A lot of movies flew under the radar during the Lockdown Era.
Given that movie theaters saw little to no traffic during much of 2020, people spent most of that year numbing themselves with a constant stream of reality TV and easily digestible Netflix movies. Some of these movies – or “content,” as Netflix had begun calling them, in a sign of the end times – stood out. See: Extraction, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Hillbilly Elegy. Others, like the all but forgotten Project Power, disappeared into Netflix purgatory, buried as they were by the algorithm and the allure of Love is Blind. In fact, I wouldn’t even be mentioning Project Power (a decent superhero flick starring Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt), if YouTube hadn’t suggested a clip from it to me today.
However, Netflix seems to have acknowledged the fans who were clamoring for a sequel to another one of its Lockdown Era movies. The Old Guard, a solid non-Marvel superhero movie that follows a team of immortal warriors, will finally get a sequel on July 2. Here are some reasons why the first Old Guard is worth another watch before then.
The Old Guard isn’t based on some obscure D-List Marvel team who flew to Mars with the Avengers once. The characters in The Old Guard don’t even have traditional superhero powers. They’re simply immortal beings with regenerative abilities who fight evil across time and space. Ok, maybe that sounds a little Marvel-ous. But the concept is quite Marvel-less, in fact: It’s pulled from the Old Guard graphic novels created by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. Plus, the movie’s absence of CGI-heavy powers like interdimensional wheel blades (or whatever you call those Dr. Strange things) allows for traditional heart-pounding action to take center stage. Charlize Theron, as Andy of Scythia, is a total badass in this.
If you’re tired of Marvel’s neverending barrage of easy comic relief, then The Old Guard is a breath of fresh air. These heroes are as world-weary as the immortal vampires of True Blood (and just as gay, but more on that later). They often don’t see their ability to heal as a gift; rather, it’s a burden. Helplessly, they watch as their mortal loved ones die and as humankind repeats its same mistakes from centuries prior. There are no cringey extended dance-offs featuring Star-Lord.
Netflix
Theron as Andy is perfection, delivering a steely yet vulnerable action performance on par with her turns in Fury Road and Atomic Blonde. But the multiethnic cast around her is also incredible. KiKi Layne as Nile and Marwan Kenzari as Joe are both standouts; and as a bonus, Kenzari plays one half of the movie’s central same sex romance. Meanwhile, Marvel’s idea of queer representation is to have a rainbow flag in the back corner of a two-second-long establishing shot.
Gina Prince-Bythewood directed the first Old Guard into a solid success. Drawing upon her experience helming character dramas like Love & Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees, she fashioned the superheroes of The Old Guard into compelling and relatable personalities. It’s easy to get attached to these characters, making the stakes in the movie feel real. Meanwhile, The Old Guard 2 was directed by Victoria Mahoney, another more-than-capable moviemaker who has cut her teeth on acclaimed series like Lovecraft Country and The Morning Show. All of this seems to bode well for another solid, character-driven entry into the Old Guard canon.
Netflix
Released well into Covid lockdowns, the first Old Guard harbored a wizened love for humanity that resonated with weary viewers. Its characters tried to save humankind even as humankind committed horrific atrocities. Andy and her crew believed, despite everything, that goodness would win out in the end. But they also grappled with philosophical questions of liberty and personal responsibility – how could they steer the future of a species that overwhelmingly resisted change? It’s a question that the most politically attuned of us have asked ourselves since January 2025 – and possibly for longer. In that sense, The Old Guard 2 has come at the perfect time.
Given that movie theaters saw little to no traffic during much of 2020, people spent most of that year numbing themselves with a constant stream of reality TV and easily digestible Netflix movies. Some of these movies – or “content,” as Netflix had begun calling them, in a sign of the end times – stood out. See: Extraction, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Hillbilly Elegy. Others, like the all but forgotten Project Power, disappeared into Netflix purgatory, buried as they were by the algorithm and the allure of Love is Blind. In fact, I wouldn’t even be mentioning Project Power (a decent superhero flick starring Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt), if YouTube hadn’t suggested a clip from it to me today.
However, Netflix seems to have acknowledged the fans who were clamoring for a sequel to another one of its Lockdown Era movies. The Old Guard, a solid non-Marvel superhero movie that follows a team of immortal warriors, will finally get a sequel on July 2. Here are some reasons why the first Old Guard is worth another watch before then.
1. It’s Marvel-less
The Old Guard isn’t based on some obscure D-List Marvel team who flew to Mars with the Avengers once. The characters in The Old Guard don’t even have traditional superhero powers. They’re simply immortal beings with regenerative abilities who fight evil across time and space. Ok, maybe that sounds a little Marvel-ous. But the concept is quite Marvel-less, in fact: It’s pulled from the Old Guard graphic novels created by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. Plus, the movie’s absence of CGI-heavy powers like interdimensional wheel blades (or whatever you call those Dr. Strange things) allows for traditional heart-pounding action to take center stage. Charlize Theron, as Andy of Scythia, is a total badass in this.
2. Psychological realism
If you’re tired of Marvel’s neverending barrage of easy comic relief, then The Old Guard is a breath of fresh air. These heroes are as world-weary as the immortal vampires of True Blood (and just as gay, but more on that later). They often don’t see their ability to heal as a gift; rather, it’s a burden. Helplessly, they watch as their mortal loved ones die and as humankind repeats its same mistakes from centuries prior. There are no cringey extended dance-offs featuring Star-Lord.
3. The diverse cast of characters
Netflix
Theron as Andy is perfection, delivering a steely yet vulnerable action performance on par with her turns in Fury Road and Atomic Blonde. But the multiethnic cast around her is also incredible. KiKi Layne as Nile and Marwan Kenzari as Joe are both standouts; and as a bonus, Kenzari plays one half of the movie’s central same sex romance. Meanwhile, Marvel’s idea of queer representation is to have a rainbow flag in the back corner of a two-second-long establishing shot.
4. New directions
Gina Prince-Bythewood directed the first Old Guard into a solid success. Drawing upon her experience helming character dramas like Love & Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees, she fashioned the superheroes of The Old Guard into compelling and relatable personalities. It’s easy to get attached to these characters, making the stakes in the movie feel real. Meanwhile, The Old Guard 2 was directed by Victoria Mahoney, another more-than-capable moviemaker who has cut her teeth on acclaimed series like Lovecraft Country and The Morning Show. All of this seems to bode well for another solid, character-driven entry into the Old Guard canon.
5. Hope for humanity
Netflix
Released well into Covid lockdowns, the first Old Guard harbored a wizened love for humanity that resonated with weary viewers. Its characters tried to save humankind even as humankind committed horrific atrocities. Andy and her crew believed, despite everything, that goodness would win out in the end. But they also grappled with philosophical questions of liberty and personal responsibility – how could they steer the future of a species that overwhelmingly resisted change? It’s a question that the most politically attuned of us have asked ourselves since January 2025 – and possibly for longer. In that sense, The Old Guard 2 has come at the perfect time.