This review may contain spoilers
A Nostalgic Reunion That Doesn’t Quite Recapture the Magic
The movie opens with a brief recap of where A Step into the Past ends, which is helpful for anyone who hasn’t watched it in a while or never saw it at all. You won’t feel lost. It quickly sets up the direction of the story, showing that Ken wants to return to the past to rewrite history so he can become king. We learn that Ken was actually the inventor of the time travel device, but he was blamed for Hong Siu-lung’s failed mission. As a result, he was sent to prison and missed out on twenty years of his daughter’s life. Ying Ching enters the story after being ambushed by Ken and his team, even though he was already heading toward the area where Hong Siu-lung has been living. Once Hong Siu-lung receives news that Ying Ching is coming to take over the area, he decides he wants to leave.
Ying Ching goes to Hong Siu-lung for help, but you can clearly see the resentment and animosity he still carries. He likely viewed Hong Siu-lung’s departure in the original series as abandonment. At the end of the series, Hong Siu-lung chose to retire with his wives instead of standing by Ying Ching. On top of that, Hong Siu-lung knew he wasn’t the real Ying Ching, which only adds another layer of tension on Ying Ching’s end.
Jessica Hsuan and Michael Miu have always had great chemistry. There’s a moment in the forest where Ken shoots Tang Yik and grabs Wu Ting-fong, pulling her close at gunpoint. The way he looks at her honestly made me feel there was a sense of yearning on Ken’s end. I think it would’ve added even more emotional depth if they’d written that his deceased wife looked like Wu Ting-fong and had died while he was in prison. Since he already lost so much time with his family, seeing someone who resembles his wife could’ve given him even more motivation to seek power or change his past. It also could’ve given his daughter another reason to stand by her father.
The highlight for me has always been the dynamic between Hong Siu-lung and Chiu Poon, and I’m glad the movie was able to bring that back. In the original series, Hong Siu-lung never had to say, “I see you as my son.” You could feel it through the screen. In the movie, it was nice to see another heartfelt conversation toward the end, which I felt they both really needed. When Hong Siu-lung says, “These twenty years, I’ve thought of you as my son,” it truly felt like those were the words Chiu Poon, or Ying Ching, needed to hear. I think hearing that would help shape Ying Ching into a kinder ruler.
At the end, there’s a what if alternate ending. Personally, I thought it was unnecessary. I assume it was included to write in Michelle Saram’s return, but instead of adding this alternative ending, they could’ve introduced her as a new character on Ken’s team or given her a more integrated role in the main storyline. She literally just made a cameo.
I do have some questions. For those who remember, Kam Ching was pregnant at the end of the original series, yet there’s no mention of her child here. I really wish the audience had been given some kind of update. There’s also no mention of the third brother whom Hong Siu-lung swore brotherhood with, alongside Tang Yik, the second brother. I understand they probably didn’t want to bring too many characters back because of time constraints, but even a simple line explaining that someone was guarding another region would’ve been enough. I didn’t need to see everyone return, but a mention would’ve been nice, especially since the brotherhood was such an important part of the original story. Still, it was good to see Tang Yik again.
Some of the biggest issues I had with the movie were technical. The dubbing was off at times. There were Cantonese speaking actors whose dialogue went out of sync for a few seconds randomly, which was distracting. As for the special effects, I don’t know why I expected them to be good, but they were honestly terrible. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by Marvel movies, but the effects here were really disappointing and often distracting.
That said, if you want to see the beloved cast from A Step into the Past reunite, I’d still say give it a watch. Just don’t go in with high expectations, because the original series definitely set the bar high. Usually when they do a sequel to a movie especially from a drama to a movie, due to the time constraint, plot holes are bound to happen. Hearing the new version of the theme song was a delight and brought back a strong sense of nostalgia. But if you’re expecting it to have the same charm as its predecessor, you could probably be disappointed. I still enjoyed the movie because of the returned cast.
Ying Ching goes to Hong Siu-lung for help, but you can clearly see the resentment and animosity he still carries. He likely viewed Hong Siu-lung’s departure in the original series as abandonment. At the end of the series, Hong Siu-lung chose to retire with his wives instead of standing by Ying Ching. On top of that, Hong Siu-lung knew he wasn’t the real Ying Ching, which only adds another layer of tension on Ying Ching’s end.
Jessica Hsuan and Michael Miu have always had great chemistry. There’s a moment in the forest where Ken shoots Tang Yik and grabs Wu Ting-fong, pulling her close at gunpoint. The way he looks at her honestly made me feel there was a sense of yearning on Ken’s end. I think it would’ve added even more emotional depth if they’d written that his deceased wife looked like Wu Ting-fong and had died while he was in prison. Since he already lost so much time with his family, seeing someone who resembles his wife could’ve given him even more motivation to seek power or change his past. It also could’ve given his daughter another reason to stand by her father.
The highlight for me has always been the dynamic between Hong Siu-lung and Chiu Poon, and I’m glad the movie was able to bring that back. In the original series, Hong Siu-lung never had to say, “I see you as my son.” You could feel it through the screen. In the movie, it was nice to see another heartfelt conversation toward the end, which I felt they both really needed. When Hong Siu-lung says, “These twenty years, I’ve thought of you as my son,” it truly felt like those were the words Chiu Poon, or Ying Ching, needed to hear. I think hearing that would help shape Ying Ching into a kinder ruler.
At the end, there’s a what if alternate ending. Personally, I thought it was unnecessary. I assume it was included to write in Michelle Saram’s return, but instead of adding this alternative ending, they could’ve introduced her as a new character on Ken’s team or given her a more integrated role in the main storyline. She literally just made a cameo.
I do have some questions. For those who remember, Kam Ching was pregnant at the end of the original series, yet there’s no mention of her child here. I really wish the audience had been given some kind of update. There’s also no mention of the third brother whom Hong Siu-lung swore brotherhood with, alongside Tang Yik, the second brother. I understand they probably didn’t want to bring too many characters back because of time constraints, but even a simple line explaining that someone was guarding another region would’ve been enough. I didn’t need to see everyone return, but a mention would’ve been nice, especially since the brotherhood was such an important part of the original story. Still, it was good to see Tang Yik again.
Some of the biggest issues I had with the movie were technical. The dubbing was off at times. There were Cantonese speaking actors whose dialogue went out of sync for a few seconds randomly, which was distracting. As for the special effects, I don’t know why I expected them to be good, but they were honestly terrible. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by Marvel movies, but the effects here were really disappointing and often distracting.
That said, if you want to see the beloved cast from A Step into the Past reunite, I’d still say give it a watch. Just don’t go in with high expectations, because the original series definitely set the bar high. Usually when they do a sequel to a movie especially from a drama to a movie, due to the time constraint, plot holes are bound to happen. Hearing the new version of the theme song was a delight and brought back a strong sense of nostalgia. But if you’re expecting it to have the same charm as its predecessor, you could probably be disappointed. I still enjoyed the movie because of the returned cast.
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