"The Old Guard 2" is a forgettable sequel Instead, a third chapter of the film saga starring Charlize Theron is also likely to arrive

Maybe, just maybe, we had all sort of forgotten about The Old Guard. Perhaps not the die-hard fans of the original comic universe, based on the eponymous graphic novel by Greg Rucka and published by Image Comics. Still, there’s no doubt that its return on Netflix would have been better off not happening. The Old Guard 2 is the sequel that landed on the platform five years after the debut of what, judging by the ending, is clearly intended as a trilogy. Unfortunately, one should add, because after the work done by director Victoria Mahoney—who took over from Gina Prince-Bythewood—it would have been better if The Old Guard had faded into oblivion rather than meet the unfortunate fate that befell Charlize Theron’s Andromache and the rest of the gang – which includes, among others, our very own Luca Marinelli. If the first film had at least managed to fulfill its task with a mix of action and fantasy, offering a harmless yet somewhat dignified product, the second installment delivers a sloppy and embarrassing spectacle.

A lack of care is immediately evident from the very first scene, where Andy (Theron) says she hasn't seen such bad art in over a century—making it seem like she’s talking about the movie itself rather than the decor around her. An action scene designed to set the tone, but instead reveals that what we’re in for are poorly executed fights: sluggish, badly edited, and more bombastic in intention than in choreography. Definitely not what you'd expect from a group of immortals who’ve had centuries to perfect the art of combat. The same goes for the screenplay—and, of course, the dialogue—which quickly sinks to rock bottom. The story revolves around Andromache losing her immortality and the return of her partner, who had been imprisoned and tortured underwater for five hundred years. That’s Quỳnh, played by Ngô Thanh Vân, who feels betrayed upon discovering that Andy never came to save her and just went on living her eternal life undisturbed. This should make The Old Guard 2 a film about comebacks and revenge, about guilt and facing the consequences of one’s choices. But there’s not even a hint of the emotional weight such themes deserve, no trace of tension—only characters who talk about it, without the story ever showing it on screen.

A cast of characters—none of whom are worth getting attached to—is further expanded with the arrival of the very first immortal, Discordia. For this role, Netflix enlists Uma Thurman, who connects so deeply with her character that she ends up feeling completely out of place within the shallowness surrounding her. Her wasted potential becomes painfully clear in the final showdown with Charlize Theron—a moment that should have thrilled anyone eager to see two such legendary women of cinema go head-to-head. What could have been an epic confrontation ends up feeling hollow and meaningless when compared to the mythos that The Old Guard was trying to build. And so, the sequel ends with a cliffhanger and the promise of a return that it’s hard to imagine anyone actually longing for. Who knows—maybe we’ll forget about this Netflix title all over again. And maybe, at this point, that’s exactly what the platform should be hoping for.