Immortals, betrayals and a rushed plot: 'The Old Guard 2' struggles to match the original
Henry Golding as Tuah, Luca Marinelli as Nicky, Marwan Kenzari as Joe, Charlize Theron as Andy and KiKi Layne as Nile in 'The Old Guard 2'.
Image: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025
Five years after the release of “The Old Guard”, which was penned by Greg Rucka and based on his comic book series of the same name, the sequel has arrived on Netflix.
This time around, Rucka shares the writing credits with Sarah L. Walker, and it is directed by Victoria Mahoney, an actress steadily planting her feet as a film-maker.
Fans of the original had mixed feelings about the new film, despite it featuring the original cast of Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngô and Chiwetel Ejiofor, with Henry Golding and Uma Thurman adding an interesting twist to the dynamics.
This time around, the storyline is anchored to the past when Quỳnh (Ngô), an immortal who has been imprisoned in a device on the ocean bed for 500 years, is rescued.
Meanwhile, Andy (Theron) leads a mission to recover a weapons cache from a compound in Split. It isn’t an easy one, but Joe (Kenzari), Nicky (Marinelli), Nile (Layne) and James Copley (Ejiofor) manage to pull through it as always.
But their focus shifts to finding Booker (Schoenaerts), who has been kidnapped by Quỳnh. It isn’t long before they realise there is a bigger move at play with Discord (Thurman), the first immortal and a menacing arms dealer, who has a book containing information on the immortals.
Nile is key to Discord's plans, as her ability to take away someone’s immortality as the last immortal benefits her.
Uma Thurman as Discord in 'The Old Guard 2'.
Image: Courtesy of Netflix © 2025
The sequel unpacks a past friendship gone awry as the battle to protect humanity is challenged. And so the battle lines are drawn as Discord and Andy, who have lost their immortality, face off, with Andy’s team falling into Discord’s well-orchestrated trap.
The ending hints at a third instalment coming.
True to the blueprint of the first movie, it is an action-packed affair, where loyalty and trust underpin the unfolding chaos.
The film's primary weakness lies in its rushed narrative, which makes it difficult for viewers to follow the plot or engage more deeply with the story.
However, this won’t deter fans of the franchise or the cast, including Theron.
Rating: ** significant flaws but some merit.