No. 002 - 'Escape From The 21st Century' by Yang Li (2024)
Back to the Future on hard drugs...
Watched by Matthew Donlan at Ritz Cinemas
It’s the summer of 1999 on Earth-like Planet K, and, unbeknownst to them, three high school best friends are about to embark on a life-changing adventure in Yang Li’s debut, Escape from the 21st Century.
After accidentally swimming through chemical-infested water, Zha, Chengyong, and Pao Pao, acquire the ability to time jump to their future selves in 2019 every time they sneeze. 18-year-old minds in their now 38-year-old bodies, the three boys discover that the future is very different to what they expected. No longer friends, the three boys must find a way out of their own situations before uniting to save the world.
This Chinese science fiction-adventure-coming-of-age film is maximalist to the max. Comparisons to Everything Everywhere All At Once are both too easy and unfair to the films. While the two share some similarities, the comic book influences are stronger in 21st Century and the editing feels closer to the snappiness of Edgar Wright.
Where 21st Century falls short though is in its ability to balance the sugar-rush highs with the quieter moments of reflection. Successive dopamine hits of unique visual effects and fight scene montages come too quickly with little time to recover. This impacts not only the pace of the film but our ability to keep up with what is happening. The film struggles to sustain its energy leaving the audience more confused than amazed towards its end.
It’s a shame too, because the first hour is narratively and stylistically cohesive, well-paced, balanced and entertaining. The marked quality drop occurs when the story expands its focus to combat the villain trying to take over the world. From this point any subtlety in emotions that were left are thrown out the door for on-the-nose exposition and set ups leading to unsatisfactory payoffs.
One positive standout though is that of Pao Pao’s characterisation. While Zha and Chengyong have simple externalised enemies to overcome, Pao Pao’s battle is internal. An overweight child who is relentlessly bullied, Pao Pao in the future is fit, attractive and with the most beautiful girl from school. With a love-triangle between decades formed, Pao Pao pleads to his friends to not make him destroy his future. It’s a moment that feels strong and stands out amidst the colourful noise of the film. Several other chances for this level of emotional impact feel ignored or glossed over, including that of Chengyong’s father.
Altogether, Escape from the 21st Century is a spectacle for the big screen with plenty of laughs and dazzling effects but little emotional depth.
Escape from the 21st Century is showing at the Fantastic Film Festival at the Ritz Cinemas in Randwick.
Editor’s Recommendation
Everyone should head down to the Fantastic Film Festival at the Ritz and support the Australian films ‘Pure Scum’, ‘A Grand Mockery’ (shot on Super8) and ‘Sword of Silence’ (shot only using the natural light of a full moon!). Some inventive and out-there filmmaking.
Screenings: Thursday 8 May - Wednesday 14 May
Astro’s Arcade Bar
The Magic Crystal (1986, Wong Jing)Tuesday
Cinema Astragale
Boom! (1968, Joseph Losey)
Tuesday
Fantastic Film Festival | 24 April - 16 May (highlights)
Pure Scum (2025, Gideon Aroni)
Thursday & Tuesday
A Grand Mockery (2024, Adam C. Briggs & Sam Dixon)
Friday
Sword of Silence (2025, Reese Cleveland)
Friday & Wednesday
Inner West Libraries Film Club
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974, John Korty)
Friday
Playing Beatie Bow (1986, Donald Crombie)
Wednesday
Pink Flamingo Cinema
The Visitor (2024, Bruce LaBruce)
Wednesday
German Film Festival | 1-21 May (highlights)
Berlin Alexanderplatz Part Two (1980, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Saturday
Dying (2024, Matthias Glasner)
Daily
South African Film Festival | 4-28 May
The Friendship Bench (2025, Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt)
Q+A Panel w/ John Feneley, Dr Andrew Ellis & Jennifer GalouzisSaturday
Roseville Cinema
The Correspondent (2025, Kriv Stenders)
Daily
Hayden Orpheum | selected highlights
Crocodile Dundee: Encore Cut (2025, Peter Faiman)
Q+A ScreeningFriday
The Surfer (2025, Lorcan Finnegan)
Preview Event w/ Q+A
Wednesday
Golden Age Cinema | selected highlights
Wings of Desire (1987, Wim Wenders)
Monday
No Other Land (2024, Adra, Ballal, Abraham & Szor)
Wednesday
Ritz Cinemas, Randwick | selected highlights
Cult Classics (link)
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989, Peter Greenaway)
Saturday & Monday
Celluloid Film (link)
Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson)
Friday
Classic Matinees (link)
Johnny Guitar (1954, Nicholas Ray)
Saturday & Monday
Make It Musical (link)
Labyrinth (1986, Jim Henson)
Sunday & Wednesday
Meet Cute (link)
Enchanted (2007, Kevin Lima)
Tuesday
Dendy Newtown | selected highlights
With or Without You (2025, Kelly Schilling)
Daily
The Most Australian Band Ever! (2025, Jonathan Sequeira)
Q+A Screening
Thursday
Celluloid Dreams (link)
Dirty Harry (1971, Don Siegel)
Thursday
Night Shift (link)
ExistenZ (1999, David Cronenberg)
Daily
Palace Cinemas | selected highlights
With or Without You (2025, Kelly Schilling)
Daily
Crocodile Dundee: Encore Cut (2025, Peter Faiman)
Daily
The Correspondent (2025, Kriv Stenders)
Daily
Cult Vault (link)
Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock)
Monday
Matinee Memories (link)
Footlight Parade (1933, Bacon & Berkeley)
Saturday
Art Gallery of NSW
Murdering Mr Devil (1970, Ester Krumbachová)
As part of the film series ‘'Folly’Sunday
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