“The three???” on the big screen – that was a difficult topic for a long time. The young detectives from Rocky Beach are so inseparably linked to their radio play speakers Oliver Rohrbeck, Jens Wawrczeck and Andreas Fröhlich that many fans' toenails curled up at the thought of an alternative line-up. It took a correspondingly long time for the junior investigators to conquer the screens for the first time – initially with mixed success. The first attempts, “The Secret of the Ghost Island” (2007) and “The Cursed Castle” (2009), which were also produced in English for the international market, do not enjoy a very good reputation, at least in the German fan community. It wasn't until 2023 that a new start took place with “The Three ??? – Heir of the Dragon” – and it was a hit:
With more than 1.5 million tickets sold, the reboot immediately became the most successful German cinema release of the year. The successor “The Carpathian Dog” couldn't quite keep up in the box office, but it went a step further in terms of the question mark feeling – and in the best sense of the word seemed like a classic radio play episode of the cult series. The (provisional) conclusion of the cinema trilogy is now “The three??? – Island of the Dead“. The template here was the overly long anniversary episode 100, originally released on three (!) cassettes – also a fan favorite. The expectations were correspondingly high, but this time they are only partially fulfilled. Although the youth-friendly crime thriller can be entertaining for long stretches, at the latest in the (not quite so) big finale there is a huge crunch in terms of narrative.
On the island of the dead the three come across ??? more than just a dangerous secret!
During the summer holidays, Justus (Julius Weckauf), Peter (Nevio Wendt) and Bob (Levi Brandl) finally want to relax. No new cases, no tricky headaches – instead they are planning a road trip together. But shortly before departure the phone rings. At the other end there is a mysterious caller who asks them a mysterious riddle. It's immediately clear to Justus: his vacation will be postponed for now, and instead a new assignment awaits him and his colleagues!
The investigation leads the trio to the Sphinx secret society run by Professor Phoenix (Andreas Pietschmann) and his assistant Olin (Jannik Schümann). Embroiled in illegal excavations, the members apparently already have their sights set on a new target: the legendary volcanic island of Makatao, known to the locals as the Island of the Dead. There are dark myths surrounding a burial site there – supposedly no one returns from the island alive. Nevertheless, Sphinx plans an expedition to this dangerous place. What goals does the organization really pursue? And what role does the influential entrepreneur Joseph Saito Hadden (Simon Kluth) play?
Those responsible have big plans
The first anniversary episode occupies a special place in the canon of the series – and the memory of it still makes many fans' eyes light up today. Maybe because the three-part series represents a new era of the “Three Question Marks”: With episode 100, Justus, Peter and Bob seemed to have outgrown their childish roots and were suddenly confronted with significantly greater dangers. Although some earlier cases were aimed at a (slightly) older audience, “The Three ??? – Island of the Dead” went one better with conspiracies, rockets, dark jungle settings, death threats and even a confrontation with the US secret service.
In theory, these are the ideal ingredients for great cinema. In practice, however, the previous films in the series always worked best when they told smaller, manageable stories and put their characters at the center (possibly because the budget isn't enough for adventurous effects cinema anyway). And in fact, it sometimes gives the impression that the original story is simply too long for a 108-minute film adaptation. The plot is drastically simplified again and again. In addition, large parts of the original did not make it into the script.
In “Island of the Dead” the actors Julius Weckauf, Nevio Wendt and Levi Brandl act (even) better together than in their predecessors.
This may make sense in places and is due to the younger target audience, but it raises the question of why the oversized anniversary episode was chosen as the next cinema adventure. There are less complex but more exciting cases in the cosmos of the “Three???” finally in abundance. “Island of the Dead” gets off to a promising start. Even in the first scenes, a familiar Rocky Beach feeling arises – not least thanks to the interaction between Julius Weckauf, Nevio Wendt and Levi Brandl. As Justus, Peter and Bob, they finally seem like a tight-knit team.
It is clearly noticeable that the three main actors have grown together behind the scenes over the course of filming – which is also reflected in the dynamics between the characters. In particular, the warm reunion on Makatao is one of the most beautiful – and most authentic – question mark cinema moments to date. Filip Schnack is also allowed to keep the snooper trio on their toes again as the cheeky bully Skinny Norris. As in “The Carpathian Dog,” he proves to be a real question mark terror who regularly upsets the tame, well-behaved world of detectives with his snarky snout and nasty tricks. The former TikTok prankster has now become a little temporary gangster, even if he gets involved with characters who make even his knees tremble.
Hoes as an all-purpose weapon
Unfortunately, Jelena Charkova's rejuvenation treatment was less successful. The violinist, who always appears stylish in the books and is confined to a wheelchair due to an accident, becomes a modern hacker here. And even though Momo Beier delivers a solid performance and provides a few charming moments, her role always feels like a tool. Whenever the plot needs to be accelerated, Jelena steps in with her technical skills. Unfortunately, that doesn't do justice to Justus's eternal adversary. Aside from the actual plot, “The Three ??? – Island of the Dead” offers numerous details for attentive fans. Lovingly placed references and Easter eggs refer to the trio's earlier adventures.
If you pay close attention, you'll find the dancing devil from radio play episode 21 as a stylish, modern company logo – or find out that the fire tower is a popular steak restaurant in Rocky Beach. It is all the more unfortunate that the film feels strangely incomplete as the running time increases due to the cuts made. The adventure ends even though it is actually just getting going – and some storylines are left unfinished. One cannot quite escape the impression that this is just a prelude to an even bigger case that may follow in the future. In any case, the foundations for another sequel have been laid – whether intended or not.
Conclusion: Is there anything else to come? “The Three ??? – Island of the Dead” seems like the first half of a two-parter. Fans shouldn't expect a faithful implementation of the original, because the cinema adventure adapts the complex story about a forgotten US military base to its young target audience. The fact that the film is still fun for a long time is mainly thanks to its convincing main actors Julius Weckauf, Nevio Wendt and Levi Brandl, who appear here (for the first time) as a real unit. It would therefore be a shame if this was actually the last special case for the detectives.