Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and based on the comic book of the same name, The Old Guard follows four mercenaries who are secretly immortals and have lived through many centuries, forced to live alone and avoid relationships in order to protect their secret. But when they come across another immortal like themselves they soon realize someone might be on to their secret, and they soon engage in a fight for freedom and survival.
Now I don’t really know much of the source material itself except that it was a comic series published by Image Comics, who you may know as the main publishers for the Spawn comics and is the third largest comic book company in the industry. With the two giants of the comic book industry, Marvel and DC, dominating TV and film, it makes sense that Image Comics and other companies would have a go at it. However there has been very little success in the film adaptations some of these companies have had in recent years, due to either trying too hard to match with their larger rivals without understanding what made them successful in the first place, or just getting really inept directors and/or writers to helm their properties.
Thankfully, though, this was not one of those cases, because this was a very enjoyable film.
I enjoyed it a lot actually. Charlize Theron is easily the best part, delivering very strong action sequences that she did herself, as well as giving a dedicated performance of an indivi
dual who is dealing with a lot of internal struggle. Her character believed that she and her team could make the world better in their long lasting lives, but she realizes that no matter how many jobs they have taken and no matter who they have helped in the past, the world isn’t getting any better.
But even with that shred of doubt and the need to remain secretive she still finds it in herself to do the right thing despite the risks. And despite her humorlessly cold personality, she is haunted by her past and the power she has possessed, and wonders when it might end. It really establishes how the gift of immortality can be both a benefit and curse, not just for her but for all of them.
The film really gives a lot of effort to make you care about these characters, despite them being seemingly invincible, and I really appreciate that. You understand their struggles and their fears based on past experiences and the danger that can occur if they are not careful.
And the performances are great across the board for the main characters, including Nile as played by Kiki Layne. Nile is our guide to understanding these characters and how immortality in this world works and I really liked her progression in the overall narrative. She feels scared by this power she has been granted, and others look upon her as if she is some freak of nature, which was heartbreaking to see and you feel attached to her.
Despite getting attached to these characters and understanding their individual struggles with their immortality, you can’t help wanting more. There is a very interesting concept that is set here that is definitely explored, but maybe not explored fully all the way. I get that the filmmakers obviously wanted to retain the gritty tone they are setting, which I do like, but at the same time it wouldn’t have hurt to maybe push the boundaries a little bit in order to explore more of how immortality works in this world.
The story itself is good, and while I can’t say for sure if it’s accurate to the comics, I think fans will probably enjoy the story too, especially since one of the original comic writers was involved.
It does however fall under certain tropes we have seen before in other action/fantasy films at times, especially with the main villain and what he wants from the immortals, so it can be a bit predictable. However if it was a part of the original source material then I can forgive it, plus it really isn’t annoying to the point where it ruins everything else in the film. This is not a groundbreaking story by any means but it does its job well under the direction of Gina Prince-Bythewood, and has some good themes too.
The cinematography for the most part is really good, especially with some shots replicating panels of a comic book, which is a nice style choice that you don’t see too often in comic book films these days. I especially love any shots that feature all four characters on screen in alignment, emphasizing how strong they are as a team and how close they are to each other.
Where the cinematography kind of falters is with some of the action. Now the action is absolutely awesome and you can tell there was a lot of effort put into the stunt work, and it definitely makes for perhaps one of my top favorite action films of the year so far. It’s brutal and fun, but the way it is filmed, at least in certain scenes, doesn’t allow you to fully embrace the awesomeness being displayed on screen.
You get really good fights that are shown in full glory, like the plane scene, and then you get other scenes that look great but are hard to really get a full grasp of, since some cuts might be too close to the action, making it hard to enjoy to the full extent. The great thing, though, is that this film uses a lot more practical work and barely uses digital effects, except for the healing segments. Serious props to the crew for executing a comic book film that doesn’t rely heavily on CGI, which is a rare find these days.
The soundtrack is good but I would have preferred more of an original score than various songs.
Overall this isn’t a perfect comic book film but it is very enjoyable and has a lot of potential to be an awesome film series, especially since the ending has opened up the possibility of a sequel. It has great performances, a great premise with unique themes, and excellent, brutal action, all worth the watch. I’m going to give The Old Guard an A-.
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