One of Netflix’s biggest hits of 2020 finally has a sequel in The Old Guard 2. This entry follows Andy (Charlize Theron) as she unites her immortal warriors against a new threat, while an immortal who was once thought to be lost for good complicates things.
It may have been five years, but my excitement for a sequel to The Old Guard never waned thanks to the rich world and deep lore it established. It sets up a world ripe with storytelling potential and ends with a sequel tease that promises plenty of drama. While that film was a very pleasant surprise which nailed everything from the action to the narrative, this sequel is a disaster… to put it lightly. The film kicks off with a first act that’s pretty good, but leaves room for improvement. There’s a thrilling opening action sequence which reveals the stunt coordinators haven’t lost their touch, then the remainder of the first 40 minutes slows right down to set up this narrative’s moving parts. It’s not horrid – it’s filled with some decent (and some confusing) character work, but should’ve honestly been covered in around half the time. While it wasn’t quite hitting the action-packed, lore-heavy expectations I had for it, there was still a whole hour of film left for improvement. Only it somehow gets worse.
The approach to make this story more emotionally centred on Andy is fine, but it’s like the film forgets it’s supposed to be an action movie. The first act is way too void of action – outside of the opening sequence, there’s a lone fist fight which is too short and embarrassingly unexciting. The latter half certainly picks up on that element, but by that point its events are marred by a dwindling narrative. I mentioned how the first film dropped just enough lore to set up an exciting world, but this film is bogged down by vague and confusing lore additions that aren’t integrated well and come across as lazy writing. The moment someone drops a stupidly convenient “prophecy” that allows VERY specific parameters to be fulfilled I physically rolled my eyes. This film should have employed a “show, don’t tell” mentality, but instead it seems to be making up conveniences on the spot. As the film tries to over-explain these convoluted, out-of-the-blue additions, it slows itself down and never really recovers.
Without getting into spoilers, the first film’s ending teases the arrival of Quyne (Veronica Ngo) and her team-up with Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts). I cannot explain how badly this film wastes that tease, but also how poorly it handles Quyne’s character. She went from the emotional crux of Andy’s arc in the first film to a character I couldn’t understand if I tried. Her arc flip flops all over the place to the point of making no sense. She’s frustrating from the start and annoying in the end, so I can’t believe this film has the same writer as the first. Then don’t even get me started on the ending of this film – it’s like they got there and just said “nah”. I’ll just say that the second the credits rolled, my score immediately dropped.
Even the action is a step behind its predecessor, with not as many memorable or impressive moments. The opening sequence is the strongest in the film – the fight choreography is a blast and each member of the team brings a unique spin to the combat. After that point the action is spread way too thin in the lead-up to the climax, which does deliver some pretty cool stunt work. The stakes of the final confrontation aren’t felt because of how vague and rushed the story is in this section, but purely from an action standpoint it’s fun at the very least. There’s a good mix of sword combat and gunfights – one of the elements that really worked in the first film, and it’s very much still exciting here.
One element of the film I was most excited to see was the inclusion of Uma Therman as Discord. Through her filmography, and especially in Kill Bill, she has shown herself to be a badass with a sword and more. So casting her in this film was a no-brainer as it paves to way for some awesome action sequences opposite Theron. Only there’s one small issue in that Therman is hardly in the movie. It baffles me that they have THE Uma Therman in the cast and use her for one meaningful scene. She should be front and centre, but much like so many other promising elements of the film, she’s wasted on the sidelines. As for the rest of the cast, I have no complaints. Theron is a natural when it comes to selling the action and enhancing a story with a bit of heart. Chiwetel Ejiofor has limited screentime but certainly makes an impact. Additionally, the main team as a collective share great chemistry and you buy into the fact that they’ve known each other for hundreds of years.
In the end, The Old Guard 2 might have just killed the franchise before it has even had the change to get off the ground. While the variety of the action is still a highlight, with Theron and the crew executing impressive stunts, it has failed to live up to the quality and quantity of its predecessor. The narrative is where it lets itself down the most – the first act is slow, undoes some of what the previous film set up and spends too long explaining its additions to the lore. The writing of its villain characters is awful and structure-wise it doesn’t build much momentum or heightened tension going into what should be a big confrontation. With the reception it has received, I doubt we see a sequel, but if we do get one I just hope it’s better than this (which isn’t hard).
4/10
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