"Return From the Other World" is the Asian version of mortal man being tempted by the devil. The plot is basically Faustian in nature. Dave Wong yearns to be the God of Gamblers, and is recruited by Waise Lee, playing the devil. The film's structure is very basic with Wong's gambling addiction ruining his family life. His wife, played by Nadia Chan, turns to the pastor of the local church for aid. The film progresses awkwardly by trying to present Christianity in the most simplistic terms, while it tells of stories attributed to scripture that actually belong to Greek mythology, such as the tale of Sisyphus (where Sisyphus rolls a rock up a hill in Hades, only to have the rock tumble back down to the base of the hill, time and time again). It doesn't take a theologian to guess what happens.

The gambling scenes are rather dull and lifeless because they are predictable. Wong Jing has nothing to worry about here. Dave Wong does a passable job as the obsessive gambler, but his take as a born again Christian is milquetoast (Wong goes from compulsive-neurotic to warm and fuzzy). Nadia Chan, as his wife, has got to be the worst kisser on screen. She doesn't even purse her lips to kiss Wong. "Return From the Other World" has a script that is grounded in generalities, more like the screenwriter, Yuen Siu Na, had read the crib notes version of the Bible. Jesus is mentioned only as a means of saving Wong's protégé as they are being sucked into Hell. No biblical or religious background exposition is used at all. Either you know God or you don't, it seems, and that prayer will save you. "Return From the Other World" would have worked better if director Henry Poon had stuck to a Faust-like tale instead of proselytizing the audience. Unfortunately, neither the churchgoers nor the laity will enjoy this pretentious pap that espouses discount store, cut-rate, religious beliefs.