They say that patience is a virtue. This is certainly the case when it comes to fans of TVB’s hit television series Step into the Past (2001), with it taking 25 years since the emergence of a sequel which comes in the form of directors Jack Lai and Ng Yuen-fai sci-fi actioner Back to the Past. The film should technically have been here sooner, with principal photography wrapping way back in 2019, but it isn’t unusual for a Chinese blockbuster to be delayed. 6 years is pushing it a bit though.
Reuniting the majority of the original cast which includes the likes of Louis Koo, Raymond Lam and Jessica Hsuan, Back to the Past is a nostalgia filled actioner that should satisfy fans of the original series as well as having enough going on to entice newcomers.
Those mentioned newcomers to the franchise shouldn’t feel worried if they haven’t seen the original series, with the movie opening with a swift recap of the show’s events to fill in any backstory.
The filmmakers quickly move on to reintroducing us to Louis Koo’s time traveling Hong Siu-lung, who for the past 19 years has been living peacefully during the Qin Dynasty with his wives (yes you read that right) and children. Whilst he lives a happy life, he has planned for the eventual return of his disciple Chiu Poon/Ying Ching (Raymond Lam), who has since become the bloodthirsty Qin Emperor. Hong knows it is only a matter of time before the Emperor tracks him down to silence him, with Hong being the only person who knows of his true identity.
With the Emperor conquering the six warring states, he has become the most powerful ruler in all of China. That power however may be short lived when the Emperor finds himself facing off against a strange team from the future looking to take over the throne. Realizing they must be from the same time period as Hong, the Emperor has no choice but to track Hong down and reluctantly ask him for help.
Looking at Back to the Past, I can only really judge it as a standalone film rather than as a sequel to Step into the Past. Having only seen a handful of episodes of the show, I couldn’t honestly class myself as a fan. It would be interesting to know from fans of the show how they felt the movie worked as a sequel, and if it really was worth the wait.
As a film, it fits more into the “fun” category rather than being truly great. However, sometimes that’s all that’s needed. The directors manage to keep things moving at a fair pace, with a fair helping of action peppered throughout. Being choreographed by the legendary Sammo Hung, the action is obviously well staged, although this doesn’t come close to being his finest work.
While there are some impressive martial arts on show, the action is smaller scaled than I would have liked. Saying this, the mixture of futuristic weaponry and technology with old style swordplay gives Back to the Past a different flavor than other Hong Kong actioners, bringing to mind the epic Sonny Chiba pic G.I. Samurai (1979).
There are several exciting set pieces, with a chase sequence featuring dueling carts trailing through an old tea plantation being one of the highlights. The filmmakers make sure the action has enough zip and energy that you are able to overlook the surprisingly under par CGI that appears throughout.
Produced through his own production company One Cool Film Productions, Back to the Past is obviously something of a passion project for Louis Koo, with him announcing his desire to make the sequel over 10 years ago. The original series ended up being something of a turning point in Koo’s career, with it being his last television series before primarily focusing on movies. This one is clearly made with both his fans and fans of the show in mind.
Koo is clearly having fun here, bringing a youthful energy to his performance. Initially it is quite a comedic performance but he gets to do some serious acting once the main plot kicks in and he’s re-united with Raymond Lam. It is the relationship between the two of them that is the main focal point of the film, and because of this certain characters do become almost surplus to requirements. Still, it is nice to see the likes of Jessica Hsuan and Sonja Kwok even if they don’t get a great deal to do.
Both Koo and Lam share a fair amount of chemistry. More recently they shared the screen in Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), where they also had something of a master/pupil relationship. That master/pupil relationship is somewhat different here, with it never being clear how much they can trust each other. Lam does well playing the conflicted Emperor, making sure he isn’t portrayed as an out and out villain. He shows clear affection for Koo’s character, even if he does still see him as a threat. On occasion he even shows some heroic qualities, even if these ultimately don’t make him change his bloodthirsty ways.
The aforementioned Jessica Hsuan and Sonja Kwok aren’t the only performers that feel shortchanged. While it’s great to see screen legend Michael Miu make an appearance, considering he’s technically the film’s main villain, his role is incredibly underwritten, with his motivations not bearing close scrutiny. His reasoning for wanting to usurp the Emperor from the throne is extremely illogical, that if this was any other film it could possibly derail the entire film. Luckily Back to the Past has enough of that old school Hong Kong movie flavor that you can overlook such drawbacks and just be taken along for the ride.
Miu at least gets to make more of an impression than either Wu Yue or Chris Collins, who feature as unscrupulous mercenaries. Both are talented martial artists, but each are given limited screen time to show off their talents, with them ultimately being wasted in roles that are beneath them. This is especially true of Wu Yue, who only recently played a lead role in the action packed The Sixth Robber (2025).
Plotwise, Back to the Past definitely has some shortcomings, but this is ultimately a fun action adventure filled with exciting action scenes, striking costume and set design that combined with a mixture of humorous and heartfelt performances makes this movie more than worth your while.
Make sure to stay through the end credits for the alternative ending which personally worked better for me than the one the filmmakers opted for. It also features another original cast member from the series making a return.
Back to the Past is due to hit cinema screens on the 30th of January thanks to the good people at Well Go USA.
Plot: 3/5
Acting: 3.5/5
Action: 3/5
Overall: 3.2/5
