Title: Escape From the 2st Century
MPA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Yang Li
Starring: Ruoyun Zhang, Elane Zhong, Yang Song
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

What It Is: A group of three childhood friends—Wang Zha (Zhang), Wang Chengyong (Song), and Paopao (Leon Lee)—are relentlessly bullied by a group of older kids. While attempting to escape, they fall into a river contaminated with an unknown mix of substances.

What they don’t realize is that this concoction of potentially toxic materials has unexpected consequences. Whenever one of them sneezes, they are instantly transported from their 1999 selves to 20 years into the future. Now, they are given a rare and unique perspective on what their lives have become.

What We Think: One of the best examples of the fighting game genre, Street Fighter II (1991), heavily influences this film—and its presence is felt throughout. This movie, brought to us by China, is absolutely batshit crazy. And we haven’t even touched on the time travel element yet, which, surprisingly, works really well (we’ll get to that).

The primary cast has incredible chemistry as their younger selves, and those actors deliver standout performances. Trying to describe this film in full detail would honestly do it an injustice. Even the tagline above only scratches the surface of the insanity you’re in for.

But that’s precisely what makes this film so much fun. At its core, it’s a story about friendship, brotherhood, and growing up. There’s never been a coming-of-age film like this, and there likely never will be again.

Chinese director Yang Li is a mad genius for this one: colorful, chaotic, and all kinds of badass.

Our Grade: B, Pulling off a time travel film is no easy feat, and it’s common for the narrative to get a bit messy. Luckily, Li proves to be masterful behind the camera, and his script is about as tightly constructed as a time travel story can be.

I have no idea when this will be available in the States, but you have to seek it out and watch it. It’s so much fun, hilariously entertaining, and refreshingly doesn’t take itself seriously at all.