“The Old Guard 2” Is A Sequel Stuck in Immortal Limbo

The potential for success in a series like The Old Guard is a given. From globetrotting combat to questionable protagonists and murky origins, everything that usually spells fantasy-action success is baked into this Netflix franchise. So, as an almost inevitable second act, The Old Guard 2 may seem like an easy win. Yet, despite a cast of characters so bulletproof they shouldn't even be allowed outside, this follow-up still feels like just another perfunctory check on the franchise's contractual to-do list.

 Andy (Charlize Theron) still carries the emotional and moral weight of the team. An immortal warrior with more miles on her odometer, the prospect of death has Andy facing an existential crisis once again. Luckily, Theron never phones it in — as gritty and grounded as the role demands, but always fierce and present. Nile (Kiki Layne) also steps up her game as the increasingly important sidekick, and the shared scenes have some actual stakes to play with. Choreography-wise, the film is serviceable, with one or two explosive sequences that highlight the team's special skills.

 In all other areas, however, The Old Guard 2 just chugs along, which is surprising since the comic book creator penned the script. Booker and Quynh are no longer threats to the group, replaced by Uma Thurman as the most "villainous" lead villain we're likely to get. The rest of the roster — Henry Golding, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Marwan Kenzari — feels like secondary extensions of the main cast, so it's a shame that they get such short shrift in terms of serviceable but otherwise underwhelming dialogue. 

More importantly, the first two parts of this theatrical trilogy suffer from a script that never really coalesces into a whole. No one around Nile and Andy comes close to having that much investment to warrant anything other than the bare minimum stakes. There's also the problem of all the loose threads from the previous film. 

You have this weird sense of impending emotional payoff and/or tension that Booker and Quynh's scenes promised. Still, the execution is ultimately perfunctory — both in terms of giving them a fair enough send-off and in terms of a suitable beat to move the story along. And even if it had successfully wrapped up this iteration of the tale, The Old Guard 2 immediately undercuts itself with a colossal cliffhanger. The stakes may have been mounting before, but they evaporate entirely in the closing moments. One that only a third chapter can justify, which Netflix has yet to announce

 While The Old Guard 2 is far from a complete misfire, the film may have been too ambitious an undertaking for director Victoria Mahoney, who replaced Gina Prince-Bythewood.  However, it's also an extension of the series that goes through the motions, not needing to, with gritty visuals and action beats propping up an otherwise mundane and undercooked story. 

Final Grade: C-

The Old Guard 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.