Back to the 90s (2015) Poster

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7/10
Silly and sweet
BlossomTreeCherry2 May 2020
This is the second Thai movie I have watched, and they have both totally broken my heart! The Thai movie industry is really good at pulling the heartstrings, drawing you into the complexities and emotions of love.

Back To The 90s (2538 alter ma jib) is a charming, sweet and heart-breaking movie. A little silly in places but what do you expect from a movie about time travel?
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7/10
Complexity isn't the time maze, but the romance.
Reno-Rangan24 December 2016
I don't remember when I saw my last Thai film. Looks like it has been nearly 3 years. Usually I like Thai films, particularly they are famous for small budget romance or horror films. I was drawn into Thai films, mainly for the teen romance-comedies from last one decade that I have seen and liked plenty of them. Really happy to be back and this time the film I picked was a little different theme which is a time- travel. I felt it was not bad, but felt should have been improved in a few areas.

The film is about the teenager Kong. When he upset with his parents who are fighting frequently, he decides to spend a night out. So makes a quick call to his friend in a rainy night. A while ago, he had found some old pictures, and a pager with a message beeping. Now he does a crazy thing by responding to it which transports him to the year 1995. He's not yet born, but he finds his parents' romance stumbling over another girl. He decides to sort it out and after the task how he makes back was revealed with a twist.

One thing I find hard in Thai films is the names of the actors, which are too long and almost impossible to pronounce. But I know a few actors, only by recognising them than by names. The last time I saw Pimchanok Leuwisetpaiboon in a small role from 'Bangkok Knockout'. But nobody can forget her from 'A Little Thing Called Love' as Nam. In this, the story was not presented from her perspective, though she was good in the character Som. The character was almost similar, like crazily being in love with her senior.

"You have to feel like feeling good about someone and secretly falling in love."

When it comes to the time travel, this film was nothing special. They did not prioritise on that part, but concentrated more on the event followed. And again, I'm little disappointed on that, as the characters had flaws to fit-in in the time maze. Like if it was a loop, somebody from the future should have recognised the Kong, particularly his parents. So some parts of the film need to be explained, particularly for Kong completely exposing himself in the alternate time.

On the other side, it was a decent entertainer. Especially if you are not a Thai or don't know the Thai language, then the percentage goes down a bit. Because most of the comedies were hard to catch up in the subtitle translation as its meaning altered. Since it took place in the 90s, we don't know what was the trend in the Thailand at that time, especially the local music industry where most of the film plot revolved.

That's not it, the final twist lifted the film a bit, but from the romance perspective, it remains unclear as the time gap influenced it to end in one way. It might be foolish to expect, but a sequel to built a story on that to solve the second romance track could work. Apart from one of the actors I mentioned earlier, the rest of the cast was excellent as well.

One of the major issues with the screenplay was the romance which is not deep enough to impact. Kong had perspective, but all the romance sentiments were held with Tom. The film focused on the task Kong has taken than Som's romance. Anyway, the film will work for most of the viewers, particularly for the youngsters. So I don't think it can be classified as a below average. For me, it hangs between 'average' and leaning mostly towards 'good'.

7/10
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7/10
Cute and Nostalgic
dulceamorea31 May 2020
This movie is adorable. It teaches you about paying attention of the little things in life. And I love the concert scene that goes:

Som: This is Alternative, the new type of music.

Kong: I think it'll be gone in a few years' time. What will you say when it's gone?

Som: Nothing, really. Atleast this is a good memory.

Kong: You won't regret it?

Som: No, I'd rather spend my time here making good memories than living with regret.

The story of Kong's Dad and Mom and Som were lacking. It felt like Som was this highschool student chasing after some college couple. I loved the time Som and Kong spent together. Even though I know nothing about what Thailand is around the 90s, this made me feel really nostalgic and dreamy with all the alternative rock music and cute photobooths and beepers! Good character development. And Baifern is really pretty! I wish the ending would've become a tiny bit better tho. My favorite Thai movie alongside First Love with Baifern too!
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9/10
Nice Movie & a Good Time Yet.....
Dark_Lord_Mark25 January 2017
I enjoyed this movie. Not native to the language, I gave it a shot and really liked it. It has a 90's movie vibe, as it should, but very fun.

It not a sad movie, it has comedy and romance. Some characters could be fleshed out better and things you hope to see, sometimes fail to materialize.

The characters are cute, innocent and full of life. The story should be about Kong, and the director seems to split the focus a bit much between the two male leads, Kong and Tum.

Plot: Kong is thevtime traveler who went back to the year 1995 and meets his dad and gains happiness. What happens in the past is the story....and the affect on the future.

I will give it an 8.5 out of 10. It;s a very good movie, but feel the ending needed an adjustment. The ending isn't bad but you are hoping for more.
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4/10
Had potential, but it was so slow paced...
paul_haakonsen2 July 2021
Not having heard about the 2015 Thai fantasy comedy titled "2538 alter ma jib" (aka "Back to the 90s"), I had the opportunity to sit down in 2021 to watch it. And of course I took that chance as I enjoy Asian cinema quite a lot.

And while "Back to the 90s" definitely had potential with the contents of the storyline, then the movie was just tragically cut down by an unfathomably slow pacing. It was painful to sit through this ordeal as the movie trotted on and on without nothing much of anything actually happening. So director Yanyong Kuruaungkoul just didn't really step up to the plate and deliver something outstanding.

Running close to two hours, "Back to the 90s" felt more like a four hour ordeal given the incredibly slow pacing of the story narrative.

Now, I wasn't familiar with anyone on the cast list, and that is usually something that I really like. But I can't really claim that there were any particular outstanding or memorable acting performances to be witnessed here in "Back to the 90s". Sure, the actors and actresses put on good enough performances and carried the movie well enough with their individual efforts, but it just wasn't noteworthy performances.

I ended up giving up on making it to the finish line with just 34 minutes left to watch. But by then my mind was just fried to a mush and I gave up on the movie. I was not particularly entertained by anything that director Yanyong Kuruaungkoul was throwing at me on the screen. And I can honestly say that this is not a movie that I will be returning to finish.

My rating of "Back to the 90s" lands on a less than mediocre four out of ten stars. Had the pacing of the narrative been more upbeat, then "Back to the 90s" would have fared so much better.
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