The Old Guard

I'll be making this review short as my weekend slips away and the Sunday scaries creep in. Not to mention this is my second of two reviews this weekend!

Anytime Netflix is able to nail down a film with a big star at its center, it's usually something that piques interest from the general public. While we've been in a pandemic, Netflix films have been setting records left and right (this one is no different) and part of me wonders how they'd be doing if theaters were actually open.

Either way, it's fairly easy to select the streaming site, sit on your couch, and watch away. It's just a shame that many of their recent attempts have been close to greatness, but still just "good". The Old Guard is another example of that - a film that had won me over by the end - but that is so far in the rear view of John Wick (or Atomic Blonde if you want a more aligned comparison) one wishes it had more talent behind the camera and in the editing room. 

The Old Guard is based on a graphic novel (I've never heard of it nor read it) about a group of soldiers that are immortal. They can outright die, but their body will repair itself Wolverine style and they're back at it. It's not necessarily a unique premise, but for some reason it feels "fresh" in The Old Guard, at least to a certain degree. We're "treated" to an early massacre of the group that reveals this power and from there the film definitely uses death/injury without consequence as a tactic. Because of the group's powers, a pharmaceutical company with a young, douchey CEO (played by Dudley Dursley himself!!) wants to capture them, run experiments, and create a drug that will make them a lot of money. There's no "grey" area here with the pharma company; they - especially the CEO - aren't out for saving lives. Just money! So they're the bad guys! Throughout the group's efforts to evade the company, they find a new soldier with powers and must strive to bring her into the fold. 

There's both a lot and not all that much going on in The Old Guard at any given time. I couldn't help but continuously feel like it was stuck between wanting to be a 6-8 episode TV show versus the 2+ hour film it turned out to be. And honestly? I think it would have worked better as a TV show with a little more room to breathe and you can almost guarantee that with Charlize Theron at its center, it would be one of Netflix's biggest shows right off the bat. There's lots of elements that make it feel TV-esque too. For starters, it has a tendency to want to choose very hip/current songs and play them very loudly over ill-fitting segments. I was fine with the music choice, but the editing and weaving the music into the film is so bad that it pulls you out every time. Additionally, you can tell there's some awesome choreography here but unfortunately the way it's captured/edited isn't all that great. It's not as atrocious as something like Tak3n for example (*shudders*), but again...it can't hold a candle to the John Wicks or Raids of the world. Part of the reason is because fight scenes feel rushed, again almost calling out for a bit of a TV approach. Where I'm glad it didn't follow in the footsteps of giving us so much action that it gets boring, there were fights that felt like a blink of an eye I wanted to continue. 

"We're clear. There's no Tom Hardy here."

A team of immortal John Wicks!
Not overpowered at all...

Luckily, aside from the only-adequate capturing of the action, it's violence is pretty great otherwise. The film doesn't shy away from the blood or gore all that much and you can tell there's definite inspiration here with the choreography. Between Atomic Blonde and Fury Road, Theron is probably going to get invited to the next Expendables feature, and at this point, I'd put my money on her. She's a bonafide action star now and is exciting to watch both kicking ass and we already know she's good dramatically. 

The rest of the film is something that eventually won me over too. I was unimpressed for the first 20 minutes or so, but somewhere along the line I really enjoyed the plot, our characters, and particularly the lore (as well as the action, obviously). The lore sets itself up for an immediate sequel that I'd easily watch, even if I still recommend it should be a TV show! 

What The Old Guard lacks in quality I found it frustratingly reserved in its potential - as is the case with many Netflix films. Part of me wishes this would have broken out of the "good" mold to give us "Damn that was f**king great!", but like so many films this year, I still had an enjoyable time with it. I'm guessing we'll get that sequel because it's doing so well, I just hope that more focus is put toward the quality and design choices (or even medium!) the next time around because this could be something special. The potential is there. 

CONS

• Action filming and editing isn't terrible, but it's not great either. It sits annoyingly in the "good" territory where you just wish it could have been A+
• Wowza is the music editing/layover horrible here. Very awkward despite some solid music choices
• Feels like it wanted to be a TV show and I think it could have pulled it off with the right talent behind the scenes. Could have added some more layers to the plot, the villain, the lore, etc.

PROS

• Charlize Theron in the lead is a big score and per usual, she kicks ass
• Pretty phenomenal choreography and brutal, violent action throughout - despite how it was edited down
• Good "intro" film to these soldiers. I appreciated the backstory and lore; it's what pushed me from merely watching the film to actively liking it
• Strong cast of characters. Outside of Theron, KiKi Layne is wonderful
• Sets up another film very deliberately, but in a way that I'll definitely be watching

Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10