'The Old Guard' Review
R: Sequences of graphic violence, and languageRuntime: 2 Hrs and 5 MinutesProduction Companies: Skydance Media, Denver and Delilah ProductionsDistributor: NetflixDirector: Gina Prince-BythewoodWriter: Greg RuckaCast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel EjioforRelease Date: July 10, 2020
Led by a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron), a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it's up to Andy and Nile (Kiki Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary.
Tired of waiting for the next big-budget comic book adaptation to drop? Are you still frustrated by the endless string of delays that The New Mutants keeps experiencing? Better yet, wanna watch a comic book adaptation similar to X-Men but 10 times better than the last few X-Men movies? Well, I’ve got great news for you. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film adaptation of The Old Guard makes the X-Men franchise look like a pile of crap as she delivers the coolest summer blockbuster of the year thus far.
There is no way in hell that this is director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s first action film. She was the filmmaker behind gems like Love & Basketball and Beyond the Lights, so The Old Guard is a major departure from her usual fare, but she fucking nails it. Every action sequence is top-tier; The action is shot clearly, the camera movements are smooth, especially with combat sequences in confined spaces, and most importantly, despite the locations not being exciting or special, you feel the large scope of the setting her characters are fighting in. There are brilliantly choreographed moments that inject sweet adrenaline into your system. Given the film’s R rating, the action is gloriously brutal and bloody, which makes its violent nature more fun. The Old Guard showcases Prince-Bythewood’s talent and range as a filmmaker. I’m mad that it took 20 years for Prince-Bythewood to direct an action movie. Now I’m itching for her to do more. Let her direct a Mission Impossible movie, a Bond movie, a Marvel movie. Give her more R-rated action films. Whenever we get that John Wick spin-off starring Halle Berry, GIVE IT TO HER! Outstanding action aside, the film’s story is a major weakness. But since we’re in THE GOOD, I’ll express what makes the story work. The narrative follows a group of immortal warriors, so the film takes on a surprisingly realistic tone as each character, especially Andy, experiences the grief and fatigue of the life they live. They are gifted with unique powers, yet they still undergo the trials and tribulations of trauma and PTSD. Each member of the group has enough depth (more or less) and you understand their perspectives. While Andy receives the most attention and has the most exposition, it benefits the strength of her arc and the relationship she shares with her team and Nile. It reminds me of the dark tone that Logan had where it applied human emotions to a character who perceives their superpower as a curse. It makes the ensemble feel relatable.
As far as the acting goes, everyone delivers a standout performance. It’s great to see actress KiKi Layne show off her talent and abilities with each role she tackles. She’s proactive and badass as the new recruit, Nile, who has to accept her newfound abilities and the responsibilities that come with it. She’s basically the audience’s avatar as we navigate the team through her. She’s spry yet timid but manages to kick ass. I’m sorry, this review is just me going, “Give so-and-so a franchise,” over and over again, but GIVE KIKI LAYNE A FRANCHISE! What can’t Charlize Theron do? Seriously, the woman has been in so many action movies — never Marvel or DC — yet to me she is the coolest female action hero of our time. Her performance as Andy is another entry in her book of badass action heroes (not a heroine. Fuck the binary). I could ramble about how she kicks ass, but she has proven how cool she is time and time again. What makes her performance as Andy so intriguing is how utterly exhausted she is of being immortal, resulting in her giving off this cold, yet cool, attitude. Charlize Theron could punch me in the face and I’d thank her for it.
While the film as a whole is fun and features compelling characters, not everyone gets a backstory as layered as Andy’s or Nile’s. There’s a gay male couple on the team (Joe and Nicky) who have an enticing backstory. They were enemies taught to hate each other but fell in love and stayed together for many centuries. The film doesn’t give them the exposition they deserve even though they’re the most interesting characters in the group. The film is unfortunately confined to the binary of its comic book roots. Considering that this ragtag group of eternal warriors is… eternal, the main conflict has them facing a mad scientist/millionaire who wants to extract their power for their own profitable gain. It’s rather generic if you ask me. I can think of about six comic book movies that have the same conflict (yes, some of them are X-Men films). It lacks excitement on paper, but because of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s filmmaking, the blandness of the story is elevated into a fun thrill ride. By the end of it all, I was actually in love and clamoring for more. The Old Guard is a fun movie that I’d gladly watch again and again throughout the summer until we get a sequel… whenever it’s okay to make movies again. Rating: 4/5 | 81%
