The Old Guard 2 (2025) Dir: Victoria Mahoney

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Victoria Mahoney's sequel to Gina Prince-Bythewood's action-heavy 2020 Netflix original, based upon the graphic novels by Greg Rucka, looked set to build upon the foundations of its predecessor, despite said-first film not exciting me too much when I watched it. Despite neither film having rave reviews, I still found myself somewhat eager to see what would happen this time around.

I must confess, the action sequences looked very artificial. This is a very particular issue I find in some action films where the fighting looks so clearly staged and so predictably choreographed that it becomes impossible to enjoy it. I don't always mind highly choreographed action sequences; 'John Wick' and 'The Raid' come to mind as effective examples, but this film was nowhere near the level of those examples - it wasn't even on the same planet.

The story felt incredibly rushed. It almost felt like Greg Rucka, who was adapting his own source material, couldn't wait to get the film to its climax. None of the character arcs had any time to breathe, which is a massive shame considering that there were actually several very compelling dynamics that could, and really should, have played out. Furthermore, the film then blindsides its audience with an insanely frustrating, unsatisfying, and quite frankly random, cliffhanger ending. Considering that, as of yet, there is no confirmation of a third film, this was extremely annoying.

Charlize Theron had another strong showing in her starring role, and continued to be one of the best aspects of this budding franchise. Her emotional range in this second film in particular was really enjoyable to see, especially when interacting with Veronica Ngo, who finally got to show what she was about in full force. Ngo gave a decent display in her own right, but still lacked the screentime to fully flesh out her fascinating character. I also felt that her role was diminished by the presence of the other antagonistic figure in the film, who completely overshadowed her in the end.

Kiki Layne finally got to show some genuinely interesting qualities with her character, but could still do with a little more time to bring her character to its engaging peak - that third film better get made. Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli once again hinted at being a power couple for the ages, with some wonderful scenes early on, only to be shafted into the forgotten side character roles for a second time in a row by about two thirds in.

Matthias Schoenaerts had some decent scenes in the second half of the film, albeit the writing of his character could've been better. Meanwhile, the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Henry Golding struggled to make a significant impact amongst an admittedly sizable cast of faces.

Finally, I was immensely disappointed by the lack of screentime given to Uma Thurman, given how much the audience was told to care about her existence and what she was there to do. Thurman herself was fine, but I feel like her character will only really come into her own in the potential third film, if it ends up happening.

Overall, this was another mixed affair, that left me frustrated at what I was given. The film had so much potential, particularly in regards to its character relationships, and yet failed to capitalise on any of them. It needed more time, it needed more concise writing, and it needed a much stronger climactic scene. This was so clearly the middle film in a trilogy, which, while somewhat understandable, made for a pretty unsatisfactory viewing experience.