The Old Guard 2 - Review 

Rating: 2 out of 5

THE Old Guard 2 is the type of sequel that treats its audience with a certain type of contempt. It’s poorly written, leaves established characters largely in the lurch and delivers a frustrating cliffhanger ending that will probably never get resolved.

To be fair, the writing has been on the wall ever since Netflix delayed the release of the sequel - even though the original had provided the streaming giant with one of its biggest hits during the Covid pandemic.

Fans kept asking where the follow-up was, while its stars kept reassuring them that the film had been finished.

Alas, now that it has finally seen the light of day, fans will certainly be lamenting what has become of this once promising franchise.

Based on Greg Rucka’s comic book series, the first film established the Old Guard as a group of mercenaries, all centuries-old immortals with the ablity to heal themselves, who intervene when bad threatens to overcome good. But when someone threatens to reveal their secret, they must fight to protect their freedom.

Leading this group was Charlize Theron’s Andy, who lost her immortality at the end of the original, but continues to lead the group here, as a new threat emerges in the form of another humanity-hating immortal, named Discord (Uma Thurman), who has revived a former ally of Andy’s, Quynh (Veronica Ngo) who also is seeking revenge.

The reasons for this plotting are fairly convoluted but also entail the return of former group member Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts(), now exiled but desperately seeking his shot at redemption.

Along for the ride are the likes of newest member Nile (Kiki Layne), who may possess the key to destroying all of the immortals, and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who had been a part of the chasing pack in the previous film (and is now an integral part of Andy’s team).

It’s one of the many failings of the film’s script that very few of these characters get much to do - wasting a talented cast.

The film does get off to a fairly decent start with a stylish action sequence that involves an assault on a plush mansion, complete with neatly choreographed fight scenes (much like the original) and a fairly decent car chase.

But most of the budget seems to have gone to this sequence, as the remainder of proceedings quickly run out of momentum.

Thurman’s presence offers, arguably, the biggest disappointment. The mere presence of the Kill Bill icon suggests the possibility of some action fireworks - but while there is a climactic fight between her and Theron, it lacks any of the spark or ingenuity needed to make it really memorable.

Rather, it fizzles out - Thurman’s villain being whisked away for a future reckoning that may never come.

But it’s this failure to satisfyingly conclude the film that really grates, particularly given the lacklustre nature of what comes before. It hardly makes a third movie essential.

Characters that seemed interesting and ripe with possibility in the superior first film are let down here - not least Schoenaerts’ Booker, whose fate feels poorly plotted and a waste of the actor’s talents.

Ejiofor is also given too little to do, while his fate also takes place off-camera and leaves another question hanging in the air; while Ngo’s secondary villain is insipid and uninteresting.

But then even Theron’s central character feels flat - the added precariousness of her mortality failing to add any real threat; and her eventual return to immortal status largely underwhelming given the way it plays out with both of her enemies.

The Old Guard 2 just never catches fire… it’s tale of immortals feeling oddly lifeless.

Certificate: 15

Running time: 1hr 40mins