THE OLD GUARD 2 (NETFLIX) (2025)

SYNOPSIS: Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors are back, with a renewed sense of purpose in their mission to protect the world. With Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) still in exile after his betrayal, and Quynh (Veronica Ngô) 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 (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) enlist the help of Tuah (Henry Golding), an old friend who may provide the key to unlocking the mystery behind immortal existence. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

The battle between mortals and immortals resumes in The Old Guard 2, the long-awaited sequel to the 2020 original. While original director Gina Prince-Bythewood is absent this time around, the core cast returns to face new enemies and settle old scores.

In the first film, the immortal warriors battled a ruthless pharmaceutical mogul. This time, the team consisting of Andy (Charlize Theron), Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and ex-CIA agent Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) confronts a far greater threat: Discord (Uma Thurman), the first immortal who sees her kind as a threat to her and seeks to eliminate them.

Joining the fray are Tuah (Henry Golding), an immortal librarian and Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), the disgraced former team member looking for redemption. Also returning is Quynh (Veronica Ngô), Andy’s former partner who was last seen trapped at the bottom of the ocean. Now freed, she’s bent on revenge, blaming Andy for her centuries-long suffering.

After five long years in development, the sequel arrives with the weight of expectation but delivers yet another underwhelming chapter in the saga of these deathless warriors. The film is bogged down by endless exposition and heavy-handed dialogue with each character saddled with a tragic backstory that slows the pace to a crawl. Tuah monologues about Discord’s ancient past, Booker attempts to atone for past betrayals and Quynh, freshly unshackled from her watery prison seems conveniently willing to follow Discord’s lead.

Both Andy and Nile, central figures in the first film feel sidelined here. Despite Nile’s supposedly prominent role, her arc barely leaves a mark. The narrative lacks momentum and the character motivations are murky at best. Worst of all, after nearly two hours, The Old Guard 2 ends abruptly, clearly setting up a third installment possibly five years from now.

Even the production values have taken a noticeable hit. The film resembles a low-budget TV pilot more than a Hollywood action blockbuster. While the action scenes are competent, they lack flair or innovation. The visuals are flat and the CGI is often jarring. For a film headlined by Charlize Theron, it feels like a disservice both to her and to audiences who waited years for a sequel.

In the end, The Old Guard 2 feels like a missed opportunity: a story that promised myth and mayhem but instead delivers melodrama and mediocrity.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee