Back to the Past review – everybody's still gun-fu fighting in time-travel sequel

"Back to the Past: Gun-Fu Fights and Time-Travel Trope Revival"

The Chinese film industry has finally given time-travel stories the green light, after a brief stint of censorship in the early 2010s. The latest installment in this genre, "Back to the Past," serves as a sequel to the 2001 hit series A Step Into the Past. Set two decades on from the original, the film brings back former policeman Hong Siu Lung, played by Louis Koo, who is still stuck in ancient Qin dynasty.

The story begins with Ken, the inventor of the time machine, played by Michael Miu Kiu-wai, being released from prison after serving time for a botched experiment. Claiming it was unfair to be held captive, Ken sets his sights on returning to the present and reclaiming his rightful place as Qin emperor. The film's pace is quick, with some amusing moments, but directors Jack Lai and Yuen Fai Ng take an unexpected turn by embracing a more action-oriented approach rather than a comedy of manners.

The result is a film that relies heavily on gun-fu fight choreography, often shot in restrictive close-ups. The usually reliable Sammo Hung oversees the action sequences, which feel formulaic and lacking in originality. Meanwhile, the story becomes increasingly heavy-handed, with Ken's character becoming a mouthpiece for lectures on megalomania and history.

The film also struggles to reconcile Lam's portrayal of a ruthless tyrant with his earlier characterization as Hong's ward. The script relies too heavily on nostalgia for die-hard fans, but fails to provide much depth or substance for the wider audience.

Ultimately, "Back to the Past" feels like a shallow attempt to revive the time-travel genre without adding much new to the table. While it may appeal to fans of the original series, its reliance on familiar tropes and lack of originality make it a forgettable entry in this crowded field.

lol what's up with these gun-fu fights tho? like i get it, ancient china needs some action but can't they just tone it down a notch? it feels like the whole movie is trying to out-do the last film or something . and yeah sammo hung was supposed to be all about the kung fu magic but now he's just wielding guns willy-nilly. didn't see that coming . also, ken's character development is pretty meh - feels like they just phoned it in after a certain point. anyway, not gonna lie, i loved a step into the past back when it came out so maybe i'm just expecting too much from this sequel

meh, just another cash-grab from the Chinese film industry ...think they're trying to revive some kinda nostalgia with this sequel but honestly it feels like they're rehashing the same old stuff without adding anything new . gun-fu fights are always a bit cheesy for me and the fact that sammo hung is involved doesn't really change things . if you're gonna do time-travel, try to mix it up a bit more than just relying on action sequences all day . also, lam's character feels like they didn't even think about how his backstory would affect the present ...anyway, another forgettable entry in the time-travel genre

I just watched "Back to the Past" and I gotta say... It was like they took all the good stuff from the first movie and replaced it with more gun-fu fights. I mean, don't get me wrong, Sammo Hung is a legend and his action scenes are always entertaining, but it felt like they just phoned it in this time around. The story was pretty predictable too - the usual hero guy gets stuck in ancient China, things blow up, people die... yada yada yada . I was hoping for something more depth, some real substance, but instead we got a bunch of formulaic action scenes and a script that just relied on nostalgia. It's like they forgot how to make a good story.

omg i loved sammo hung in the movie!!! he always brings so much energy to his roles even though the gun-fu fight choreo felt kinda repetitive idk if ill be able to see it again tho

I mean, I was just thinking, have you seen some of these old-school time-travel flicks? They always bring back the same old formulas. Gun-fu fights are cool and all, but can't they mix it up a bit? It feels like this "Back to the Past" thing is trying too hard to recapture the magic of the original A Step Into the Past. And don't even get me started on the restrictive close-ups – I mean, who wants to watch someone's face for 10 minutes straight? The action scenes are okay, but they're just so... formulaic. You know what would've made it better? A bit more depth to the story, maybe some unexpected twists. But nope, they just go with the tried-and-true approach.

idk why they brought back sammo hung for this film his action scenes were always so formulaic lol but seriously, time travel movies are getting old like this one is stuck in ancient qin dynasty and cant move on the plot feels like a rehash of every other time-travel story out there, megalomania lectures and all and dont even get me started on lam's character development they shouldve taken more risks and put some real depth into the storyline overall, just another forgettable entry in the time travel genre

I'm low-key disappointed with "Back to the Past". I mean, time-travel movies are already kinda overdone . Can't they just refresh the genre instead of rehashing old ideas? The gun-fu fight scenes were cool at first, but they got repetitive and felt like a choreographed mess . And don't even get me started on how predictable the plot was - it's like they took every cliche from the original series and mashed them all together into one messy film . Overall, I'd say this movie is more nostalgic for die-hard fans than something that'll actually draw in new viewers

I'm so over how every old film just gets remade or revisited with a 'new' spin... like "Back to the Past" is literally just the same story we saw 20 years ago . I mean, don't get me wrong, Louis Koo's character is still fun to watch, but it feels like they're just phoning it in this time around. The gun-fu fights are cool and all, but it's so formulaic... can't they come up with something more interesting than that?

I was really looking forward to seeing more of Hong's character development, but it felt like they just recycled his old storyline instead of taking it further . I mean, 20 years is a good chunk of time, you'd think there would be some growth or new conflicts, but nope. The gun-fu fights were pretty cool tho . I also didn't get the megalomania lecture vibe from Ken's character, felt like it was just tacked on . Overall, I'll stick to the original A Step Into the Past, at least that one had some real depth to its storylines

I gotta say, I'm a bit disappointed with this latest time-travel flick . It feels like they're just rehashing old ideas without adding anything new or interesting to the mix . The gun-fu fight choreography is fun and all, but it's been done before, you know? And the story gets really heavy-handed with its lessons on history and megalomania . I mean, come on, can't we have a little more originality in our films these days? It's like they're just trying to cash in on nostalgia rather than taking risks and trying new things . Overall, it feels like a shallow attempt at reviving the time-travel genre without bringing anything new to the table .

I'm not loving the new "Back to the Past" film ... I mean, I know some fans of the original A Step Into the Past series will be stoked to see Louis Koo back as Hong Siu Lung, but it feels like they're just phoning it in this time around. The whole gun-fu fight thing is so overdone - can't we have something fresh for once? The story's all heavy-handed and predictable, with the "megalomania" lecture stuff feeling super forced. And don't even get me started on how they handled Lam's character... it's like they were trying to cram too much nostalgia into one movie . Overall, it just feels like more of the same old thing we've seen before - I'm not gonna be rushing out to see this one anytime soon

idk why china would wanna revive this time travel trope again i mean, ain't they already done this like 5 times before? and now its just gun fu fights and formulaic action scenes? sammo hung is a legend but even he can't save this movie from its lack of depth. the story's all over the place and ken's character is basically a mouthpiece for history lessons the only ones who'll probably enjoy this are die-hard fans of the original series, everyone else will be left feeling like they've been stuck in ancient qin dynasty

I've gotta say, I'm a bit underwhelmed by "Back to the Past". I mean, time-travel stories can be fun, but when they rely too heavily on gun-fu fight choreography and formulaic action sequences, it starts to feel like just another rehash of old ideas. The story's got some familiar beats from the original series, which is cool for die-hard fans, but it doesn't exactly offer much depth or substance for new viewers.

I think what bothers me most is that it tries too hard to fit in with nostalgia for the past (no pun intended ), rather than taking risks and trying something new. Don't get me wrong, I love a good time-travel tale as much as the next person, but this one feels like just another shallow attempt to cash in on the genre.

It's just too bad, because with more creativity and originality, "Back to the Past" could've been something special. As it stands, it's an average entry in a crowded field

I'm so over these gun-fu fights getting old . I mean, don't get me wrong, Sammo Hung is a legend and all, but can't we try something new for once? The pacing was fast, but it felt like just a bunch of cool action scenes strung together without much substance. And don't even get me started on the script - it's like they took every single cheesy line from the original and mashed them all together again . It's not like I mind seeing Louis Koo again or anything, but can we please just have some real depth to the story? I feel like this movie is just trying to cash in on nostalgia rather than actually make a meaningful contribution to the genre .

idk why they had to go all out with gun-fu fights , cant we have some actual character development? the story feels like its trying too hard to be nostalgic for old fans and not enough for new ones ... and sammo hung is usually reliable what happened here? also, lam's character is all over the place either he's a ruthless tyrant or hong's ward it doesnt make sense. maybe they shouldve just left well alone the whole thing feels like a shallow cash-in instead of a genuine attempt to revitalize the genre

I'm just gonna say it, "Back to the Past" is like that one aunt at a family reunion - it's familiar, but still kinda weird . I mean, who thought it was a good idea to put Louis Koo back in ancient China, stuck in the Qin dynasty? Sounds like a plotline from a bad video game .

And don't even get me started on Sammo Hung's gun-fu fight choreography... it's like they took every cool action scene from the 80s and mashed them all together into one big mess . I'm pretty sure I've seen more originality in a batch of pre-made action figure poses .

Overall, "Back to the Past" feels like a shallow attempt at reviving the time-travel genre without bringing anything new to the table... zzz... sorry, I dozed off there .

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how "Back to the Past" got made . I mean, don't get me wrong, Louis Koo is always good for a laugh, but this film just feels like a cash-grab, you know? They brought back the original lead and just kinda...phoned it in. And what's up with the time machine inventor being all about power and control? That's so overdone .

And can we talk about how they tried to cram as much gun-fu action into this film as possible? I mean, I get it, fans love Sammo Hung, but come on! The choreography felt super formulaic and lacked any real creativity. It's like they were just checking boxes off a list instead of putting in the effort to make something actually special .

And what really bugged me was how they tried to shoehorn in history lessons without making it feel natural or organic. Like, okay, we get it, you're trying to teach us about Qin dynasty history, but can't you just do it in a way that's actually engaging? The script felt like it was written for die-hard fans instead of anyone else .

Overall, I'm just not sure what to make of "Back to the Past". It feels like a shallow attempt to revive the time-travel genre without bringing anything new or interesting to the table .

I feel like I've seen this before... The gun-fu fight choreography is so over-the-top, it's like they're trying to outdo the old Shaolin movies from the 80s. And don't even get me started on how formulaic everything feels - it's like they took a page straight out of a '90s action flick playbook. I mean, I love Louis Koo as much as the next person, but his character just doesn't feel right in this scenario. It's all so... predictable . And what's with the megalomania lectures? Can't they just let the story breathe?

Wow the gun-fu fight scenes must be so intense! I'm not really into time-travel movies but I think I'd wanna see how they do the action sequences. The plot seems kinda confusing with all the different characters and storylines, but maybe that's what makes it exciting for fans of the original series?