Most people in the West probably never saw A Step Into the Past, a one-season Hong Kong TV show from 2001 about a modern scientist who ends up back in the Qin dynasty. Therefore the major draw of Back to the Past, which finishes the plotlines of that TV show, are the action sequences created by martial arts superstar Sammo Hung. The action does have a wonderful time wondering what modern technology would look like against the armies of the time – if you know what the terracotta warriors looked like, that’s the historical era – and presumably if you enjoyed the show you’ll feel invested in what’s going on. But if you’re not, this is a very light entertainment that nobody should take too seriously.
A modern guy named Hong Siu-lung (Louis Koo) has ended up back in time with no regrets, though his two wives probably explains that. But the guy who invented the time machine Hong used, Ken (Michael Miu), is not so chill; he’s spent twenty years in prison as punishment for it. With the help of his daughter Galie (Bai Baihe) there’s only one thing to do with his freedom – travel back in time himself, kill the emperor Ying Ching (Raymond Lam) and take over the throne, of course. Ken has face-altering technology and phones that hold a charge for a year but most importantly coaster-like things that turn into either motorbikes or flying hoverboards. Ken has also been able to talk a bunch of sidekicks into travel with him, who are obviously thrilled for the chance to do Mr. Hung’s fight choreography against ye olde-fashioned archers and lancers and swordsmen. But the fights are not as one-sided as you might think; Ying Ching’s armies are large. He personally also spent years as Hong’s disciple, so there’s plenty of time for them to discuss the nature of power and the benefits of ruling your people kindly in between the action. But this movie is certainly not about to reinvent the wheel.
For one thing, it was filmed six entire years ago, and I suspect the story of the delays between filming and release might be just as interesting as what’s shown. For another, the two directors, Ng Yuen-fair and Jack Lai, and the two writers, Chang Chia-lu and Lily He, think about the only thing women can do is stand around looking concerned. Galie has the Basil Exposition part, wasting the role of a young woman who is willing to leave the modern world behind in order to help her absentee dad rewrite history. That’s the kind of backstory worth delving into. Instead everyone wanted the nostalgia trip with Mr. Koo’s appeal doing the rest of the work. It’s kind of like if George Clooney decided to make a movie about the further adventures of Doug Ross, his character from ER. There’s nothing wrong with that, and this has been a big hit in Hong Kong. But the rest of the world can back away from Back to the Past.
Back to the Past will be in theaters on January 30, 2026.
Learn more about the film at the IMDB site for the title.
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