Review:
"The Old Guard"
![]() Release Date: July 10, 2020
Rating: R Running Time: 125 minutes Arriving long about the establishment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, the Netflix R-rated superhero thriller The Old Guard feels positively too old school for its own good. Adapted with little ingenuity by screenwriter Greg Rucka from his own comic-book series, The Old Guard pits a group of soldier immortals (led by Charlize Theron) against a pharma bad boy who wants to slice and dice ’em, unlock the secrets of their DNA, and create potentially life-saving medicines. Yes, the best that The Old Guard can do is portray science in a negative light. The first half of The Old Guard is devoted to Steven Merrick’s (Harry Melling) efforts to track down the immortals; the second half follows the bid to rescue captured immortals undergoing cruel and inhumane experiments. When all is said and done, Merrick and his goons make for unworthy adversaries for warriors who cannot die and recover faster from their bullet and knife wounds than you can bandage a cut finger. Well, almost. Turns out one too many near-fatal wounds may result in the body failing to regenerate. This creates some stakes in The Old Guard but not enough to cause enough concern that some or all of the immortal will not live to crack skulls another day. The Old Guard oddly feels incomplete by virtue of its minimal plot and refusal to delve deep into a potentially rich mythology that, as hinted at during the mid-credits scene, promises to be explored in more detail in a teased sequel. So the immortals are merely presented as eternal warriors who have spent their many days safeguarding humanity from one threat after another. It also does not help that Theron’s three male compatriots—Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, and Luca Marinelli—are indistinguishable from each other. Enter KiKi Layne’s Nile Freeman, a U.S. Marine who discovers she is immortal after dying in action in Afghanistan. Theron’s Andy brings Nile into the fold—immortals got to stick together—Nile essentially serves as our guide to the life the immortals live. It’s all work and no play, apparently. And it is not long before Andy puts Nile to work. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood executes the action sequences with aplomb, especially during the climatic raid on Merrick’s London laboratory. But the energy Prince-Bythewood brings to The Old Guard is immediately negated by Theron, who sets the tone of the film with her dire disposal. Andy’s tired of the daily grind. And she does not see the good she has done over the centuries (even though it is often staring her in the face). Theron, leaden even when asked to be playful, cannot find any joy in being an immortal. And it informs every second of The Old Guard when Theron et al. are not dispatching enemy combatants. Theron sadly leaves us believing us that immortality is not a gift but a burden that cannot be lifted. Robert Sims Aired: July 9, 2020 Web site: https://www.netflix.com/ |
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