Back to the Past

"To save tomorrow, they must survive yesterday."

2025 1h 47m CN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 30

Science FictionActionComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the Qin Dynasty, time-traveller Hong Siu-lung has lived in seclusion with his family for twenty years. Yet every step he takes remains under the watchful eye of his former disciple, now the Qin Emperor. On the brink of ultimate power after conquering the six warring states, the emperor is suddenly ambushed by a mysterious team wielding advanced weapons clearly originating from Hong’s time. Drawn together by fate again, Hong and Qin Emperor are forced to confront the long-buried conflict between them, because the future now depends on how they settle their past.

“To save tomorrow, they must survive yesterday.”

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Cast

Louis Koo
Hong Siu-lung
Raymond Lam Fung
Chiu Poon / Majesty
Bai Baihe
Galie
Jessica Hsuan Huen
Wu Ting-fong
Sonija Kwok Sin-Nae
Kam Ching
Joyce Tang Lai-Ming
Sin-yau
Michael Miu Kiu-Wai
Ken
Louis Cheung
Stone

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ng Yuen-Fai
Writers: Lily He
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: Hong Kong, China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 87% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, China.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ng Yuen-Fai, shot by Kenny Tse. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Comfort Chan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Editor Wong Hoi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Louis Koo and Raymond Lam Fung and Bai Baihe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "To save tomorrow, they must survive yesterday.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ng Yuen-Fai directs. Kenny Tse behind the camera. Comfort Chan scores. Wong Hoi cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Hong Kong, China. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 87% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released last year.
3International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, China.
4Directed by Ng Yuen-Fai, shot by Kenny Tse. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Comfort Chan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Wong Hoi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Louis Koo and Raymond Lam Fung and Bai Baihe carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "To save tomorrow, they must survive yesterday.".
9IMDB entry: tt33348127 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 30 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "time travel", "blunt", "warring states period".

The technical file

Cinematography: Kenny Tse
Original score: Comfort Chan
Editing: Wong Hoi
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Status: Released
Budget: $45,000,000
Box office: $38,946,463
Return: 87% of budget
Original language: CN
IMDB: Back to the Past (2025)

Also by

Ng Yuen-Fai

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-01-04
★ 7/10
“Ken” (Michael Kiu Wai Miu) has been the victim of an injustice that saw him spend twenty years in jail. Now free, he has decided to avenge himself on those who stitched him up and so together with his daughter “Galie” (Baihe Re) and a couple of less than scrupulous cohorts he invades a top secret scientific facility and uses their time machine - which he helped develop - to return to the Qin dynasty and seize the Emperor himself. Why? Well they also have some useful technology that can scan then imitate facial features, so he reckons he can adopt the identity of the Qin and then change history. What he hasn’t factored in, though, is that the Emperor (Raymond Lam) is no pushover, nor is his mentor of twenty years “Hong” (Louis Koo) whom we discover quite quickly has a secret of his own involving this very same machine. Now back almost two and an half thousand years, and armed with state of the art technology what chance the local population can survive the onslaught of motor bikes, hover boards and of course guns - lots and lots of guns. I did quite enjoy this as it mixes the new with the ancient in quite an engaging fashion. There’s plenty of action, Koo proves to be quite an engaging battle hero, as does his son “Bowie” (Kevin Kam-Yin Chu) - yes, named after the British musician, and the gadgets are cleverly employed so as not to overwhelm the traditional elements of a Chinese society from 200-odd BC. There’s some humour from the dialogue, it rattles along entertainingly in a sort of “Dr. Who” meets the “A-Team” fashion and I suspect a sequel (or prequel) might be on the cards?

Production companies