The Old Guard 2 Movie Review: A lifeless sequel bogged down by drab lore

It is ironic how a story about the definition of being mortal and immortal itself never breathes into life. Director Victoria Mahoney’s The Old Guard 2 is a direct, and frankly exhausting, sequel to the first film, bogged down by drab myth building. It starts with Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortals trying to secure a weapons cache from an arms dealer in Croatia. Soon, they learn about the existence of another immortal, Discord, who is likely to pose a threat to their lives, especially Andy’s as she is now mortal. The climax of the first film teases the return of Quỳnh (Veronica Ngô) after spending 500 years imprisoned in an underwater iron maiden. The sequel builds on Quỳnh’s story. Discord (Uma Thurman) frees Quỳnh from her confinement by mortal humans. Quỳnh, in turn, resents Andy for failing to fulfil her promise to do the same. Quỳnh’s resentment towards Andy also stems from the fact that Andy and her team have been using their powers to protect humanity—the very species that held her captive in the maiden for five centuries.

There is enough material here for a high-stakes drama, but Mahoney and her writers fail to infuse life into the proceedings. The Old Guard 2 falls prey to franchise fatigue with a narrative that stagnates almost instantly. We never feel the true stake of Quỳnh’s deep-seated hatred for humans and Andy for her abandonment.

Director: Victoria Mahoney

Cast: Charlize Theron, Kiki Layne, Veronica Ngô, Uma Thurman

Streamer: Netflix

The biggest issue with The Old Guard sequel is its uninspired dialogue and flat delivery, which fail to enrich the lore of immortals. For example, when Andy tells Nile (Kiki Layne), “Can you give me back five centuries?,” it does not come across anywhere near as dramatic as it might seem on paper. Theron also struggles to flesh out Andy’s deep sense of regret and guilt for failing to live up to her promise of saving Quỳnh from her ordeal. The film is more interested in putting Theron in high-stakes action sequences, and while some of these sparkle, the rest are generic without any real sense of purpose or mounting tension. The highly anticipated showdown between Theron and Thurman, two stars known for their roles as action heroines in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, also fails to create any excitement due to its abrupt and poorly developed appearance in the screenplay. The film separates them for far too long before bringing them together on screen—a move that backfires big time.

Like the story of immortals, who live on through endless aeons, The Old Guard 2 also does not seem to end, even at just around 100 minutes. Further, it is even more exasperating to witness the film resorting to yet another unnecessary sequel-bait climax. Andy might just regain enough vitality to bounce back and save the world in a potential third instalment, but what about the audience?