RATING: 2.5/5 Bag of Chips
It’s blockbuster movie season, but given the current situation globally, we’d have to make do with very few choices. Thankfully, Netflix has got us covered with Charlize Theron and her new action flick, The Old Guard, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by Greg Rucka, based on his own comic of the same name, published by Image Comics.
The Old Guard introduces us to Andromache of Scythia, or Andy (Theron), who, after centuries of taking part in significant world events and conflicts, now leads a band of other immortals who take on contracts to change the world for the better. The film opens with Andy, Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) accepting a job to save kidnapped Sudanese kids from ex-CIA agent James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor). They eventually meet another young immortal in U.S. Marine Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne), who joins them in their big battle against Big Pharma corporate greed, personified by pharma company CEO Steven Merrick (Harry Melling).
While the film serviceably works as an easy, fun Netflix blockbuster, it was bogged down by unexciting dialogue and pacing, picked up only by the engaging, satisfying and well-choreographed action sequences and Charlize Theron’s oozing charisma, which all of her co-actors unfortunately lack. The flat and at times boring script didn’t help the supporting characters and the actors’ performances at all, with all of the other leads coming off as one-dimensional talking heads who serve only to narrate exposition and further the plot with very little nuance. The film also feels tension-less, as the nature of the lead characters being immortal takes away a general sense of danger.
Nonetheless, The Old Guard is a breeze to watch and its action sequences are worth watching, giving the audience a fun popcorn flick with guns blazing, bones breaking and blood squirting. It seems intent on just being a good time, and in that aspect, it just delivers enough. In short, it’s just okay.