The Old Guard 2 (2025) (film review).
The second story of ‘The Old Guard’ adds another level. Andy (actress Charlize Theron) wasn’t the first immortal. That honour belongs to Discord (actress Uma Thurman) and she has finally found Andy’s former partner, Quynh (actress Veronica Ngo), who for the past 500 years has been trapped in a metal box at the bottom of the ocean. She’s also a little bit angry with her former partner. Discord uses this to make her target Andy’s team, especially Booker (actor Matthias Schoenaerts), who had been kicked out for betraying the team in the first story.
It is also discovered that if Nile Freeman (actress Kiki Layne) injures another immortal then she also robs them of their immortality, which explains how Andy became human toward the end of the first film. Discord plans to use her to kill Andy’s team. What else is explained but makes little sense is that an immortal can forfeit this ability and restore a former immortal’s long life. Then again, if you remember the ‘Highlander’ films and TV series franchise, being ‘The One’ didn’t make much sense either.
Anyway, Discord, Quynh and their human team take over a nuclear base and, knowing it’s a trap, Andy’s team go in to retake it. From here on, anything I say would be a spoiler. However, what I can say is there is an opening at the end for a third film. ‘The Old Guard 2’ is very much the middle film, or the first of a two-parter, and the next part isn’t released yet.
The pace of the film when it moves into action is unrelenting. Seeing the long list of credits, you wouldn’t think it needs that many effects crew, but I suspect the number is more about getting the film finished on schedule than the number of effects. We can no doubt work that out when the third film is completed. I doubt they would leave the story at this point.
As I briefly pointed out above, the logic of their immortality and who is endowed with it becomes very grey. One can only hope there is some sense to this in the third film.
GF Willmetts
September 2026
(pub: 2025 Productions, 2025. 1 blu-ray disk 105 minute film. Price: varies. ASIN: LG-D5307)
