Probably the most disappointing difference from the game is that the traditional Taiwanese elements that really gave Detention its unique flavor are mostly removed, save for a one hand puppet that appears in a few scenes. Despite this, the movie mentions very little of the politics that created such an environment. Taiwan was no paradise in the 1960s, and the government did do terrible things, but it wasn’t a bleak 1984-esque society where there was no hope or happiness. While it’s already obvious enough that the game is set in the White Terror era, the movie seems to amplify the elements to the point that it seems too intentional.
It’s just not much of a horror or mystery film, which seems to be what many were expecting. The result still works as a solid psychological piece featuring a love-triangle that may even dig deeper into the human psyche than the game. It’s understandable that the director took a different approach, focusing on the human aspect and exploring how people behave and handle their desires under a strictly controlled society.
As a result, the suspense suffers, as there is little mystery-solving by the characters. In the movie, everything is handed to the audience from the opening scene, and the bulk of the story takes place as real-life flashbacks instead of in the haunted school.
In the game, players infer the essence of the era by finding evidence - patriotic writings on the wall and a student handbook that calls for students to “rat out anyone who may be pro-Communist or show signs of treachery.” Through tackling puzzles and gathering evidence, what really happened to the school is pieced together. Though impossible to reproduce a game that takes hours to play on the big screen, the film seems to have simplified things just a bit too much, eschewing the slow-building suspense and subtlety that made the game such a joy to play. Director John Hsu (徐漢強) became the youngest director to win a Golden Bell in 2005, and most recently created the acclaimed VR movie Your Spiritual Temple Sucks (全能元神宮改造王), which won Best Innovative Storytelling at last year’s World VR Forum in Switzerland.Ĭompared to the video game by Red Candle Games that the movie is based on, something feels missing.
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