Immortality is a well-worn movie trope at this point; however, films like Groundhog Day, The Age of Adaline, and Bloodshot most recently show us that it’s not as blissful as it seems. It’s this sentiment that sets the ground for Netflix’s The Old Guard – based on the acclaimed graphic novel series of the same name from Greg Rucka and Leonardo Fernandez.
Andy (Charlize Theron), Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) are mercenaries with an inability to die – mysteriously granted immortality and brought together over the centuries. Their friendship comes from bloodshed and the mutual pain of outliving those around them. When a job goes awry, the group’s secret is exposed and they must recruit new immortal Nile (KiKi Layne) to help stop those wanting to weaponise their abilities.
On the surface, The Old Guard isn’t breaking any new ground; it’s a film inspired by its comic-book predecessors but the genre is so over-saturated now that the narrative approach feels shopworn and predictable at this point – a very weak plot with thinly-sketched antagonists and lacklustre motives propelling the story forward. That being said, Rucka and Fernandez’s original graphic novels were so conceptually and thematically rich and the film explores the lore impressively – the former penned the screenplay here and he knows this material well. Rucka and director Gina Prince-Bythewood do a great job of realising the history behind these characters and making this world and its mythology feel so tactile – despite the supernatural sensibilities of it all.
It’s that blend of fantasy, action, and real-world ideology that elevates The Old Guard above its counterparts. It’s self-aware enough to have fun with the material – Charlize Theron taking on a church full of soldiers set to Ruelle’s electro-pop ballad ‘The World We Made’ is a particular highlight – but it also feels lived in and real. Where the film falters is straying away from fleshing out its concepts to be more of a generic superhero film which we’ve seen done to death; it’s the world-building that makes this particular endeavour shine. There’s veritable chemistry between the cast too; it’s easy to believe their friendship and their reliance on one another and the playful banter and sincere exchanges make it easy to invest in their dynamic.
While the ramshackle structure of The Old Guard feels trite and mawkish, the film largely works nonetheless – thanks to its lore, likeable characters, and some excitingly brutal action set-pieces and tightly-choreographed combat. Theron and Layne are magnetic leading ladies and the execution is just tongue-in-cheek enough to work. Considering the film ends with a setup for a sequel, it would no doubt be a fun franchise to revisit should its future continue because it may be clunky but it’s a lot of fun – the kind of distracting blockbuster that feels like the perfect escapism from everything going on right now.
The Old Guard is released om Netflix on 10th July.
The Old Guard
Summary
Thanks to its lore, likeable characters, and some excitingly brutal action set-pieces and tightly-choreographed combat, the film largely works. Clunky, but a lot of fun
