Five years after the original, a sequel to a surprise Netflix action film has finally been released.
The Old Guard 2 is now available for streaming from today (July 2). Despite the significant gap since the first instalment, the action picks up just a few months later.
According to the synopsis, Charlize Theron reprises her role as Andy, leading her team of immortal warriors with a renewed sense of purpose in their mission to protect the world.
With Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) still in exile following his betrayal, and Quynh (Veronica Ngô) seeking revenge after escaping her underwater prison, Andy must confront her newfound mortality as a mysterious threat emerges that could jeopardise everything she’s worked towards for thousands of years.
Andy, Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) seek the assistance of Tuah (Henry Golding), another forgotten immortal and old friend of Andy’s who may hold the key to unlocking the mystery behind their existence, reports the Irish Star.
Uma Thurman also stars as the dangerous Discord, a new deadly enemy for the squad. Netflix has promised that The Old Guard 2, based on the world created by Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernandez in the original comic books, will be an emotional, adrenaline-fuelled sequel.
However, early reviews suggest the sequel hasn’t quite matched up to what some deem one of Netflix’s top action hits. Although it has yet to accumulate enough critiques for a Rotten Tomatoes score, prospects look dim for it to reach the original’s 80% approval.
Disappointed viewers have taken to social media to voice their opinions. One bluntly remarked: “Old Guard 2 was so unnecessary! ! I slept through it.”
Another viewer expressed their letdown, posting: “I was so excited to watch this movie because it’s been like five years since I saw the last one. And I got to say, this movie doesn’t live up to the first movie. It just doesn’t have that…excitement or the magic that made the first one. As a sequel, it’s watchable one time. But other than that, at the end of the day, it’s just an average one-time watch movie.”
Echoing the sentiment, another advised skipping the sequel altogether and waiting for the anticipated third instalment, suggesting fans could simply read a summary of the second film instead.
A particular fan confessed they couldn’t finish the movie after noticing a continuity error. In the original, all immortals are supposed to dream about each other, but this detail seems forgotten in the sequel.
They critiqued: “I can’t even finish it, it is so very bad. the writing is much less fun, the acting is silly, why haven’t they dreamed about this oldest other immortal , overall it feels cheap compared to the first one.”
However, some fans were thrilled with the film. One viewer praised: “For something that has been halted from releasing for five years, this was awesome. The new immortality lore is convoluted, but the cast is incredible, the cinematography has improved since the first film, and the characterization laid out in the first film was followed through on. The action is fun, and I like that historical weapon use was still highlighted. I wish it hadn’t ended on such a crazy cliffhanger; it will probably be another five years until Netflix greenlights anything. A good movie, especially if you loved the first one.”
The Old Guard 2 is streaming on Netflix.