By now, anyone who has a Netflix account (or borrowed one, as a lot of people do) has probably seen the Charlize Theron movie The Old Guard. It was such a hit that they are considering making a sequel to this one. As someone who saw it on the first week it came out, I can vouch for the fact that people enjoyed it so much that there was so much word of mouth going on that everyone else decided to go and see it, making it one of the most successful original films from Netflix.
The Old Guard is based on a comic book of the same title. It is about a group of immortals who have become for-hire mercenaries who were blindsided by a former CIA agent to become experimented on by a pharmaceutical boss who wants to find out the secret to their immortality. What they do not know is that while these immortals heal themselves and live long lives, these lives have their limits. Andy, the leader of the group and the oldest one of them all, experienced this herself when she finds that she has stopped healing.
I love the back story of people who realize that they are immortal when they heal themselves and never die. Seeing them in different times in history and the weariness they feel for having to continue to live through the years brings the point home that people wanting to live forever is not as appealing an idea as they think. Not being able to connect with other people because of the knowledge that these people will die and they will continue living is just one of the things that makes that long life painful for them. Having to be solitary or at least in their own group of immortals for the rest of their lives must be exhausting eventually.
The highlights of this movie would have to be the fight sequences. You can tell that the actors have trained for this because the way they moved made it seem that they have been doing it together forever (pun intended). The action sequences were shot so well and made everything exciting to watch. At some point near the end of the movie I wanted more action because they were so good you really cannot help but want to see more.
Charlize Theron is such an inspiration. She is in her 40s and she is showing people that just because women are older that does not mean they should be counted out. I remember when I was younger that people seemed to think that women in their 40s had only motherly roles for them in movies and TV. Or that women could not do much more at that age and that it was all downhill from there. While she has never backed away from similar roles, seeing her still do it at her age is like an affirmation that we women do not go downhill in our 40s, we still have so much more to offer.
There has been a lot of talk about a sequel for this movie, given that the ending gave an opportunity for more to the story with the return of Andy’s close friend Quynh, who they thought they had lost forever. Personally, I would love to see more of their back story. More of their story in the past. If only Charlize Theron would agree to a series, that whole life in the past would make for a good TV series.
With the pandemic going on I know it would be too hopeful to expect a sequel soon, but I would love to see it when it comes out. Hopefully with more action and interesting casting (Harry Melling, who played Dudley in the Harry Potter movies, was cast as the pharma boss in this one) in the next one too.
No comments
Post a Comment