Released in 2020, The Old Guard was part of an impressive wave of Netflix summer mockbusters (Extraction and Project Power also in that group) that soothed our desire to be in theaters during lockdown. It was also the best movie of the three, telling a fascinating Highlander-esque story of immortal warriors in conflict. Gifted with the masterful, driven direction by Gina Prince-Bythewood and the commanding presence of Charlize Theron, the film had depth, heart, and lots of action. Sequel The Old Guard 2 had a lot to live up to, and while most of the key pieces returned, it just doesn’t quite measure up to expectations.
The Old Guard 2 doesn’t have Prince-Bythewood behind the camera, but it does have another talented Black female director, Victoria Mahoney. The veteran filmmaker who has directed many episodes of Star Wars television and worked 2nd Unit on The Rise of Skywalker, takes charge of a story penned by comics scribe Greg Rucka. Once again adapting his own work, Rucka burdens himself with an overload of subplots, obscuring a central plot that lacks novelty and intrigue. In truth, most viewers will be tuning in for the promised match-up between Theron and “The Bride” herself, Uma Thurman. The showdown kicks ass just as we’d hoped, but the story building to it just isn’t that interesting.
Theron is back as Andy, who has lived thousands of years fighting the good fight to protect mortals. But at the end of the previous movie, Andy lost her immortality for mysterious reasons. Also, we learned that Andy’s former friend (lover?) Quynh (Veronica Ngo) had been released from the iron maiden prison she had been trapped in underwater for hundreds of years. But now she’s back and rightfully pissed. She’s also aligned with Discord (Thurman), the apparent “first” immortal, who wants to stop Andy from interfering in mortal business. She plans to do this, of course, by destroying everything.
There’s also the return of Kiki Layne as newbie immortal Nile, an ex-soldier who we learn is more powerful than anyone imagined. Andy has her old pals back, including gay couple Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) whose passion and trust in one another across centuries was such a beautiful part of the first movie. Chiwetel Ejiofor returns as former foe James Copley, an ex-CIA officer who now assists in Andy’s fight against injustice. Finally, we see the return of Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker, who betrayed the team but was exiled for 100 years. He seems to have lasted only a few months. New to the crew is Henry Golding as the bookish Tuah, an immortal friend of Andy’s who has chosen learning over combat. Turns out he’s a pretty good fighter, too. You kind of have to be. For a bunch of immortals, they seem to worry about dying a lot.
Every one of them has something going on, too, making for a jumbled narrative. There’s Andy grappling with the return of her vengeful friend plus her own mortality; there’s Joe and Nicky’s seemingly eternal relationship, Booker’s attempt at redemption, Nile’s mystical connection to Discord, and a lot more. With so much happening, a lot of it gets the short end of the sword. Most notably, it’s Thurman’s villain, Discord, who comes across as underwhelming. A shame, because the first movie had a weak bad guy who never stood a chance, while Thurman’s is the complete opposite. She is Andy’s equal if not her better, but she’s given so little screen time that she comes across as generic.
It’s also a bit odd that Rucka’s screenplay tip-toes around Andy and Quynh’s relationship. A big part of this franchise’s draw is its ethnic and cultural diversity, so to openly show one LGBTQ relationship while teasing another just seems weird. Mahoney’s direction is technically on point, delivering clean battle sequences and one thrilling car chase. It’s lacking the muscular, raw energy that Prince-Bythewood brought, but Mahoney makes a case for genre films in only her second feature.
Problems with an overstuffed story aside, the bulk of the film is very good and the lore built around these immortal soldiers is fascinating. There’s a great moment where Andy, walking into a fateful reunion with Quynh, is surrounded by the many eras she’s walked through and the friends she’s made along the way. You assume there will be a lot more backstory surrounding Discord, the oldest of them all, but The Old Guard 2 is very much the ‘Empire Strikes Back‘ of this trilogy, and the story ends on a grim cliffhanger. Theron has long been one of the most credible female action stars of her generation, and Andy, surprisingly, is one of the best characters she’s ever played. While we won’t get to see her in this role forever, one more sequel should suffice.
The Old Guard 2 is streaming now on Netflix.
