The Old Guard 2 (2025)

​“The Old Guard 2” stars Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ngô Veronica Vân, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Uma Thurman, and Henry Golding.  Released on Netflix on July 2, 2025, the film has Andy and the Old Guard battling a dangerous immortal.

The film was directed by Victoria Mahoney, who’s known for writing and directing “Yelling to the Sky”.  It is a sequel to the 2020 superhero film, “The Old Guard,” based on the comic book by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández.  It’s not easy living an immortal life, but the struggles of mortality are equally daunting.  Either way, life is pretty challenging, especially when you are a warrior who’s lived centuries battling nefarious forces.  Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández’s comic book series, “The Old Guard,” which centered on a band of immortal soldiers fighting evil throughout centuries, brought back or ignited people’s attention in the source material when it was adapted into a Netflix film.  With its engaging action sequences, solid storytelling, and standout performance by Charlize Theron, the film quickly became one of Netflix’s most successful original launches.  Furthermore, it showcased director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s unexpected talent for the action genre, a departure from her usual focus on romance and dramas.  This success led her to direct similar movies outside of drama, including “The Woman King” and the forthcoming adaptation of the fantasy novel “Children of Blood and Bone.”  With this success, Netflix was quick to develop the sequel that continues the adventures of the immortal team of mercenaries, pitting them against an even greater threat.  Unfortunately, Gina Prince-Bythewood didn’t return to direct it, as Victoria Mahoney took over directing duties.  Does it help make this action-packed continuation worthwhile, or does it tarnish its predecessor’s immortal legacy?  Let’s find out.

The story unfolds six months after the events of the first film, featuring Andy (Theron), Nile Freeman (Layne), and her band of immortal soldiers, known as “The Old Guard,” as they continue their mission to safeguard humanity.  However, Andy struggles to navigate her remaining mortal life after losing her immortality.  The team is called back into action when a new threat emerges, poised to dismantle the very essence of the Old Guard.  This threat is revealed to be another immortal named Discord (Thurman), who launches a vendetta against Andy and is aided by one of Andy’s trusted comrades, Quynh (Ngô), who has been left imprisoned for centuries.  Andy must confront her own mortality and come to terms with her tragic past to fight against their formidable enemies.  However, a terrifying secret from one of their own could lead to the team’s downfall.

My first exposure to the comic book series was not through my experiences with comics.  Instead, it was the 2020 film adaptation that debuted on Netflix during the period when we were all confined to our homes like animals due to a particular virus spreading around the planet.  What an interesting time that was.  Admittedly, I was pleasantly surprised by how impressive “The Old Guard” turned out to be.  While it may not offer anything particularly groundbreaking with its superhero storyline, it packed enough punches in the action sequences and plot to leave it immortalized in Netflix’s cinematic library.  Plus, it made me appreciate Gina Prince-Bythewood as a director, even though I hadn’t previously watched her dramas beforehand.  Perhaps one day I will, but not today.  My experience with that film sparked my curiosity about the direction they would take for the sequel, especially considering how the first installment concluded regarding Andy and her “mortality”.  Since I knew what to expect thanks to my experience with the first film, it should make it easier for me to enjoy its action-packed sequel, right?  Well, not quite.

While its predecessor didn’t offer much in the superhero narrative, it embraced its familiar tropes effectively to make it an entertaining watch, especially for fans of the genre.  “The Old Guard” managed to provide audiences with its refreshing take on immortality and camaraderie among its characters.  “The Old Guard 2” aimed to replicate and build on the success of the first film, but with director Victoria Mahoney at the helm.  The solution was to expand upon key elements introduced in its predecessor, including the return of Quynh, Andy’s oldest comrade, who had suffered centuries of underwater imprisonment.  However, the reunion between old friends is far from pleasant.  Quynh, once a trusted ally to Andy, becomes consumed by the bitterness and hatred she harbors towards humans, whom she blames for her long imprisonment.  This animosity extends even towards Andy, whom she believes betrayed her.  As a result, Quynh joins forces with Discord to seek vengeance against humanity.  This shocking turn of events thrusts Andy into a personal journey that has her confronting the guilt of abandoning Quynh and wrestling with her sense of mortality.  This idea seemed to be well thought out as the storyline’s vehicle for character development.  Sadly, the execution itself seemed underwhelming and lazily constructed, overshadowing the emotional complexity and tension that should have been the heart of the sequel.

It’s not without its share of action sequences that elevate its shortcomings, but they’re not enough to prevent “The Old Guard 2” from revealing its own mortality.  Greg Rucka, one of the minds behind the source material and the first film, returned to pen the script for the sequel alongside Sarah L. Walker.  Although I did not read the source material myself, Rucka’s involvement in the writing process of the movies helps maintain the authenticity of the comic’s lore and characters.  His contribution was instrumental in helping the first film overcome its narrative shortcomings, thanks to its endearing characters and themes centered around immortality.  “The Old Guard 2” happened to retain those essential elements, particularly its exploration of immortality and forgiveness, with the latter prominently featured in Andy’s quest to mend her friendship with Quynh.  Unfortunately, the sequel’s narrative, intended to weave these themes together, turned out to be a muddled and somewhat perplexing mess, lacking the consistency and cohesiveness that could have enhanced its plot structure.  The disjointedness of its lore left the film struggling to deliver the same impact as its predecessor.  

One such case is Nile, who is revealed to be the last immortal with the unique ability to strip others of their immortality.  This revelation resulted in Nile taking on a more significant role in the storyline, becoming entangled in Discord’s sinister scheme.  This idea had the potential to create compelling tension within the team’s dynamic.  However, it rarely evoked much emotion in the film, given its stakes or lack thereof.  This was due to specific plot elements that seemed to have been left on the cutting room floor, leaving me perplexed by several scenes that weren’t fully explained or coherent, particularly those involving Discord during the third act.  The film’s surprisingly short runtime, which was less than two hours compared to its predecessor’s two hours and five minutes, also contributed to this issue.  Considering how the movie was edited between scenes, it made sense why the character moments felt underdeveloped and the pacing looked clunky.

However, upon watching the ending, I immediately realized that this sequel was nothing more than a setup for a potential third film, contingent on its success.  The plot holes in the sequel appeared to be deliberate, intended to set the stage for resolution in a future installment.  However, this strategy proved more frustrating than intriguing, as it seemed to reflect an overconfidence in the film becoming a franchise rather than focusing on delivering quality content.  If the film performs poorly and the third installment is canceled due to low viewership, that would be considered a setback, as it would leave those plot elements unresolved.  This situation is akin to a television show being canceled after introducing narrative arcs meant to be resolved in a subsequent season, particularly those from streaming services like Netflix.  It might have been more forgivable if the rest of the movie had been enjoyable or at least passably entertaining.  Unfortunately, due to the mishandling of its storytelling and uneven mythology elements, the film’s cliffhanger conclusion will leave viewers wishing they were immortal so they could repeatedly bang their heads against the wall without dying.

This leaves me with another question: how did Victoria Mahoney fare as a director when handling the messy pieces she was given?  Honestly, she did an okay job, though I can’t say it’s enough to immortalize her way towards the elite ranks of directors just yet.  Much like Gina Prince-Bythewood’s experience with “The Old Guard,” Mahoney ventured into new territory with “The Old Guard 2,” stepping away from her usual dramatic fare after her 2011 debut “Yelling to the Sky.”  I hadn’t heard of “Yelling to the Sky” nor did I watch it, so this was my first experience seeing Mahoney’s directorial vision in action.  Sadly, I can only say that she has room for improvement if she wishes to solidify her career as a director.  One area where Mahoney did excel was in crafting action scenes that were as enjoyable as those in the first film, particularly in terms of choreography.  While the editing sometimes felt disorienting with its rapid cuts, Mahoney did an all right job capturing the energy and graphic nature of the violence, even if most of those scenes were forgettable.  Despite these efforts, the film’s sluggish pacing and lack of emotional depth detracted from its ability to enrich the character dynamics and themes after the first act, making the story surprisingly less compelling than it could have been.

Much like its predecessor, “The Old Guard 2” significantly benefited from the presence of Charlize Theron herself.  Her portrayal of Andy continued to capture the nuanced and internally fractured soul burdened by the regret of a broken promise to Quynh.  Theron did a solid job balancing Andy’s vulnerability with an unyielding strength, proving she’s never afraid to embrace her character’s badass nature.  While far from groundbreaking, her performance further demonstrated the impressive star power Theron brings to any genre.  KiKi Layne was also okay as Nile Freeman, with her character’s arc showing slight improvement due to Nile’s hidden capabilities.  However, that’s not saying much regarding how the screenplay missed some elements to make her growth feel more compelling.  The movie also featured Uma Thurman, who channeled her iconic “Kill Bill” energy to play the antagonistic immortal, Discord.  Considering how undeniably talented Uma Thurman has been, Discord could’ve been much better than what the script envisioned for her.  That’s not to say Thurman did a terrible job with her performance.  It’s the fact that Discord is more of a traditionally formulaic villain who seeks dominance over mortality, a role that didn’t fully utilize Thurman’s capabilities.  Henry Golding also makes for a fitting addition to the cast as Tuah, an immortal with extensive knowledge of the immortals’ history.  Considering Golding’s previous experiences with the action genre, including “Snake Eyes”, it makes sense why Golding was chosen to take part in this immortalized action film.

Overall, “The Old Guard 2” is a sluggish and frustrating action sequel that damages itself with its mortally lackluster execution.  The action sequences are the film's only highlights, thanks to the choreography and Victoria Mahoney’s direction.  However, they are sadly overshadowed by its editing and weak narrative stakes, which fail to elevate the action to an emotional level.  Instead of delivering a cohesive and satisfying story, the film feels more like a mere setup for a potential third installment rather than a one-and-done sequel.  Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman do bring a degree of intrigue as the two clashing immortals amid its okay cast.  However, these actresses deserve a storyline that matches their talented capabilities, something this film unfortunately fails to deliver.  With its disjointed screenplay, underwhelming direction, dull pacing, and irritating ending, the film is a vastly disappointing follow-up that fails to achieve the immortality it seeks through its uneven and uninspiring quality.  For fans of the first film, there might be some enjoyment to be found in the action sequences alone.  Otherwise, it’s not the type of movie you should watch to kickstart this year’s cinematic fireworks.

D