‘Back to the Past’ Review

After some extended flashbacks to help get viewers up to speed on the journey that Hong Siu-lung (Louis Koo) endured during the events of 2001’s TV series, A Step into the Past, you’ll probably wonder aloud how much you’re going to be able to enjoy Hong’s return in Back to the Past. The truth is that it doesn’t really matter. Xin He’s screenplay, co-directed by Ng Yuen-fai and Jack Lai, is isolated to the point of having no stakes whatsoever and no feeling like you’re missing out on anything by not being caught up on Hong’s prior exploits. It’s a double-edged sword, though, because Back to the Past also struggles to justify its existence. For fans of the series who just want some more time with the characters, it’s an occasionally fun science fiction and history crossover that is always charming but rarely interesting. Those with no exposure to the series will be left confused about why it exists a quarter-century after its premiere.

Koo, who returns to the role of Hong after 25 years, has been the driving force behind the show’s continuation and has worked on and off to get it off the ground. Greenlit in 2015, Back to the Past feels like it could have been released then and might have made a bigger impact. Since then, there’s no shortage of alternate history films coming out of Hong Kong and China, nor have science fiction films languished in the shadows. From pure spectacle to intellectual, Back to the Past isn’t really breaking new ground, and its ties to its source material narrow its audience. The addition of Sammo Hung as action director doesn’t even have the same pull as it did a decade ago.

None of this is to say that Back to the Past is a terrible film, nor one that particularly feels like a miscalculation. It’s more that the film never quite escapes being superfluous. After travelling to the past and helping Chiu Poon (Raymond Lam) ascend to the throne, Hong has since settled down with his family in the countryside of China during Chiu’s reign, who, unbeknownst to others, is impersonating Emperor Ying Ching because of their striking resemblance. When his power seems to be threatened by another time traveler, Ken (Michael Miu), who claims to be wrongfully imprisoned due to Hong’s actions, Chiu calls upon Hong to assist him and navigate advanced weaponry and 21st century battle tactics that could end his reign. A reluctant truce is formed between Hong and his former student.

There’s a lot of backstory necessary to grasp what is happening in Back to the Past, and, to the film’s credit, it tries its best to bridge that gap. The result is something closer to a trip down memory lane than a nuance of Hong and Chiu’s relationship, though. Their past is rehashed through exposition dumps and quieter moments as they evade Ken’s soldiers, who are trying to bring Hong back to the future while Ken attempts to usurp the throne. The flashbacks from the beginning of the film occasionally reappear here and there when it makes sense. There’s not a lot of time spent outside of Hong and Chiu’s dynamic, even with Hong having an entire family that you might be wondering about, such as how his two wives came to be married to him, played by Jessica Hsuan and Joyce Tang. There are a lot of questions the film doesn’t really care about because it assumes you are walking into it having experienced the TV show and also remembering it all after 25 years.

So for those who still want to experience the film because actors like Koo and Lam are big draws to action fans, there’s something to appreciate in Sammo Hung’s action direction. The clash of advanced and historical weaponry, including hoverboards smashing into each other as soldiers brawl beneath the forest canopy, is slightly intoxicating. Lai served as an assistant director on Ng’s Warriors of Future, which also starred Koo, so the two have experience bringing science fiction spectacle to the big screen. Here it’s obviously far more jarring, which works in its favour. The contrast between science fiction gobbledygook and ancient Chinese warfare only serves to lighten the mood and keep the focus on entertaining audiences rather than bogging them down with explanations of how things work. The action is the only time the film feels like it doesn’t need to explain things, and thankfully, it just carries on as if nothing crazy is happening on screen.

Louis Koo is also a major reason the film isn’t a complete misfire. His charisma has been the allure of many of his films, though it's often weaponized in different ways that don’t necessarily gel with the material. In Back to the Past, he has a charm that never wears off, and his sarcasm and comedic timing often elevate silly moments with a heartfelt, endearing quality. The rest of the cast is serviceable, but Koo is presented as the endearing, relatable element for audiences to root for as he wrestles with his past coming back to haunt him and a future that can’t be altered.

I wish that Back to the Past won me over more with its silly science fiction trappings plastered all over historic Chinese political power struggles. If there’s any glue holding the film together it’s Koo who brings a charm to an otherwise bland, underwhelming helping of soap opera-level drama and ineffective nostalgia plays. Those excited about the prospect of going back to A Step Into the Past’s universe may maintain a faint level of enthusiasm but even having history with the source material doesn’t prevent Back to the Past from feeling derivative in what is ostensibly a self-contained, extended epilogue. It’s a baffling passion project that attempts to pick up where it left off 25 years ago, but instead dwells on the past a little too much while also straining any justification for its existence.