The most surprising thing about Gina Prince-Bythewood's The Old Guard was the amount of positive reviews it garnered from most film critics. The movie focused on a team of immortal mercenaries that had been alive for centuries. Instead of providing a voice to their experiences, world views, or politics, The Old Guard merely ended up fulfilling the demands of its genre through competently shot yet unmemorable action scenes. In The Old Guard 2, Prince-Bythewood is replaced with Victoria Mahoney, but the sequel is still affected by the same shortcomings. Once again, the characters' experiences are brushed aside, and action sequences are prioritized. The mercenaries say their age in a tone that's not meant to be taken seriously. They show off, while the audience is asked to smile. As a result, it's hard to believe that Andy (Charlize Theron) or any of her friends or colleagues could be as old as the script (written by Greg Rucka and Sarah L. Walker) implies. The issue becomes more apparent through the presence of Quỳnh (Veronica Ngô). She is rescued from the depths of the water and freed from the iron maiden after 500 years. What does she think about the modern world? How does she make sense of the present? What are her thoughts on the clothes, the vehicles, the architecture? Does she enjoy eating new varieties of dishes? One entire episode, if not an entire film, could be dedicated to Quỳnh's adjustment to the modern surroundings.
The Old Guard 2 indeed gives you the impression that it should have been an eight-episode-long TV series. As a 1 hour and 46 minutes of what looks like AI-generated content, The Old Guard 2 skips over the necessary details that could have helped give its characters multiple dimensions and an inner life. Prince-Bythewood's production came across as a missed opportunity. Mahoney, though, doesn't even try. She renders the sequel ultra-generic - nothing sticks in your mind. I would be lying if I said that the film is a waste of talents like Theron, KiKi Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Uma Thurman, and Henry Golding. I don't know what they are trying to do here, and what they could have achieved in a better version of this film. Their only function seems to be striking poses and spouting exposition with urgency. Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) gets something resembling a redemptive arc, but his sacrifice is preceded by plot information that makes him stick out like a puppet engineered for a single, shallow purpose. Schoenaerts tears up and looks sad; he shows that he can act. This is all he manages to do here. Thurman, on the other hand, receives the easiest paycheck of her lifetime. She doesn't even look dangerous. Thurman pops up, smiles, says her lines, and during the climax, she moves her body for the sake of a poorly shot action sequence—a task that could have been done by a stunt double. The Old Guard 2 ends on a cliffhanger, which is what you do when you are low on ideas, but want to desperately pump out more sequels. Andy and her team have existed for decades. A movie like The Old Guard 2, however, vanishes from your memory in mere minutes — or even seconds.
Final Score- [1/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
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Publisher at Midgard Times