Poster
Description: A helicopter
flies towards a cloud of dust and smoke that churns around Andy (Charlize
Theron). She is bloodied, muddied, and on her knees, carrying her axe in one
hand. The Old Guard 2 is written in gold on the concrete above “only on
Netflix, July 2.”
(Slight spoilers for The Old Guard).
Back in 2020, Netflix introduced us to The Old Guard. Based on the comic book series of the same name, immortals linked up over various centuries and fought for the greater good (the greater good – thanks, Hot Fuzz). With Charlize Theron as the main character, I enjoyed the concept and the brilliant action scenes; however, I didn’t like the ending.
The Old
Guard 2 starts off
exactly where its predecessor finished, with the surprise return of Quynh
(Veronica Ngo, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi). She vows an
explanation from Andy (Theron, Atomic Blonde) after being abandoned by
her for so many centuries, and in doing so, Quynh teams up with Discord (played
by Uma Thurman), the oldest immortal alive. Naturally, with a name like
Discord, she has her own agenda against Andy and the others – particularly the
youngest immortal, Nile (KiKi Layne, Don’t Worry Darling).
Did anyone
ask for this sequel? Given it was released in peak pandemic time, and I hadn’t
heard anything about it on social media, I’d assumed it hadn’t been
“successful” enough to warrant another film. The Old Guard’s obvious
sequel-bait ending left a bad taste in my mouth. Nevertheless, I was intrigued
to know how The Old Guard 2 would explore the lore, but I would be left
disappointed. Not because they fail to do so, but because the end result takes
a silly turn. Thurman’s talent is wasted as Discord, as she only gets about ten
minutes of screen time in total. I liked how The Old Guard followed
Andy, Joe, Nicky, and Booker through time, but we don’t get a lot of that in
the sequel unless the plot demands it. Theron, it seems, is going through the
motions, too. There are fascinating discussions around what it is to live
forever, but the writers feel the need to remind audiences that The Old
Guard 2 is an action film and throws in yet another fight sequence. That
isn’t to say these aren’t beautifully choreographed, though.
I
thoroughly recommend watching The Old Guard, and if you want more from
Andy and the gang, I encourage you to check out the sequel. It’s great for
action, but the plot is contrived.
My Rating:
3 STARS OUT OF 5
My
Sources:
The Old
Guard 2 poster - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14961624/
When was The
Old Guard released? - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Guard_(2020_film)
The Old
Guard comic series
- https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/the-old-guard
Veronica
Ngo’s filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1787887/?ref_=tt_cst_t_7
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