The Old Guard 2: A Sequel That Forgot Why We Cared

Rating: 6/10 ⭐️

Watching The Old Guard 2, one thought kept nagging at me: why should I care about any of this? The novelty of the first film—the weight of immortality and centuries of pain—has been replaced by a bland, recycled version of itself. The lore feels hollow, stripped of the emotional weight and depth that once made these characters compelling. Within 15 minutes, I could already see where it was heading: Andy would regain her immortality and reunite with Quỳnh.

Uma Thurman’s villain, Discord, also felt restrained and underwritten. On paper, she should have been a formidable adversary capable of challenging the Old Guard in meaningful ways. Instead, she’s wasted in a convoluted plot that never justifies her presence. As the final act unfolded, I couldn’t help but laugh at how obvious the setup for the next movie was. Andy and Quỳnh will surely lead the charge to rescue their team, defeat Discord, and ride off into some immortality-laden bliss. Predictable to the very end.

Yet even with all these flaws, I wouldn’t go so far as to call The Old Guard 2 a terrible film. There are flashes of what made the original work—moments of camaraderie and a few decent action beats—but they’re too few and far between. In the end, it’s a sequel that completely loses sight of why we ever cared about these immortal warriors. It’s passable as background noise while scrolling on your phone. For that reason, it’s a 6/10 from me: not bad enough to hate, but certainly not good enough to remember.