MOVIE REVIEW: THE OLD GUARD

A group of mercenaries, all centuries-old immortals with the ablity to heal themselves, discover someone is onto their secret, and they must fight to protect their freedom.

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Cast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Release Date: July 10, 2020

Genres: Action, Fantasy

Rated R for sequences of graphic violence, and language.

Runtime: 2h 5min

Review:

Charlize Theron is one of those actresses that make pretty much any production better simply by taking part in it.  She’s the type of performer that’s always interesting especially when she has a role that’s meaty enough for her talents.  The Old Guard offers an intriguing and fun role for her even if it doesn’t take full advantage of her talents.  Gina Prince-Bythewood directs the film with an impressive bit of energy even if the story covers some well worn tropes in the comic book genre.  The film’s action sequences are impressively choreographed with some of them being particularly brutal ballets of destructions.  The quieter moments have varying levels of effectiveness with some feeling like genuine character building moments while others feel like they could have been left on the cutting room floor.  The cast plays well off each other even if KiKi Layne comes off as a bit stiff in here and there but for the most part the ensemble make for an engaging group.  Sadly, Chiwetel Ejiofor isn’t used nearly enough which seems like a major misstep and the villain played by Harry Melling is about as stereotypical as they come.  The story does suffer from being a franchise starter with the finale leave a massive open door for future installments.  As a result, it feels like the film doesn’t explore the story to its fullest potential with a handful of story threads left unexplored. 

B-