Film ● Reviews: The Old Guard & The Old Guard 2
- Very Average Joe
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Title: The Old Guard
Director(s): Gina Prince-Bythewood
Screenwriter(s): Greg Rucka
Studio: Skydance, Denver + Delilah Productions, Marc Evans Productions
Released: 2020
Runtime: 2h 4m
Starring: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Title: The Old Guard 2
Director(s): Victoria Mahoney
Screenwriter(s): Greg Rucka & Sarah L. Walker
Studio: Skydance, Denver + Delilah Productions, Marc Evans Productions
Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 45m
Starring: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Veronica Ngô, Uma Thurman
My Verdict: A form of the superhero genre with “immortal” warriors. Tries too hard with action and grit, so it just comes across as bland cheese. Meh.
● Based on the comics written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Leandro Fernández, first published in 2017, the film follows a small group of “immortal” warriors. I have not read the comics so this review is purely of the films.
● Andy (Charlize Theron), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) have the ability to regenerate even after suffering severe injuries. Said ability can cease. They are basically mercenaries who, in their own way, try to do good and improve the world.
● The first ten minutes of the film do well to set the scene and tone, giving hints about the characters and the world. But then the first set piece, their latest job, just tries too hard. The camerawork tries to be frenetic, overdoing it a little, even though the film editing is not bad.
● Andy is by far the oldest and the most cynical, not convinced that they have done any good over the centuries. This is not helped by the fact that their latest job is a setup by ex-CIA James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
● The film follows the group as they track down Copley to tie up the loose end since he now knows what they are. Of course, Copley is working for someone else who is interested in these “immortals” for obvious reasons.
● Meanwhile, a young US Marine named Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne) suffers a fatal injury but then survives without a scratch. She is obviously a newly awakened immortal. Since her mysterious recovery draws attention, Andy rescues her.
● Having two “strong” female leads is fine in itself but along with everything else, the film comes across as forced and woke. For example, lovers Joe and Nicky met during one of the Crusades and overcame their respective religions, and Andy and her immortal lover Quynh from centuries ago suffered a church-led persecution. The latter was thrown into the ocean.
● To be fair, Nile is a Christian and although it is cool she neither backs down nor is she preachy about it, she at times comes across as too silent. But then again, she is young and new to the group.
● The first film’s pacing is not bad but ultimately can be tightened because it follows the formula: the setup, the villain trying to exploit their abilities, losing the ability, amongst others.
● The film has no shortage of action but, like the first set piece, most of it comes across as trying too hard. There are moments of cool firearm action, and Layne in particular does a convincing enough job throughout.
● One point the film does make is the difficulty of trying to hide in an age where surveillance cameras and phones with cameras are everywhere. This is something often ignored so even addressing it superficially is appreciated.
● The second film picks up directly from the end of the first. [Spoiler] Quynh (Veronica Ngô) has been rescued by someone (Uma Thurman).
● With somewhat clumsy background expositions, the aforementioned someone is powerful (in case one hasn’t guessed already) and wants something from Andy and co.
● This second film is shorter than the first, but due to the structure and the expositions, it does not feel any tighter.
● The set pieces come across as forced more so than the first film. For a bunch of people who have survived for centuries by supposedly knowing how to hide and when to fight or not to fight, they just seem to get into trouble too easily.
● Although the second film does not end on a cliffhanger, it does end on a “losing position” that needs to be resolved, a bit like Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980). In this regard, it will be dissatisfying for some.
● Ultimately, it is a form of the superhero genre. The premise is not bad and the cast does well with what they’re given, but the overall execution is lacking and ends up like bland cheese. This is because the writing is mediocre whilst trying too hard to be gritty, but the cinematography and production, whilst not bad, need a little more to push it over the line.
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