Is Charlize Theron Kickstarting a New Action Franchise? ‘The Old Guard’ Review

Former ‘Atomic Blonde’ star, Charlize Theron, is at it again as she leads a group of highly skilled immortal warriors into battle in ‘The Old Guard,’ streaming on Netflix from July 10.

‘The Old Guard‘

Theron plays Andromache (or Andy for short) the Scythian, a nuclear brunette and centuries-old warrior. She’s steadily growing weary of fighting to retain some good in the world, which seems not to be working. She’s the leader of a tight-knit group of dedicated and skilled immortal mercenaries that include Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and Joe (Marwan Kenzari), a gay couple, and Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), a member since 1817.

The quartet can recover from gunshot wounds – or any wounds for that matter – within minutes. However, pain is constant. Meanwhile, Nile Freeman (Kiki Layne), a U.S. Marine, freaks out when she is killed in combat, and then rises almost immediately to kill off the guy who slit her throat. Nile has no idea why she’s still alive and among the living. Andy, recognizing a fellow quick-healing combatant, quickly recruits the youngster for the team.

Should We Expect a Franchise?

That’s the layout of ‘The Old Guard.’ It is the kind of action movie that many viewers and critics believe wants to very badly engender a franchise. But does the film have enough juice to spawn sequels? No one knows yet; however, no one doubts that this supposed summer blockbuster did well by filling the pandemic bill for entertainment with something extra.

Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Director Shines

What makes ‘The Old Guard’ shines so far is an asset only a handful of movie-lovers would consider: director Gina Prince-Bythewood. She is best known for the 2000 hit ‘Love and Basketball’ based on her adolescent hoop dreams. The film is one of the most successful ever directed by a black woman.

Prince-Bythewood also showed her directorial skill in ‘The Secret Life of Bees’ and ‘Beyond the Lights,’ which starred Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a singer fighting the sexualization that accompanies pop stardom. However, nothing in these movies prepared anyone for the ferocity the director brings to ‘The Old Guard.’

But that is not all; the director shows her panache with the personal interactions that keep viewers emotionally involved in the game.

Theron Shows Her Talent

Theron is an A-list actress that has shown her unmatched talent in bringing deep dimensions to action in ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ as Furiosa. In ‘The Old Guard,’ the toll of living forever begins to tell on Andy, who had to take a year off to rejuvenate before unwilling return to battle. The action afterwards is something no one should miss.

Wrapping Up

Prince-Bythewood may have successfully suffused ‘The Old Guard’ with a touch or two of melancholy, as reflected in the cinematography of Barry Ackroyd and Tami Reiker. But fans of all-the-time, all-adrenaline action movies may also be a bit turned off by this infusion. The musical references even move right from explosive percussion down to the ruminative beauty of ‘Godspeed’ by Frank Ocean.

The climax of ‘The Old Guard’ builds more toward a sequel than character construction. But it is one movie you will love.