Escape From the 21st Century

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Escape From the 21st Century

2025

1h 38m

Sci-Fi

Adventure

Action

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9 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The story follows three friends who discover they have the power to travel back and forth 20 years with a sneeze. However, the future is not as good as they hoped, and they need to take on the responsibility of saving the world.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

Feb 18, 2025

3/5

This is a film with some flashes of visual brilliance and wonderfully silly moments... The breakneck speed of it will suit audiences with diminished dopamine responses; the rest may just get whiplash.

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Mark Dujsik

Mark Reviews Movies

Jun 26, 2025

3/4

It's one to experience for its humor, style, and heart—all of which are ample.

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Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

Jun 25, 2025

7/10

Overstuffed doesn't begin to describe the chaos and yet every single random choice proves integral to what's still to come. Yang Li is operating on an aesthetic level that transcends reason so pure excitement can reign supreme. It’s a blast.

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Shikhar Verma

High on Films

Jun 15, 2025

3/5

Chinese filmmaker Yang Li’s debut film is at once endlessly creative and breathlessly wild, but also overtly silly and indulgent – which is perfectly in sync with the rhythm the filmmaker is going for.

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Ferdosa

Screen Rant

Jun 9, 2025

8/10

Escape From the 21st Century is a fantastic time. It’s wacky, inventive, and all around very entertaining. An hour and a half of pure bliss.

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Harris Dang

In Their Own League

Apr 9, 2025

5/5

If you are looking for an extremely entertaining genre mash-up that is breathlessly creative and wonderfully exhilarating, Escape from the 21st Century is your best bet.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 26, 2026

Success in 1 hour and 38 minutes.

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Steve C

@RT19610513 Nov 14, 2025

Don't waste your time. It's as dumb and incoherent as it sounds and looks

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MB C

@MB.Cinema Aug 6, 2025

"Escape From the 21st Century" is a vibrant sci-fi action romp that blends time travel chaos with heartfelt introspection. Set across 1999 and 2019, the film follows three friends confronting their future selves and their broken dreams in a quirky, unpredictable battle to reclaim their past. With a wild premise (time travel via sneezing!), comic book aesthetics, and a dash of existential melancholy, the movie plays like a neon-drenched fever dream of nostalgia and regret. While the plot occasionally teeters under its own absurdity, its emotional core, bold direction, and imaginative world-building keep it compelling. A flawed yet charming time-loop tale about failure, friendship, and the weight of choices.....

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Yang Li

Director

Ruoyun Zhang

Wang Zha

Yang Song

Wang Chengyong

Xiaoliang Wu

Han Guang

Yanmanzi Zhu

Yang Yi

Zhengrong Wen

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Escape From the 21st Century: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The story follows three friends who discover they have the power to travel back and forth 20 years with a sneeze. However, the future is not as good as they hoped, and they need to take on the responsibility of saving the world.

Director: Yang Li
Producer: Taojing Chen, Lu Liu, Dede Nickerson, Zhouyu Zhang, Yanan Zhao
Screenwriter: Yang Li
Distributor: Cineverse
Production Co: Scity Films, Desen International Media, Huanxi Media Group, Beijing Enlight Pictures
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 9, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 27, 2025
Runtime: 1h 38m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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