Escape From the 21st Century

Director: Li Yang
Screenplay: Li Yang
Starring: Zhang Ruoyun, Elane Zhong, Song Yang, Wu Xiaoliang, Zhu Yanmanzi, Leon Lee, Wen Zhengrong, Shi Liang
Country: China
Running Time: 98 min
Year: 2024
BBFC Certificate: 15

Escape from the 21st Century, directed by Li Yang, is a vibrant and energetic sci-fi action-comedy. The film centers around three teenage friends, Wang Zha (Zhang Ruoyun), Pao Pao (Leon Lee) and Chengyong (Song Yang), living in 1999 on a planet very similar to Earth. Their lives take an extraordinary turn when they are exposed to industrial waste, granting them the bizarre ability to time travel exactly 20 years into the future when they sneeze.

However, the future they encounter, 2019 in their timeline, is far from the utopia they envisioned. It’s a distorted reality filled with crime, corruption, and unexpected turns in their own lives. They must then navigate this unfamiliar future while grappling with the responsibility of potentially altering their present to prevent the dystopian future they’ve witnessed.

This wild romp comes off like a cross between Everything Everywhere All At Once and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World with its hyper-stylised visuals, rapid pace, unusual plot devices and blend of genres. However, it didn’t reach the heights of those films, in my opinion. It’s not as clever or narratively inventive as Everything Everywhere, as stylistically cohesive as Scott Pilgrim and not as funny as either.

It feels like the sort of film I would have adored as a teenager though. It races along and throws countless stylistic quirks into the mix. Unfortunately, I’m now in my early 40s and would rather slow the pace down a little and focus more on characters and less on visual flourishes that do little to serve the plot.

On a sequence-by-sequence basis, Escape from the 21st Century is impressive though. It looks fantastic, with bold colours, playful use of aspect ratios, slick cinematography and frequent animated splashes which all serve to cook up a wild feast for the eyes.

The fight scenes are fun too. Often enhanced by the animated elements mentioned earlier, they’re larger-than-life but exciting. They get pretty brutal at times too, with some wince-inducing moments among all the madness.

It’s just a shame the film doesn’t impress in other aspects. It all feels a little hollow. The story and messages are centered around love and friendships but you’re not given a chance to care about these relationships, as we’re constantly zipping around like a kid who’s been given a family pack of Haribo.

The comedy isn’t particularly successful either. The film ushered a few chuckles here and there but no belly laughs. Perhaps some of this was lost in translation but I think it’s more a case of not having strong enough comic performers to pull off the goofy gags.

So, whilst stylistically Escape from the 21st Century is very impressive, ultimately it’s let down by feeling too shallow. Plus, the film’s restless approach makes it difficult to take anything in enough to care. The film is still a fun watch but not one that will stick.

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