Escape From The 21st Century is now playing in select theaters from Cineverse.
It took me a few days to really digest what I watched unfold in Yang Li’s Escape From The 21st Century. Not that this was bad in anyway, rather it was definitely – and visually – a LOT.
Like a cross between Guy Ritchie, Edgar Wright, John Hughes and even this website’s favorite, Stephen Reedy, Escape From The 21st Century is a hodgepodge of stunning visuals and energizing pacing, accomodating the cast performances and subsequent themes on coming-of-age upheaval. The way Yang lays it out is no small feat either, and like all movies, some will take kindly to its style and editing choices, while others may prefer something less ambitious.
Invariably, it’s the message that’s consistent, as is the story which it permeates around. Casting an octet of actors for its sprawling tale, the story takes place on the Planet K and tells of three teenagers, Cheng Yong (Li Zhou Zhao), Wang Zhan (Chen Yi Chen), and Pao Pao (Kang Qi Xuan), childhood friends who, in one haphazard afternoon, end up with the ability to travel twenty years into the future after sneezing.
What they discover as their future selves (respectively played by Song Yang, Zhang Ruo Yuan, and Leon Lee) turns out to be far less than any of them hope, between Chen Yong’s dwindling romantic prospects with the once optimistic Yang Yi (Ma Fan Ding/Zhu Yan Man Zi), and the dealings of a crooked corporation aiming to take over the world. With the help of a dauntless maverick journalist in Lian Zhi (Zhong Chu Xi), the trio are thrust into a crash course of growing pains and resolve, with no choice but to wrestle with what they can do to fix a doomed future while coping with the inevitable.
Beyond simple adjectives – try as I may – I can’t begin to express how amazing Yang’s work is here. I don’t know much about him and I wasn’t exactly sent any particular production notes about this film outside the usual obligatory PR info. What I do know is that this film managed to get some eyes during festivals in the past year, and even after I pushed the trailer, a few folks saw my post and responded with nothing but praise. This basically told me everything I needed to know about just how excited anyone should be to see this film, at least in my few.
This movie presents a solid, workable concept that accomplishes what it sets out to, meeting its vision halfway with applications that make it whole from top to bottom. Yang crafts an energizing and whipsmart sci-fi action adventure that, apart from having you go “Oh shit!” about four or five times early on, maps itself out wonderfully with terrific characters, depth, and imagination, and action scenes whose ubiquitious blend of kung fu, anime and video game fandom serve up an ample entree of spectacle and thrills.
The film deals in a fair balance of story arcs here that are gripping and inspiring, including the unrequited romance shared between Cheng Yong and Yang Yi, as well as that of Wang Zhan and Lian Zhi. The film also introduces Cheng Yong’s father (played by Shi Liang) who plays an important role to our leads in his supporting capacity.
Zhong’s Lian Zhi is fun to root for in the course of her own evolution and its key role in preparing our three protagonists for the final battle. The big set piece here pits our heroes against the corporation’s main enforcer, Han Guang (Wu Xiao Liang) whose fighting prowess is a mixture of superhuman enhancements and a problematic obsession with “Street Fighter II.” Watching how it unfolds is an epic trip that finishes on a big and brazen note that right suits the film’s over-the-top tone.
Frankly, I’m amazed I got through this review. There’s a lot to pick apart in Escape From The 21st Century which I welcome anyone with a podcast to dive right into, especially for a film with the kinds of palatable themes that Yang proffers here.
