The Old Guard 2 Critique

Andi, leader of the Immortals, hasn’t told her time that she has lost her own immortality. Andi meets Quynh, an old friend who had been trapped in an iron box at the bottom of the ocean. The betrayal Quynh feels drives the plot.

 

******SPOILERS******

 

Fights
 
The fight choreography was just as great as the first film. Each sequence was unique, too, having a completely different feel each time.
 
Andi and Quynh fight in the narrow gap between a wall and a parked truck.

    It was amazing: the choreographer planned it so that the fighters took up, and used, the entire space. Despite the small, restrictive dimensions, it was fully dynamic. Most fights only happen at width and depth yet this one took advantage of height, too.

    Andi flips Quynh. Instead of falling on the ground, Quynh continues the 360 degrees of the spin, planting her foot higher up the truck before rotating the rest of her body to be head up. By this point, she’s effectively perched above Andi.
    There’s a certain pose that assassins and thieves take when they’re against the ceiling. The one with their arms and legs spread to either side to brace against the walls, lying horizontally flat. Quynh takes this pose above Andi.
 
In the mansion, a lot of clever things happen.
    Andi sweeps her leg out, unbalancing the baddie. As she swivels, she points her sword backwards so that it stabs the baddie.
    Andi stabs someone then kicks the glass table towards him. The guy loses his balance and smashes through the glass; the stand is around the edge of the table, not the centre, meaning the guy is stuck in a small circle that’s folded him in half.
 
The guys also have good fight scenes.
    An Immortal pins down a knife-wielder to the floor. The Immortal moves the stabber’s hand so the stabber stabs himself in the head.  
    Nicolo points his sword at an enemy. From behind this enemy, Yusuf kicks the enemy forward, stabbing them all the way to the hilt.
 
 
Humour
 
Nicolo and Yusuf acted as the comic relief.
    One Immortal has his thumb cut off. He balances it on the stump then uses this to do a thumbs up.
    Nicolo is hanging onto the outside of the car as it races along. It’s only later that we see that foot has snapped/broke, now bouncing around as they zoom along the road. It was so grim but so funny.
    Nicolo and Yusuf decide to steal the cars, driving away to draw the guards out of the mansion. You’d think they’d get in cars and get away as soon as they can. But no: instead they fight over who steals the sexiest car. Such a realistic detail.
 
 
Positives
 
Several good decisions were made in all things Andi.
    In the first scene, there are quite a few references to Andi having lost her immortality. As it’s been five years since the previous film, it was useful to have this detail firmly established in the mind of the audience, considering it’s an important plot point.
    Andi brings Tuah to meet everyone: she’s kept this Immortal hidden from the others. Nicolo says, “A lie of omission is still a lie.” Yusef looks very uncomfortable. (Not a surprise, considering Nicolo caught Yusuf seeing the exiled Booker without telling Nicolo. Another ‘lie’ of omission.)
    In their fight, Quynh takes back the necklace she had given to Andi all those years ago. The hurt on Andi’s face is so expressive. Imagine, a necklace reminding you of the friend you’ve lost gets taken by that same friend, ending the relationship in one swipe.
 
There’s a lady, Quynh, in an iron box that was dumped into the sea. There were holes over her mouth and eyes, meaning seawater had been drowning her for hundreds of years.
    Quynh is upset that Andi wasn’t also in an iron box. Surely she’d be grateful a loved one wasn’t suffering in the same way?
    Quynh was also mad that Andi didn’t rescue her. Um, how could she? Quynh knew the technology at the time couldn’t have saved her, and she had no idea what technology would be in the future. So how can she be mad at someone for doing something that, as far as she knew, was impossible?
    However, constantly drowning over and over again for hundreds of years would be torture. Water boarding is bad enough, so this? Despicable. Of course her thought patterns had changed! Of course she felt abandoned by Andi, and felt jealous of Andi’s freedom. Quynh might be an Immortal but she’s still human! She suffers and thinks and feels in the same way.
 
Booker wanting to die didn’t feel believable. It was, however, handled well with plenty of creativity. (The idea was poor but the execution was perfect.)
    Tuah tells Booker his theory. If the Last Immortal (Nile) stabs another Immortal, that one loses their immortality. After all, Andi lost her immortality only when Nile stabbed her. So Booker decides to join Nile’s knife fight, getting deliberately hurt. He doesn’t heal, proving Tuah’s theory.
    Booker gives his immortality to Andi, saying she has a purpose. Plus, he clearly wants to protect her; making her Immortal again keeps her safe from harm and death.
(However, he is focused on his expiration date as a separate issue from this. If this were removed, leaving it at giving Andi immortality for her safety, everything would have been more believable.)
    After giving Andi his immortality, Booker locks her behind a door so that he can take on many guards without her. Considering Andi’s Immortal again, it’s not like she needs protecting. However, nothing visual indicated that a transfer happened: maybe Booker wasn’t sure it worked, so he was just focused on her safety.
    (Booker wanting to give Andi immortality again was believable. But his focus on his expiration date, as a separate issue from this? That made it seem unbelievable. But just wanting to protect Andi is reason enough. A simple fix.)
 
 
Visuals
 
There were three images that impressed me. The first two were simple but the third was intelligently done.
    Tuah has a library. Its carvings are absolutely gorgeous, rife with detail and making full use of the three spatial dimensions.
    Wearing her hair in a high bun, Quynh has a tight braid down the back of her skull, from the bun to her hairline.
    Andi walks through the streets. As she walks, it’s like she’s going back in time, considering the style of the market and the clothes/hair of the people. As her memories go back in time, we see her Immortal friends in past situations. It finishes on a medieval Quynh before returning to the present, a modern Quynh standing in the exact same position.
 
Some visuals weren’t pretty but they were impactful.
    The Immortals are frozen with liquid nitrogen before being put in body bags, having all the air sucked out to make them vacuum wrapped. That’s something I never expected to see happen to a person.
    The mansion has gaudy gold and bright blue decorations. It was so hideous. But it accurately shows how rich people show off their wealth, choosing gaudy tackiness over beauty.
 
 
Queries about Discord
 
These weren’t problems, as such. Rather, a few things were included that didn’t have enough explanation to make complete sense.
 
We see Discord, the very first Immortal, light a candle. Her hand shakes as she does this. As an Immortal, she should be self-healing, in which case her shakes should be sorted. So, is she dying? Is she no longer Immortal?
    Later, Discord reveals she indeed is no longer Immortal. How did this happen? We find out in this film someone loses immortality if they are stabbed by the Last Immortal. Nile hasn’t stabbed Discord, meaning Discord should still be Immortal, thus creating a problem.
    But, the reason behind Andi losing her immortality at the end of the first film wasn’t revealed until this film. Perhaps the next film will reveal another way Immortals lose their self-healing? It’s a mystery but it’s a mystery that’s likely to be revealed.
 
There was another thing about Discord that made me raise my eyebrows (metaphorically, of course).
    Discord tells Nile, the Last Immortal, that Andi plays god with humanity. Later, when Quynh says that she wants ‘everyone to suffer’, Discord says, “That, I can help you with.”
So… she’s going to play god with Qyunh after complaining Andi does this? This seems like an inconsistency.
    One could say it is Discord consistently telling people what they want to hear. After Quynh later realises Discord played her. This suggests Discord’s words are to further her own aims, giving credence to the idea that Discord tells people what they want.
 
 
 
This was a good sequel. It brought the best parts of the first film (particularly the choreography) and amplified its quality. Usually, I’m hit-and-miss with film sequels. Usually, I’m ignoring action films. But this? I’m thoroughly impressed.