Released: 10th July 2020 (Netflix)
Length: 125 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Starring: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Harry Melling and Chiwetel Ejiofor
With so many contemporaries flooding the market, it’s becoming more difficult to stand out in the crowded superhero sub-genre. One lesser known property is The Old Guard, a more grounded tale written by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. Based on the original comic book, it attempts to offer up something different, but ends up feeling mostly sub-standard.
The Old Guard follows four immortal individuals who have gone from place to place over centuries, partaking in many conflicts and events. Led by Andy (Charlize Theron), formerly known as Andromache of Scythia. Again and again they take some visceral punishment, only to heal and continue to fight. In the modern day, after picking up a new individual in US marine Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne), the group finds themselves being hunted by an unsavoury group who hopes to steal and weaponise their immortality. The film jumps around many different locations, swapping between the titular band of immortals and the antagonists tracking them down. What we have is an admittedly interesting look at superhero immortality, with the main characters having lived for thousands of years and having lived such long lives, this narrative focus is ripe for expansion. Unfortunately, the flick doesn’t make good on this direction as it instead chooses to focus on a generic plot to harvest the group’s immortality by a healthy conglomerate. As a catalyst for action, it’s an acceptable component, but it comes at the cost of something more thought-provoking which in turn, prevents the film from carving out its own niche.
Moreover, the imbalance between action and empathy means we don’t really get a chance to get to know the members who drive the story. The world-weary characters in The Old Guard had potential, specifically for the many years they’ve been fighting; you can imagine the kind of fatigue they’re going through. But outside of being progressive with its relationships, the main cast lacks the depth you would expect. That’s not to say the performances are all write-offs. Pulling from her experience in both Hancock and Atomic Blonde, Charlize Theron delivers another strong performance, bringing more great physicality to the screen. To a lesser extent the other members of the group also deliver in this area, most notably Booker and Joe (Played by Matthias Schoenaerts and Marwan Kenzari respectively). Admittedly there are some instances of creative writing, such as when Andy shoots one of her colleagues aboard a plane, knowing he’ll be revived in a minute or too. The film does slow down at points to show a more human side to the characters, but these moments aren’t enough to get you care about them. There really isn’t anything to the villain either; Steven Merrick (Harry Melling) is your average greedy businessman with his sole gimmick being the death stare he gives to everyone around him. Most disappointing of all is Chiwetel Ejiofor, a very talented actor relegated mostly to basic investigating and commenting on the surrounding action.
While it’s mostly subdued when compared to its larger, computer-effect-driven brethren, The Old Guard is committed when it comes to the finer details. There’s a good level of authenticity towards recreating past historical events as The Old Guard are transplanted into various settings and the soundtrack, despite not playing into the identity of the main leads, accompanies the action to an acceptable degree. On that note, the film won’t be winning any awards for its editing, but it still delivers some top-notch choreography. Using a combination of gunplay and martial arts, The Old Guard boasts some proficient direction and a style of shooting that keeps the grittier moments within frame. The colour palette feels more washed out and grey in this superhero property which speaks to the extended lived experiences the characters have gone through. Overall a more realistic look, but the film still needed to do more to make an impression.
Its premise may be a novel one, but The Old Guard has trouble living up to the many super powered individuals who firmly control both the box office and streaming platforms. It offers some mild enjoyment with its capable action sequences, but doesn’t follow through on anything else, making it feel rather forgettable.
Rating: 3/5 Stars (Fair)
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