Netflix's OLD GUARD starring Charlize Theron (2020) 1 1

[Bosco685]

Forever is harder than it looks. Led by a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron), a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it’s up to Andy and Nile (Kiki Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (LOVE & BASKETBALL, BEYOND THE LIGHTS), THE OLD GUARD is a gritty, grounded, action-packed story that shows living forever is harder than it looks. Coming to Netflix on July 10. 

 

 

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

Quote

Now that critics are raving about The Old Guard, will Netflix will move forward with The Old Guard 2? Here's everything we expect moving forward.

 

Now that critics are raving about The Old Guard, will Netflix will move forward with The Old Guard 2? The action thriller centers on a team of seemingly immortal warriors who change the course of world history by protecting humanity. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Old Guard released in July 2020.

 

The Old Guard is based on the eponymous graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. Charlize Theron stars as Andromache of Scythia ("Andy"), the leader and oldest member of the titular group. The film adaption follows her attempts to save and protect U.S. Marine Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne), who is killed in action but then comes back to life. Because The Old Guard has the ability to connect with peers through dreams, they're able to identify Nile and educate her about their mission. The big twist, however, is that members of The Old Guard aren't technically immortal. The Netflix film co-stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, and Luca Marinelli.

 

The final act of The Old Guard features Andy and company squaring off against a pharma CEO named Derrick (Harry Melling). Meanwhile, former CIA agent Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) tries to weather the storm, as he knows how valuable The Old Guard can be to modern society. In the narrative background lurks an ancient warrior named Quynh (Veronica Ngo), who has literally been trapped in an underwater coffin for 500 years (and plays a role in a final act reveal). If The Old Guard 2 appears on Netflix, it will likely continue these plot threads.

 

[piper]

That was a lot of fun!

[Bosco685]

9 hours ago, piper said:

That was a lot of fun!

Saw it last night, and had a great time with this one. That one brutal realization about one of the original immortals was so intense...

Spoiler

Dying and coming back to life repeatedly through drowning each time was one heck of a wild way to demonstrate how their ability could backfire on them. 

And that ending lining up a sequel was quite a surprise. 

[1Cool]

Saw it last night and it was good.  Little draggy in the middle but the end was good enough for a good rating.  The healing special effect was well done.

[Bosco685]

Quote

Anybody who has been following the development of Silver & Black knows that it has not been smooth sailing for Sony. The film has gone through multiple rewrites and delays and isn't even called Silver & Black anymore, as the studio decided to give Black Cat and Silver Sable their own solo movies. While the two spin-offs spun around in development hell, Prince-Bythewood decided to helm another comic book movie: The Old Guard.

 

In a recent interview with Indiewire, Prince-Bythewood explained how stepping away from the Black Cat and Silver Sable movies gave her the opportunity to direct The Old Guard. The director explained that after working on a large-scale superhero movie like Silver & Black for a year and a half, she was able to transfer a lot of that experience over to The Old Guard. Prince-Bythewood also indicated she might have not even gotten a shot at directing The Old Guard if it weren't for Silver & Black, saying:

 

"Silver & Black put me in the conversation. I was one of those couple of women people go to for these big films. I knew what kind of movies Skydance make. It was exhilarating and nerve-racking. I knew I loved this project, partly because I could do everything I wanted to do from the other film: an edgy superhero film with two women.”

 

While some fans may be disappointed that Prince-Bythewood went with The Old Guard over a Spider-Verse movie, the work she put into Silver & Black really did seem to benefit the Netflix film. The Old Guard has generally gotten positive reviews, with the action sequences from Charlize Theron and the way Prince-Bythewood handled the adaption being some of the highlights of the movie. The Old Guard could even get a sequel given the way the movie ended, and since writer Greg Rucka has plans for an Old Guard trilogy.

 

[Bosco685]

 

[Hollywood1892]

Didn't mind it, but could have evolved the Asian girls storyline a bit more, alot of unanswered questions that a cameo in the end doesn't answer. Good movie, don't get me wrong, but either it was a team of writers or one writer who didn't know what direction they were headed in....

[Bosco685]

1 minute ago, Hollywood1892 said:

Didn't mind it, but could have evolved the Asian girls storyline a bit more, alot of unanswered questions that a cameo in the end doesn't answer. Good movie, don't get me wrong, but either it was a team of writers or one writer who didn't know what direction they were headed in....

 The end scene was leading into a sequel. Kind of like a credits scene that another studio uses to tease a future film. 

[Hollywood1892]

1 minute ago, Bosco685 said:

 The end scene was leading into a sequel. Kind of like a credits scene that another studio uses to tease a future film. 

I know...but you have to wanna watch a sequel first

[Comicopolis]

I enjoyed it - it needed more character development. Some of the character actions seemed designed to move the plot along but were somewhat questionable.

The scene at the end was obviously coming as soon as that character was mentioned.

Still - Greg Rucka is on a small screen roll with this and the excellent Stumptown.

[Bosco685]

17 minutes ago, Hollywood1892 said:

I know...but you have to wanna watch a sequel first

How could 72 Million viewers be wrong? 

Quote

“The Old Guard,” starring Charlize Theron, has made Netflix’s list of its 10 most popular original films ever and is tracking to reach 72 million households in its first four weeks.

 

Netflix also said Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black female director on the top 10 list. The streaming giant, which announced the milestone Friday, only provides viewer numbers for selected programs, and the numbers cannot be independently verified.

 

 

“The Old Guard,” which began streaming on July 10, also stars KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Harry Melling, Van Veronica Ngo and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The story, based on Greg Rucka’s comic of the same name, follows a team of immortal mercenaries on a revenge mission.

 

Netflix picked up worldwide rights to the film early last year and agreed to finance it with Skydance Media. In addition to starring, Theron produced with Beth Kono, A.J. Dix, Marc Evans and Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger. Filming began in May, 2019, and took place in Morocco, the United Kingdom and at Shepperton Studios in England

 

[Bosco685]

56 minutes ago, Comicopolis said:

I enjoyed it - it needed more character development. Some of the character actions seemed designed to move the plot along but were somewhat questionable.

The scene at the end was obviously coming as soon as that character was mentioned.

Still - Greg Rucka is on a small screen roll with this and the excellent Stumptown.

I didn't realize that was Greg Rucka's creation.

One confusing character design was their immortality had frequency limitations. Yet with Quynh's situation over hundreds of years, wouldn't she have been deceased?

[Hollywood1892]

2 hours ago, Bosco685 said:

How could 72 Million viewers be wrong? 

 

True

[Capn17]

Wife and I just finished watching this.  Overall, thought it was very well done.  Would very much be interested in watching a sequel to this.  Thought all the characters were great.  Truly hated Merrick.  

[gadzukes]

I guess I am in the minority here.  I thought it was just so so.  I'm glad I saw it, (something to watch during a pandemic) but when I saw them set up the sequel at the end I didn't get excited at all.

[Xenosmilus]

On 7/18/2020 at 11:54 AM, Bosco685 said:

How could 72 Million viewers be wrong? 

People watch Eurovision, American Ideal and Real House Wives etc so You can’t always base things on numbers 😂. I watched it solely because there was nothing else on. I stopped and started it 3 times to get through it.. It was Highlander meets Wolverine is all I could think of while watching it. I mean it was OK I guess but nothing to write home about. It probably got so many views because there is not a lot of new media available.  

Edited July 20, 2020 by Xenosmilus

[Beige]

Good stuff - all action.

Pretty nasty way to spend 500 years under the sea...... sequel beckons.

Action by the numbers, you don't have to think too hard, and an enjoyable way to spend 2 hours.

7.5 / 10

[Bosco685]

4 hours ago, Xenosmilus said:

People watch Eurovision, American Ideal and Real House Wives etc so You can’t always base things on numbers 😂. I watched it solely because there was nothing else on. I stopped and started it 3 times to get through it.. It was Highlander meets Wolverine is all I could think of while watching it. I mean it was OK I guess but nothing to write home about. It probably got so many views because there is not a lot of new media available.  

Perry Mason

Warrior Nun

Snowpiercer

The Great

Cursed

Penny Dreadful: City of Angeles

Brave New World

I Know This Much Is True

Stargirl

Hightown

Mythic Quest

Da 5 Bloods

You could be right. Nothing new. What a drought. You forgot 'Even the Transformers get a lot of theater visits: that don't make them good' argument.