Metacritic reviews

It's a grim tale, and Back to 1942 doesn't pretend otherwise.

In painting a large-scale tableaux of the Henan disaster, Feng Xiaogang has inevitably been forced to sacrifice the specificity and focus on individual characterization that are generally so important for allowing the viewer a point of entry into such an important piece of history.

There is surprisingly little emotional resonance with the well-drawn and acted characters, making it a tiring two and a half hour trek for filmgoers who don't have a stake in the history it recounts.

Shifting between individual suffering (performed, not felt) and extended political and business deliberations, the picture displays its budget but not its heart.

Director Feng Xiaogang captures the epic scale of the exodus as well as the often-harrowing details, yet emotional connection proves more elusive.

It catalogs agony without making you feel it.