The Old Guard (2020)

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Stars: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts
Runtime:125 minutes

Synopsis: A covert team of immortal mercenaries are suddenly exposed and must now fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered.

Performances: 5/10
Screenplay: 3/10
Editing: 5/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 5/10
Entertainment Factor: 4/10

Verdict: The only reason I decided to give this movie a shot is Charlize Theron's recent work in action-themed projects. "Fury Road" is arguably one of the best films made in the current century that fall in that particular genre and "Atomic Blonde", while not being as spectacular, did provide us with a bunch of extremely satisfyingly choreographed fight scenes. "The Old Guard", unfortunately, falls in an entirely different category than the two previously mentioned flicks.

It's the type of movie that feels more like an extension of an idea deemed innovative by the writers. The gimmick here is that Theron's character, alongside four other individuals, are immortal mercenaries who have been fighting for centuries for different causes. But once this concept is revealed, the film never really expands on it in an intriguing way and instead goes for the same formulaic, repetitive, predictable narrative we've seen time and time again. It tries way too hard to be cool and, as a result, comes off as cringe-worthy instead. The bad CGI and awkward song choices were also an unwelcome distraction to a film that despite containing a couple of fun action scenes, completely lost me halfway through it.

"The Old Guard" was not good, but it's also not the worst thing you can put on if you're in the mood for a by-the-books action film in which the antagonist is played by the same actor who portrays Dudley in the Harry Potter franchise (he looks unrecognizable!). It may not be exactly my thing but I can still see it satisfying a certain demographic.

FINAL GRADE: 4/10