The Old Guard 2 Review: A Bland and Listless Sequel That Wasted Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman’s Talents
The Old Guard 2 has been stuck in limbo for years, even though the movie wrapped filming in 2022. Then come the post-production delays due to various factors, including Netflix’s corporate restructuring, reshoots, and the dual Hollywood strikes. Now that it’s finally here and after spending an excruciating 104 minutes, it sure feels like an eternity streaming this long-delayed sequel.
The first movie directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood was conceptually intriguing but misses most of its mark, even though it has a few redeeming qualities, from Charlize Theron’s engaging lead role to the director’s surprisingly better-than-expected handling in the action set pieces. She didn’t return for the sequel, and her replacement, Victoria Mahoney, whose only feature was a 2011 drama called Yelling to the Sky before she committed to mainly directing television series episodes like Lovecraft Country and Suits LA, sticks out like a sore thumb.
The sequel gets off to an action-packed start as the previously immortal-turned-mere mortal Andy (Theron) along with the now-CIA ally Copley (a wasted Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Andy’s team members including Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) infiltrating a heavily-guarded Croatian villa to take down an arms dealer. The good news is that the action is decently choreographed, and yet, I can’t help but find the staging lacks the much-needed visceral flair and dynamic camerawork.
Despite the elaborate opening sequence piling up with a few gunfights, hand-to-hand combats and even a cliffside car chase that immediately reminds of Quantum of Solace‘s vehicular pursuit, Mahoney’s direction doesn’t have the same flair demonstrated by Gina Prince-Bythewood in the first movie. The story proper soon takes shape after the previously imprisoned Quynh (Veronica Ngô) is finally set free by an immortal named Discord (Uma Thurman). The latter is using her to locate Andy and her team members while Qunyh herself has a score to settle. And that is, exacting revenge on Andy over a betrayal, where they used to be close friends.
The sequel also sees the return of Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), who has since living in exile somewhere in Paris. The last time we saw him, he was responsible for betraying Andy and her team members, and he’s now looking for redemption. One of the biggest selling points is enlisting Uma Thurman to join the Old Guard franchise not as an ally but rather the main antagonist in this sequel. She is no stranger to a physically demanding role, given her prior experience in Quentin Tarantino’s two-part Kill Bill saga.
And while she does engage in a fight against Theron’s Andy at some point, the movie fails to make good use of her presence. Instead, Thurman’s Discord is mostly spent off-screen, making her character more like an afterthought. Mahoney, along with co-writers Greg Rucka and Sarah L. Walker, would have done us a favour by emphasising more on the rivalry between Andy and Discord.
The Old Guard 2 also suffers from an erratic, stop-start momentum with the same exposition-heavy approach that plagued the first movie. As for the recurring cast, Theron continues to prove her agility in the action scenes, but her character doesn’t get to do much other than spend most of the time moping around. Her co-star, KiKi Layne, who returns as Nile is sadly reduced to a thankless role that made me misses the mentor-protégé dynamic between her and Andy the first time around.
The rest of the supporting actors are equally forgettable, with none of them making much of a lasting impression. As the movie progresses, the stakes feel rudimentary, and by the time it reaches the third act, Mahoney could only muster an underwhelming cliffhanger. Yes, you read that right: another cliffhanger to make way for the third movie. Frankly, why bother when the sequel resulted in a more inferior outcome than the already half-baked first movie?
The Old Guard 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.
