Movie Review: The Old Guard

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A highly enjoyable but flawed Netflix action movie.

This film centers around a team that can heal themselves and use their powers for good. The two main characters of the group (Charlize Theron, Kiki Lane) are easily the most interesting. Andy (Charlize Theron) while not the most developed action movie hero is full of that coolness that attracts us to such characters. Much of this is due to the sheer charisma Theron brings to the role. If Andy brings this movie its coolness than Nile (Kiki Lane) is the character that brings the film it humanity. As the new recruit and the one who is learning (along with us) what she is capable of and the responsibility that brings, she is the one we relate and feel the most for. The character is a very real and human person that unlike the rest of the team wears her humanity on her sleeve. This type of character is the type that can fully pull us into a fantasy world like this and make us believe it and she does a wonderful job of this. On the other hand the rest of the team is rather bland and uninteresting. They really only have a few little traits that don't make full and believable personalities or very interesting ones. Whenever the movie focuses on one of these characters, it feels like it comes to a complete halt. The actors do their best with what they are given but there is no way to make the rest of the team interesting. Of course this is something most of us are familiar with when it comes to superhero movies. There is never enough time in a single movie to make a whole team of characters interesting. The filmmakers have to give the stories focus to only a couple or one leaving the others very underdeveloped (Avengers films avoid this fault by having the character already established before teaming up).

This is an action movie and the action is excellent. This is the fast paced, violent (but never offputtingly so) and intense action that fans of these types of films love. The story itself is often fair standard but effective. There is nothing that we haven't seen before story-wise, but that doesn't stop it from being involving, fun and occasionally thought provoking. True you often know where this film is heading but it is still well told despite that.

This is nothing groundbreaking, but it gives its audiences just what they want from a movie like this and if you like action films, chances are you'll enjoy this one.

-Michael J. Ruhland