‘The Old Guard 2’ receives 5 out of 10 stars.
On Netflix July 2nd is ‘The Old Guard 2’, a sequel to the 2020 movie derived from Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez’ graphic novel series about immortal warriors who learn that their existence has been discovered even as they find a new member of their kind.
The new movie sees Charlize Theron (‘Mad Max: Fury Road’) back as no longer so immortal warrior Andy, alongside the likes of KiKi Layne (‘If Beale Street Could Talk’), Marwan Kenzari (‘Aladdin’), Chiwetel Ejiofor (’12 Years a Slave’) and Matthias Schoenaerts (‘Rust and Bone’).
Related Article: Charlize Theron is Back in Action in the First Look at ‘The Old Guard 2’
Initial Thoughts
When it arrived in the pandemic-darkened days of 2020, ‘The Old Guard,’ while not perhaps the most exemplary example of graphic novel adaptation to bother screens, at least had some spark and vitality to it, anchored by Charlize Theron strutting about as an immortal warrior who after walking the Earth for several thousand years was using her powers of near invulnerability as a badass who took down terrible people along with a group of similarly powerful colleagues.
It was certainly fun enough, but now here comes the inevitable sequel –– five years later, which is cause for red flags flying from the get-go –– but perhaps it earned the benefit of the doubt, since taking time to make sure a movie is right is always more preferable to rushing a quick cash-in into production.
Sadly, what has emerged is no worthy follow-up to that original release.
Script and Direction
Greg Rucka, from whose work (alongside illustrator Leandro Fernandez) the movies are inspired, returns to script the new entry, this time with Sarah L. Walker (‘The Twelve’).
But though you might think Rucka has the same handle on the characters he created as he did last time, this one is unfortunately burdened with even more exposition, as the movie awkwardly tries to expand the story’s universe, but comes up with an idea that only really serves to snip dangling plot threads from the first movie in ugly fashion while also creating some villain motivation.
The story pauses between honestly disappointing action scenes to have characters sit around and talk in boring fashion about what’s happening. And half the people in the movie seem designed to do little other than shoot or stab enemies and then push the plot forward in the laziest fashion.
Perhaps the most egregious fault here is how the film ends, the final scene a giant cliffhanger (with no third movie officially ordered, mind you) and the story left unsatisfying and largely pointless. The intention may have been to drive excitement for another outing, but you’re more likely to come away not bothered what happens next.
Victoria Mahoney, taking over the director’s chair from the original’s Gina Prince-Bythewood, doesn’t exactly cover herself in glory for her second feature directorial outing after 2011’s ‘Yelling to the Sky.’ It’s competent enough work, making use of a few picturesque shooting locations, but the set-pieces all feel similar apart from one or two entertaining stunt moments.
Cast and Performances
Charlize Theron is seemingly strictly on autopilot this time around –– the odd quip here or there early on quickly jettisoned in favor of less-than-thrilling stone-cold solemnity. Sure, her character has lived for thousands of years and –– spoiler alert for the end of the previous movie –– learned that she’s no longer immortal, but it has also reduced Andy to a hollow version of her previous self. And it’s an issue even Theron’s considerable talents can’t overcome.
KiKi Layne as Nile, the immortal that Andy and her team discovered in the last movie and is now a member of their mercenary force taking down arms dealers and the like, gets in a few decent moments, but like everyone else, once the plot really kicks in, the energy drains out.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, the mortal operative who learned of the immortals’ existence, is largely hanging around providing clues and information via his contacts or trying not to die. He’s less a character, more a plot device.
The same could be said for poor Henry Golding (‘Crazy Rich Asians’), as Tuah, a new immortal we meet who has dedicated his incredibly long life to chronicling the ancient warriors like someone writing a fanzine. He’s saddled with even more exposition and even when he’s called upon to fight, his style is so similar to everyone else’s that it all blends into one.
Spare even more of a thought for Uma Thurman –– if you thought there was the tantalizing prospect of ‘Kill Bill’s Beatrix The Bride” Kiddo taking on Furiosa, then you have to wait until right at the end for a slapdash confrontation. Mostly, Thurman barks orders or delivers her own dollops of exposition with little conviction.
Final Thoughts
Flavorless and indistinct, this sequel has all the driving passion of a cold lump of concrete. The humor that marked the original has seemingly been surgically extracted, replaced with rote exposition and a dull expansion of the mythology.
Possibly the most famous franchise focused on immortal warriors uses the catchy phrase, “there can only be one.” On the evidence of ‘The Old Guard 2’, perhaps there should only have been one.
jOv2NjAITKJW6bN198n9W2What’s the story of ‘The Old Guard 2’?
Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors are back, with a renewed sense of purpose in their mission to protect the world.
With Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) still in exile after his betrayal, and Quynh (Veronica Ngô) out for revenge after escaping her underwater prison, Andy grapples with her newfound mortality as a mysterious threat emerges that could jeopardize everything she’s worked towards for thousands of years.
Andy, Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) enlist the help of Tuah (Henry Golding), an old friend who may provide the key to unlocking the mystery behind immortal existence.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Old Guard 2’?
- Charlize Theron as Andy
- KiKi Layne as Nile
- Marwan Kenzari as Joe
- Luca Marinelli as Nicky
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as James Copley
- Henry Golding as Tuah
- Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker
- Veronica Ngô as Quynh
- Uma Thurman as Discord
List of Charlize Theron Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘2 Days in the Valley‘ (1996)
- ‘That Thing You Do!‘ (1996)
- ‘The Devil’s Advocate‘ (1997)
- ‘Mighty Joe Young‘ (1998)
- ‘The Astronaut’s Wife‘ (1999)
- ‘The Cider House Rules‘ (2000)
- ‘Reindeer Games‘ (2000)
- ‘The Yards‘ (2000)
- ‘Men of Honor‘ (2000)
- ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance‘ (2000)
- ‘Sweet November‘ (2001)
- ‘The Curse of the Jade Scorpion‘ (2001)
- ‘The Italian Job‘ (2003)
- ‘Arrested Development‘ (2003 – 2019)
- ‘Monster‘ (2004)
- ‘The Life and Death of Peter Sellers‘ (2004)
- ‘North Country‘ (2005)
- ‘Æon Flux‘ (2005)
- ‘In the Valley of Elah‘ (2007)
- ‘Hancock‘ (2008)
- ‘The Road‘ (2009)
- ‘Young Adult‘ (2011)
- ‘Snow White and the Huntsman‘ (2012)
- ‘Prometheus‘ (2012)
- ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West‘ (2014)
- ‘Dark Places‘ (2015)
- ‘Mad Max: Fury Road‘ (2015)
- ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War‘ (2016)
- ‘Kubo and the Two Strings‘ (2016)
- ‘Atomic Blonde‘ (2017)
- ‘The Fate of the Furious‘ (2017)
- ‘Long Shot‘ (2019)
- ‘The Addams Family‘ (2019)
- ‘Bombshell‘ (2019)
- ‘The Old Guard‘ (2020)
- ‘F9‘ (2021)
- ‘The Addams Family 2‘ (2021)
- ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ (2022)
- ‘The School for Good and Evil‘ (2022)
- ‘Fast X‘ (2023)
- ‘The Old Guard 2‘ (2025)
