Greg Rucka adapted The Old Guard from his own graphic novel. There are a few decent zingers – “So are you good guys or bad guys?” Nile asks the team over dinner; “Depends on the century,” comes the reply – yet when the script stumbles, it lands right on its face. “There is not one good thing about any of this,” Nile stammers, coming dangerously close to echoing this writer’s sentiments about the dialogue exchanges.
Let’s talk about the plot holes, at least the glaring ones. How has Nile not noticed her regenerative abilities by now, especially considering her occupation? At what point do the immortals suddenly stop aging? How many more immortals are there, and if there are any, how come our ancient heroes dreamed specifically of Nile, only now? Are we supposed to believe that those century-old warriors, who faced off against friggin’ gladiators and Napoleon’s army, get so easily captured by a pencil-dick like Merrick? Perhaps some of the answers to those, and many more questions, lie in the clunky exposition, so pardon me for zoning out (“It’s a lot to understand,” a character tells Nile, in a case of gross underestimation).
“For those seeking something other than DC or Marvel clones, The Old Guard delivers… to a point.”
If you can get past all the aforementioned blemishes, as well as the grating musical choices (Marshmello ft. Khalid, anyone?), there are moments of inspiration to be found. I enjoyed the opening sequence, in which our heroes resurrect to wreak havoc upon the wicked. An airplane scuffle between Andy and Nile is well-choreographed. A hilarious snippet involves several armored soldiers separating two kissing men.
For those seeking something other than DC or Marvel clones, The Old Guard delivers… to a point. Maybe it’s time to do a complete makeover of the superhero genre – just look at TV shows like Doom Patrol or Watchmen for inspiration. They make the old feel new again.
"…Prince-Bythewood seems to have enjoyed filming the sequences of the two leads bantering the most"
