Time is nothing to the immortal stars of The Old Guard — but the same can’t be said for the franchise’s human fandom. The Netflix film, based on the Image Comics series of the same name, introduced a found family of ruthless mercenaries in 2020. Led by Charlize Theron’s Andromache of Scythia, The Old Guard quickly earned a cult following, and even paved the way for director Gina Prince-Bythewood, then known mostly for romance and coming of age flicks, to take her first steps into action and fantasy. It seemed inevitable that the film would sire a modest franchise on Netflix, but it’s taken five long years and a new director to bring those ideas to fruition. Fortunately, fans of the film have been patient, but it’s hard to say if their wait has been worth it.
The Old Guard 2 picks up just six months after its predecessor’s cliffhanger ending, with director Victoria Mahoney ratcheting up the tension and action that fans have spent the last five years craving. Theron’s Andromache might have inexplicably lost her immortality in the first Old Guard, but she still leads the charge and deals the most damage in the sequence that opens the film. Her troubles won’t end there, though — with the return of Quynh (Veronica Ngo), an immortal who’s spent the last 500 years missing in action, The Old Guard 2 dives deep into some much-teased romantic angst. It’s exactly the conflict we’ve been waiting for, but any drama between these star-crossed immortals is overshadowed by a big existential threat, and a bigger, more convoluted villain.
