Thought I'd through a positive comment into the mix.
A lot of the feedback here makes reference to The Old Guard in action movie terms, as though that's all that it is. Yes, this does have action in it, but I never once thought of it as an "action movie", or a "blockbuster" in the typical sense, and directly comparing it to a film like "Extraction" is redundant, as they are fundamentally different animals.
When I think of the film I don't imagine an action sequence. I think of Joe and Nicky in the scene where they're in the back of a van, and how effectively the dialogue in that scene conveyed who these two men were, and the weight and breadth of their love, and the history that stretched out behind them.
The characters are what make this film special, and it is the Characters that set this story apart.
==When you're dealing with immortals, the action is never the point. ==
It's everything else that goes along with it. And sure, Immortals are a fun trope we've all seen before. But when couched in purely action terms they're also boring, because how can there be tension in a fight when the one person is invulnerable?
The Old Guard handles this really well, and because their invulnerability can end without warning, there was a nice element of suspense to the action scenes, and a part of your brain was always worried that this was the moment they might not wake up and regenerate. Having that seed of doubt, and knowing there are actual stakes to the events always makes a story infinitely more engaging.
Personally I though the whole film was entertaining and well made - the production, fights scenes, and performances were all excellent, and it wrapped up it's own individual story arc rather neatly. Sure, a tv series would have been ideal, but the film did a really good job, and felt compact and self contained.And so what if they set up a sequel at the end? Nothing was left "unfinished".
I'm 100% there for a sequel. But even if there isn't one, I certainly won't feel like the story has been abruptly cut off, and I still really enjoyed The Old Guard on it's own merits. 8/10
Review by ZiggiBlockedParent2020-07-16T12:44:18Z
Thought I'd through a positive comment into the mix.
A lot of the feedback here makes reference to The Old Guard in action movie terms, as though that's all that it is. Yes, this does have action in it, but I never once thought of it as an "action movie", or a "blockbuster" in the typical sense, and directly comparing it to a film like "Extraction" is redundant, as they are fundamentally different animals.
When I think of the film I don't imagine an action sequence. I think of Joe and Nicky in the scene where they're in the back of a van, and how effectively the dialogue in that scene conveyed who these two men were, and the weight and breadth of their love, and the history that stretched out behind them.
The characters are what make this film special, and it is the Characters that set this story apart.
==When you're dealing with immortals, the action is never the point. ==
It's everything else that goes along with it. And sure, Immortals are a fun trope we've all seen before. But when couched in purely action terms they're also boring, because how can there be tension in a fight when the one person is invulnerable?
The Old Guard handles this really well, and because their invulnerability can end without warning, there was a nice element of suspense to the action scenes, and a part of your brain was always worried that this was the moment they might not wake up and regenerate. Having that seed of doubt, and knowing there are actual stakes to the events always makes a story infinitely more engaging.
Personally I though the whole film was entertaining and well made - the production, fights scenes, and performances were all excellent, and it wrapped up it's own individual story arc rather neatly. Sure, a tv series would have been ideal, but the film did a really good job, and felt compact and self contained.And so what if they set up a sequel at the end? Nothing was left "unfinished".
I'm 100% there for a sequel. But even if there isn't one, I certainly won't feel like the story has been abruptly cut off, and I still really enjoyed The Old Guard on it's own merits. 8/10