‘Back to the Past' doesn’t really stand on its own, and its creators don’t know how to offer viewers anything new.

There are some passable sequences, such as a cart-borne escape down a hillside tea plantation. But the fight choreography is rote gun-fu -- surprisingly, as it's overseen by old master Sammo Hung -- and often chopped into restrictive closeups.

Those excited about the prospect of going back to A Step Into the Past’s universe may maintain a faint level of enthusiasm but even having history with the source material doesn’t prevent Back to the Past from feeling derivative...

With a relatively simple sci-fi plot of wisdom and loyalty triumphing over greed and deceit, this genre film is punctuated with humour, martial art fights and a full blast of CG generated military action sequences.