With a cool title like The Old Guard, I simply had to check out this movie based on a comic book. Not to mention the fact that Charlize Theron was starring. All hail Furiosa! I was expecting something like her previous comic book movie, Atomic Blonde that really blew me away. This one, however, is just your average action/fantasy movie with just enough content to keep you engaged. The story is simplistic and flashy like this is some fantasy movie from the eighties. Something along the lines of a 1987 He-Man adaptation Masters of the Universe starring Dolph Lundgren. Only slower. And while we’re in the eighties, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention The Highlander.
Cliched and sometimes even tacky, The Old Guard does have some redeeming values. The action was pretty entertaining, especially the fights and some of the locations were quite good. The cinematography was here and there, with some scenes looking awesome and others rather cheap. So-called money shots were often missed or ended too quickly, cramping the style and pacing of the movie. I simply cannot believe that the budget was a whopping $70 million. However, once you start watching it, you kind of what to find out what’s going to happen in the end. The ending does offer some pretty intriguing concepts that they probably used in an effort to push for a sequel. I think they wanted to follow the simple formula of comic book adaptation + some cash + some familiar faces = profit.
Imagine if you were born centuries and centuries ago and simply could not die. What would you do? Four of these ancient warriors led by Andromache of Scythia, decided to use their powers for good. Their latest mission is to save a group of kidnapped children in Sudan. They don’t know that someone has turned against them, threatening to expose them…
There’ve been a couple of good graphic novel adaptations this year like intense Extraction and fun Bloodshot, apart from Marvel movies. There’ve also been a couple of doozies too like New Mutants and abysmal Birds of Prey. This movie sits somewhere in the middle. You can still feel the potency of the original material through the melancholic and somewhat authentic atmosphere. The cast of The Old Guard was really diverse and likable. It’s good that Luca Marinelli is getting some recognition. Mostly because I loved him in the first Italian superhero movie Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot. So, in the end, don’t expect some fast-paced blockbuster vibes from this one and you should be alright. Especially since this is a Netflix movie, readily available for streaming. And also check out some of the movies mentioned here if you’re hungry for more of the same.
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Writers: Greg Rucka, Leandro Fernandez
Cast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Fun Facts: According to Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne, most of the stunts were performed by the main actors, not stunt-doubles.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7556122/
