While the 2020 Netflix hit The Old Guard — directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees) — was praised for its blend of action, mythology, and introspection, the sequel has received mixed reviews. Critics have commended the cast, especially the addition of Uma Thurman, but expressed disappointment over the film’s lack of dynamic action.
Based on the graphic novels by Gregory Rucka who also wrote both screenplays, the sequel directed by Victoria Mahoney (Power, Lovecraft Country) picks up where the first left off, following Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of undying warriors as they face new threats and deeper moral questions. Despite not possessing traditional superpowers, their ability to heal from any wound makes them nearly unstoppable. The new installment expands the lore, introduces fresh faces like Henry Golding and Thurman, and teases a wider mythology with a potential third chapter.
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The New York Times praised the casting of Thurman as a bold, if underutilized, choice writing, “Theron was a fitting centerpiece for the first film, an actress who powerfully shaped our ideal of a ferocious heroine (i.e., Furiosa of “Mad Max: Fury Road”). Who could match her in the sequel? Naturally, the star who, in killing Bill, preceded Theron in that same mold a decade earlier,” writes Brandon Yu adding, “Thurman, in other words, is a brilliant addition whose presence gives the right dose of pulp and gravitas to help set the tone of a grander mythology. And yet, it’s a shame how little she and Theron actually show up together onscreen.”
While others criticized the film’s lack of action momentum. “Uma Thurman’s Discord is a fascinating character, but we spend so much time learning about her through the words of others, rather than seeing her in action. The whole plot is explained and told to us, rather than shown. ‘Show, don’t tell’ is one of the most basic rules in storytelling, and it’s frustrating that The Old Guard 2 doesn’t follow this,” writes Shawn Van Horn at Collider. “After the opening fight, we get nothing for most of the first two acts. Even when Andy and Quynh meet for the first time in hundreds of years, their fight is so choreographed and emotionless.”
However, The Hollywood Reporter had a more favorable takeaway viewing the sequel as a solid continuation of the story with a promising future potential. “The Old Guard 2 is a better-than-average original streaming feature — well acted by a highly capable cast, peppered with enough action to satisfy most appetites, and underscored with a melancholy vein of introspection about the conflicted roles of superheroes,” writes David Rooney.
Charlize Theron and Chiwetel Ejiofor in The Old Guard 2 Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix
Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman criticized the film’s sluggish pacing saying that, “As soon as Andy and her team return to their headquarters, plotting whatever comes next, the mood starts to veer closer to that of a Fast and Furious movie. Except that The Old Guard 2 doesn’t have that Fast and the Furious energy. It’s more like The Languid and the Bothered,” he writes, agreeing the film could be better with less talking and more action. “The Old Guard 2 feels like a time-tripping action fantasy made on the cheap. The issue of who’s immortal or not, and how you can turn immortal (or have that ability taken away), starts to seem part of some arbitrary movie game, like ‘Who’s got the detonator?’ And the actors, trapped in what is too often an empty somber talkfest, seem stranded in a way that they weren’t in the first film.”
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