There's something quietly ironic about The Old Guard 2. A film about immortals, yet it barely lives.
Five years after the explosive debut of the first Old Guard—one of Netflix's most-watched original films ever—the franchise is back. And back with muscle: Charlize Theron still slicing through enemies like a battle-hardened Valkyrie, Uma Thurman entering the arena as a sleek new villain, and director Victoria Mahoney turning fight choreography into near-ballet. The sequel is out now, streaming on Netflix as of June 28, 2025, and on paper, it should work.
But then… it doesn't. Not really.
What's the Point of Living Forever if Your Story's Dead?
Let's start here: the action is fun. Theron, KiKi Layne, and the rest of the immortal squad—Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Vân Veronica Ngô—bring energy to every beatdown. Mahoney has a painter's eye for violence, staging combat across rain-slick cobblestones, candlelit monasteries, and golden Moroccan deserts. For fans of kinetic carnage, there's plenty to chew on.
But that's the problem. We're chewing, not savoring. No one walks away full.
The plot—if we can call it that—stumbles between global skirmishes and tired lore drops. Andy (Theron), now grappling with her fading immortality, reunites with her crew to battle a threat we've barely come to understand. Uma Thurman's “Discord” is introduced with a chilly whisper but never develops past “stylish menace.” And Henry Golding? A glorified sidekick with a mysterious past the film hints at but never unpacks.
It's like setting up chess pieces for a match you won't play until 2030.
Critics Are Divided, But Most Shrugged
MovieWeb's Julian Roman praised the visual scale but called out the film's “predictable narrative” and “underwhelming villain.” Over at IGN, Eric Goldman offered 5/10, bluntly stating the film “isn't as fun or engaging as the first.” Meanwhile, Collider's Shawn Van Horn just went for the jugular: “Utterly lifeless.” Ouch.
There were some defenders. Katey Stoetzel at InBetweenDrafts admitted the flaws but found it “a fun and emotional ride.” David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called it “better-than-average” and appreciated the introspective tone.
But even the praise feels conditional. Like we're all trying to be polite at a party that peaked an hour ago.
The Weight of Expectations—and Immortality
The first Old Guard felt different. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, it injected heart into a genre often lost in CGI sludge. There was grief, legacy, and the aching burden of outliving everyone you love. The Old Guard 2 tries to pick that up… but fumbles. It feels more like an extended middle chapter than a film with something to say.
That's not inherently bad—Empire Strikes Back was a middle chapter too—but here, the setup is clumsy. The emotional beats don't land. Booker's redemption arc limps. Quỳnh's thirst for vengeance feels half-hearted. Nile still feels like a visitor in a world she supposedly belongs to.
Worse, the film ends not with catharsis, but with a sigh. We're clearly being ushered into The Old Guard 3 (no date announced yet), and that's the real issue: this isn't a sequel, it's a bridge. A gorgeous, blood-soaked, beautifully acted bridge to something… maybe.
Final Shot
I wanted to love this. I really did. Theron's still got it. The cast oozes chemistry. There are moments—a quiet stare, a brutal twist—that hint at something deeper.
But in a story about living forever, The Old Guard 2 forgets to live in the now. It's cinematic purgatory: not bad enough to hate, not good enough to recommend. Just… waiting.
And we've already waited five years.
