Action movie fans have been waiting patiently for five years for the follow-up to theNetflixsuperhero hit,The Old Guard. Well, the glorious day has finally arrived, asCharlize Theronand her band of immortal warriors return to once again partake in unending conflict, and the first reviews have started flooding in. So, wasThe Old Guard 2worth the wait? Or should Andy and the rest of the unkillable mercenaries be put out of their misery? Let’s find out…
Beginning withMovieWeb’s own Julian Roman,The Old Guard 2failed to live up to the promise of its predecessor, which became one of Netflix’s biggest ever launches after being viewed by 72 million households in its first four weeks and landing a score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, based on Rotten Tomatoes, the follow-up seriously fails to live up to what came before, withThe Old Guard 2debuting with a “rotten” 42% on the review aggregator site.
“Charlize Theron and her group of butt-kicking immortals return in a Netflix sequel that’s loaded with star power but severely uneven in its execution. The Old Guard 2 builds on its predecessor’s ancient mythological lore and packs a punch with slick fight choreography and big-budget action scenes in exotic locales. But all that eye candy struggles to overcome a poorly developed and predictable narrative loaded with plot inconsistencies and a surprisingly underwhelming villain.”
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Cheating death is only the beginning.
The middling response sadly continues courtesy of Eric Goldman of IGN, who awardedThe Old Guard 2just 5/10.Heaping praise on Charlize Theronas “a fantastic leading lady,” the Oscar-winner’s charisma could not save the action sequel from being a disappointment.
“The Old Guard 2 is a disappointing sequel that isn’t as fun or engaging as the first film and doesn’t do enough with its face off between Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman.”
Injecting some positivity into the proceedings is Katey Stoetzel of InBetweenDrafts who said, “Despite grievances in story and larger lore implications,The Old Guard 2is still a fun and emotional ride.” Similarly, The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney called the movie “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.”
Ultimately, ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is All Filler No Killer
However, the consensus is clear thatThe Old Guard 2is ultimately a letdown, with Mae Abdulbaki of Screen Rant still enamored with the characters, but criticizing the sequel for being little more than aset-up for a third outing.
“And while there’s still more story to tell — and Discord is an intriguing villain that I want to see more of, if only to watch Thurman be icy — I’m not convinced it justifies wasting what precious time we have with The Old Guard 2 and its narrative of immortals duking it out.”
Finally, Shawn Van Horn of Collider goes so far as to callthis tale of immortals“Utterly Lifeless” and “filler” while reminding us we could be waiting another five years for the next chapter…
“It’s obvious that The Old Guard 2 is the next chapter in a trilogy, because so much of the story is left unfinished when the end credits come. Maybe in five more years we’ll get a final chapter, but The Old Guard 2 is filler that doesn’t give us much of a reason to care about this movie.”
Directed by Victoria Mahoney, and written once again by Greg Rucka,The Old Guard 2sees Charlize Theron return as Andy/Andromache of Scythia alongside KiKi Layne as Nile Freeman, Marwan Kenzari as Joe/Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Luca Marinelli as Nicky/Nicolò di Genoa, Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker/Sebastian Le Livre, Vân Veronica Ngô as Quỳnh, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as James Copley,with Uma Thurman joining the action as Discord, andSnake Eyes’ Henry Golding starring as Tuah.The Old Guard 2is now streaming on Netflix, and you can check out the official synopsis below.
Andy and her team of immortal warriors are back, with a renewed sense of purpose in their mission to protect the world. With Booker still in exile after his betrayal, and Quynh out for revenge after escaping her underwater prison, Andy grapples with her newfound mortality as a mysterious threat emerges that could jeopardize everything she’s worked towards for thousands of years. Andy, Nile, Joe, Nicky and James Copley enlist the help of Tuah, an old friend who may provide the key to unlocking the mystery behind immortal existence.
