The Old Guard 2 Review

Amongst a oversea of generic, algorithm-feeding, instantly forgettable Netflix enactment movies (usually led by a big-name prima collecting a big-number paycheck), 2020’s The Old Guard stood retired arsenic 1 of the existent bully ones. Charlize Theron arsenic the person of a squad of ancient, immortal mercenaries not lone sounded amusive and chill connected paper, but the movie managed to present connected that transportation connected screen, with immoderate clever lore thrown successful for bully measure. Now, aft a seemingly interminable delay, the sequel is simply a lawsuit of notably diminished returns.

Greg Rucka returns arsenic screenwriter, erstwhile much adapting his ain comic publication series, but this clip it feels similar excessively overmuch is being juggled astatine once. That’s chiefly evident done the 2 main antagonists. The archetypal movie near disconnected with the uncover that Quynh (Veronica Ngô), the longtime companion (“longtime” meaning centuries successful their case) of Charlize Theron’s Andy had someway yet been freed from the robust maiden she’d been locked wrong 500 years before, erstwhile she was dumped into the water arsenic an accused witch.

Now Quynh, understandably pissed aft the anguish she went done arsenic she continually drowned and past came backmost to beingness acknowledgment to her immortality, is connected a quest for vengeance against each of mankind, putting her astatine likelihood with her erstwhile person (and possibly lover? Like successful the archetypal film, their dynamic is inactive kinda vague), Andy. This should beryllium capable for a main plotline, but The Old Guard 2 overcomplicates things with the instauration of a pistillate known arsenic Discord (Uma Thurman, collecting that paycheck), a antecedently chartless immortal with her ain grudge against humanity.

Thurman’s beingness feels similar determination was a determination made up the nutrient concatenation to springiness this movie a bigger hook and boost of prima power. And look, is it innately breathtaking to person Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman quadrate off? Sure! There are compelling parallels betwixt these 2 talented, statuesque women who some roseate to fame successful the 1990s and are iconic capable to beryllium instantly identifiable by their archetypal names lone – not to notation bring with them erstwhile enactment movie cred, and that helps marque this an intriguing pairing. And yet it feels similar it should person been held for a antithetic film, due to the fact that arsenic is, The Old Guard 2’s existent melodramatic value is astir Andy and Quynh’s past and conflict… and Discord is determination too, feeling underwritten and extraneous overmuch of the clip portion seldom really sharing the surface with Andy.

Unfortunately, Thurman’s show reflects the bladed quality of her character, arsenic she resorts to a batch of snarling, generic bad-guy delivery. And adjacent the inevitable combat betwixt Andy and Discord feels alternatively ho hum, not helped by giving Thurman a sword – thing that volition intelligibly evoke her fantastic fights successful the Kill Bill movies — and past not being capable to clasp a candle to the breathtaking scenes that Quentin Tarantino provided.

In general, the enactment successful The Old Guard 2 is decent but unremarkable. Director Victoria Mahoney doesn’t lucifer the much stylish flair the archetypal film’s director, Gina Prince-Bythewood, brought to the proceedings, but a mates of sequences bash basal out. This includes a well-done combat betwixt Andy and Quynh and immoderate aboriginal sequences that person immoderate darkly comedic amusive with the thought that Andy’s teammates Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) tin person grisly injuries successful conflict and past beryllium good moments later. However, Mahoney relies much connected a shaky-cam, jittery aesthetic that tin sometimes beryllium distracting and diminish the interaction of the combat scenes.

The ample ensemble formed look much adrift here, peculiarly the past film’s large caller recruit, Nile (KiKi Layne), and the immortals’ quality ally, James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), some of whom had large communicative arcs successful the archetypal movie but consciousness overmuch much on for the thrust this clip out. This feels peculiarly egregious erstwhile you person an histrion arsenic fantastic arsenic Ejiofor and he’s truly got thing of enactment to do. Better served is Matthias Schoenaerts’ Booker, who has immoderate psyche searching to spell done aft helium was banished by the others successful the past movie for a betrayal (again, determination are a lot of ongoing plots). Henry Golding besides has a ample supporting relation arsenic yet different immortal, Tuah, who is mostly determination to explicate backstory that it feels similar it could’ve been delivered successful much businesslike ways.

At the halfway of it each though, Theron erstwhile much proves conscionable what a fantastic starring woman she is, adjacent successful a weaker movie similar this. She continually brings specified gravitas and believability to Andy – who mislaid her immortality astatine the extremity of the archetypal movie and is present reeling from Quynh’s instrumentality – and makes the astir of her character’s substance of angst, interior strength, and awesome carnal prowess. Her innate talent, credibility arsenic an enactment star, and movie prima charisma goes a agelong mode to helping The Old Guard 2 done its clunkier moments.

She might’ve been capable to transportation it and marque it a movie I could lightly recommend, if not for however it ends… oregon rather, however it doesn’t end. Going acold beyond pursuing the archetypal movie’s pb by leaving disconnected with a setup for a sequel, this 1 ends with an outright cliffhanger successful a mode that’s meant to beryllium breathtaking but alternatively is conscionable frustrating. There’s truly nary genuine solution present astatine all, and fixed the information that this movie took 5 years to inactive travel retired arsenic muddled arsenic it is, it’s a large miscalculation. There were intelligibly immoderate troubles down the scenes (including reshoots past year, aft the archetypal accumulation occurred backmost successful 2022) and you would deliberation possibly the originative squad would’ve taken that accidental to springiness this movie a due ending arsenic they worked to hole things and yet implicit it. Instead, it seems that Netflix’s bosses conscionable threw up their hands and decided to permission arsenic is.

It’s wholly imaginable we inactive get The Old Guard 3 and an existent decision to this story, if Netflix decides capable radical watched this one. Maybe that movie could close the vessel and implicit a trilogy that stands stronger than the sum of its parts, with a sagging mediate propped up by 2 stronger pillars. But nary of america is immortal, truthful if we person to hold different 5 years for it, that imaginable is simply a batch little breathtaking to ponder.