The Old Guard 2, 2025.
Directed by Victoria Mahoney.
Starring Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Uma Thurman, Henry Golding, Kamil Nozynski, and Slavko Sobin.
SYNOPSIS:
Andy leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.
The Old Guard 2, technically a movie, feels more like a light-on-action filler episode of a TV series. The fact that Netflix owns the rights to these adaptations (based on the graphic novels by Leandro Fernandez and Greg Rucka, with the latter also co-writing the screenplay here alongside Sarah L. Walker) makes for a disheartening circumstance that film and TV are one and the same for this streaming service: pump something, anything out, that will leave viewers eagerly awaiting more.
That doesn’t mean The Old Guard 2 is a satisfying experience, but rather one that is preoccupied with setting up more than actually doing anything of note in this installment. Naturally, it’s no surprise that Gina Prince-Bythewood did not return for this sequel. Who can blame her? There is no complete or compelling story to tell. There is some appreciation to be found in the slower pacing and the lore-based focus, which involves a deeper dive into the rules regarding the invincible, regenerative powers of these mercenaries, particularly in how they can be lost, regained, or transferred from one individual to another.
However, at a certain point, the lack of action and emphasis on some of the actual characters, namely one of the new villains, gradually makes it evident that none of this is getting resolved by the end credits. Speaking of those credits, they fly by so fast that it’s as if Netflix is trying its hardest to make sure no one notices that Gina Prince-Bythewood didn’t return. None of this is meant to throw shade on stand-in director Victoria Mahoney, especially considering the action that is here is well-staged and understands the appeal of the creativity behind the regenerative powers. Most importantly, it’s also free from the dodgy, fake CGI-heavy look that plagues most streaming movies, relying instead on fluid movements, dynamic up-close cinematography, and exciting stuntwork to give the encounters a sense of weight and pain that needs to be offset, since most of these characters can’t die.
It is just also made apparent that this sequel is less about artistic vision and more about running with a branding that caught some positive attention (the first film released during the height of the pandemic in 2020, offering some escapism from the horrors outside), fully intending on dragging it out until everything falls apart. Even much of the story here is more about undoing dynamics and aspects from its predecessor, albeit with some consistency in character development.
The now-mortal Andy (Charlize Theron) still leads missions alongside her crew, this time using the newest immortal recruit and former soldier Nile (KiKi Layne) as a protective shield in the field. As always, they are accompanied by the centuries-long couple of Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli), with the CIA’s Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) serving as their handler, instructing them on where to go and who to kill to make the world a safer, better place. It also turns out that the weapons buyer they are looking for is someone Nile has been dreaming about, which means that person is immortal. Without giving too much away, she is the first immortal, Discord (Uma Thurman), seeking knowledge about their kind from books in an underground library run by another immortal, Tuah (Henry Golding).
Much of that is sidelined for a different plot, one centered on a lost immortal from Andy’s past, Quynh (Veronica Ngo), introduced in the post-credits stinger of the first film. Centuries ago, they were separated, with Quynh accused of witchcraft, placed into a coffin, and dumped into an ocean. Now, freed by Discord and angry that Andy had given up searching for her, Quynh wants to make humanity suffer. Usually, that motivation would feel indescribably generic, but the droning for centuries at the bottom of an ocean at the hands of humans, with Andy now doing whatever she can to help them, puts a mildly unique twist on the angle.
Finally, Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) is also back after betraying the team in the first film, with his backstabbing given a more nuanced exploration, one of the few narrative elements that work in this sequel. It paves the way for conversation about the meaning of time and what the inability to die does to it. Gesturing at such a theme is welcome, but again, this is a bare-bones sequel that never entirely takes advantage of such ideas. One character receives a fitting ending, but the issue is that, due to the nature of the premise and the general laws of movies, there is no guarantee it will stick and won’t be undone, like other elements already have been in this sequel.
Charlize Theron remains a magnetic, badass action presence, with KiKi Layne also impressing, and the lore brought forward is surface-level intriguing, but The Old Guard 2 wastes time more than anything, hoping that viewers will still care when the admittedly enticing third chapter arrives.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Rob Kojder
