“Escape From The 21St Century” Theatrical Poster
Director: Yang Li
Cast: Ruoyun Zhang, Chuxi Zhong, Yang Song, Xiaoliang Wu, Yanmanzi Zhu, Zhengrong Wen
Running Time: 98 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Keeping up with what is and isn’t allowed in Chinese cinema is always somewhat of a daunting task, with everything from ghosts to cleavage falling victim to strict censorship laws in recent years. While these days the National Radio and Television Administration sits directly under the Central Propaganda Department, where it’s been since 2018, during the early 2010’s the department was still just as feisty over what was considered acceptable for audiences to consume. In 2011, in its previous incarnation as the SARFT (the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television), time travel made it onto the blacklist, with the reasoning being that too many time travel stories were being released that “disrespected history and promoted superstition.”
Such reasoning may explain why there was a 4-year gap between Donnie Yen’s Iceman 3D released in 2014, where time travel didn’t really play a significant part in the plot, and 2018’s Iceman: The Time Traveller, in which time travel was central to its premise. In any case, it’s safe to say that in the latter 2010’s the ban was no longer being actively enforced, and in 2024 time travel was on the agenda again in Escape from the 21st Century. Director Yang Li isn’t taking Continue reading →
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