times: By the end, with the running time pushing past the two-hour mark, it's reasonable to ask: Just who are these people? Read more
Noel Murray, AV Club: What makes Detective Dee worthy of Hark is that the action is always thematically justified, underscoring who our champion is. Read more
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic: It is a peculiar conflation of history -- there really was an Empress Wu -- and pure cinematic fantasy. Read more
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: It's slambang in pacing, bald in exposition, and offers cast-of-hundreds spectacle. Read more
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: Three decades into his career, Tsui Hark stands as one of the movies' great entertainers, displaying a dancer's sense of rhythm and movement and manipulating physical space with an abandon worthy of Chuck Jones. Read more
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: Breathtaking sets and effects give this youthful martial arts film a modern air. Read more
Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter: Read more
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Chang Chia-lu's intricate script bristles with wit and suspense; the film from start to finish is a terrific entertainment. Read more
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Director Tsui Hark sets expansive melodrama against flamboyant sets, and the all-star cast is up for even the most outlandish of Sammo Hung's action choreography. Read more
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: All this is loads of fun, but after a while sensory overload sets in, dulling the mind. Even in a kung-fu flick, more isn't always better. Read more
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Is it possible for Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame to be any more riotously over-the-top than it is? Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: A bewitching fantasy. Read more
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: Detective Dee is the action flick of the year, a two-hour epic that blows the Pirates of the Caribbean to the Bermuda Triangle. Read more
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: We'd call it Crouching Tiger, Freakin' Masterpiece. Read more
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: A colourful carnival of relentless action and artful images. Read more
J. Hoberman, Village Voice: Magnificent and cheesy, the latest and most proudly absurd of Chinese historical spectaculars, Detective Dee is a cinematic comic book for people who are sick of the mode. Read more
John DeFore, Washington Post: "Dee" doesn't shoot for the gravitas of Zhang Yimou's "Hero." It doesn't approach that film's magnificent sensory impact, either, or the artistic romanticism that made "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" such a success here. Read more