Netflix has had mixed results with comic book adaptations in 2020, following up the huge success of Extraction with the massive 0% dud that was The Last Days of American Crime.
Enter The Old Guard.
Based on Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez's comic book of the same name, it follows a group of soldiers unable to die who, over the centuries, have protected the world from various threats.
With the always-brilliant Charlize Theron in the lead, The Old Guard proves to be the comic book movie to beat in 2020 – and it could even teach Marvel and DC a thing or two.
The Old Guard starts with Andy (Charlize Theron) reuniting with Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) for their first job together in over a year.
Andy is sceptical as the contact, Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), is someone they've worked with before and they "don't do repeats" – and it soon turns out that Andy was right to be worried.
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The team is betrayed on the mission and are faced with their extraordinary abilities being exposed by those who seek to replicate their power and profit from it, putting their freedom and futures at risk.
Together with new team member Nile (KiKi Layne), the group face a battle for survival that they haven't faced in centuries.
Although The Old Guard is an origin story of sorts, it manages to avoid the usual traps by telling its own satisfying story that doesn't just feel like set-up for a potential sequel.
Through KiKi Layne's Nile, we're introduced to the group's unique world with Nile learning their ways and shared histories as we do. This fleshes out the group and characters, allowing the movie to tell its main story of the group's battle for survival without the need for endless exposition.
It's a grown-up comic book world too, not a family-friendly Marvel one. The movie doesn't hold back on the gore when it comes to the fights or the group's constant injuries, while the backstories to the characters get extremely dark at times.
One crucial factor that Greg Rucka – who also wrote the comic book – brings to these immortal soldiers is that they're not *technically* immortal (we won't go into details here).
It adds a real danger to the stylish action scenes where some comic book movies falter because their characters are unbeatable. Here, the thrills aren't just delivered by the slick choreography, but also the fact that the characters are putting their lives on the line.
The real draw for The Old Guard though is in the terrific casting, led by Charlize Theron's excellent turn as Andy, worn down by millennia of seeing the same old shit and just wanting it to be over.
After a beautiful performance in If Beale Street Could Talk, KiKi Layne is just as at home with an action movie as she gets the best lines, with Nile struggling to come to understand her new place in the world before coming into her own as a vital team member in the final third.
As well as the diverse cast, The Old Guard needs to be applauded for genuine inclusion at a time when Marvel movies and other blockbusters have struggled. In Joe and Nicky, there's a genuine, well-rounded and fleshed-out gay relationship that isn't just a token gesture.
Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli share an endearing chemistry as Joe and Nicky, with Kenzari delivering a beautiful speech talking about their relationship that's as much of a crowdpleaser as Andy taking out a room of baddies.
It's a shame that the villain in the movie isn't anywhere near as thought out. Harry Melling, AKA Harry Potter's Dudley Dursley, has fun chewing the scenery as Merrick, but it feels like he's acting in a different movie.
There's some juicy morality discussions to be had about whether it's right or not for the few to suffer for the greater good. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't really bring a fresh aspect to it, leaving Merrick feeling like your classic money-hungry evil scientist, and little more.
That's a relatively minor frustration when there's so much else to enjoy though in the rich world that Rucka and director Gina Prince-Bythewood have created. It's a world you'll want to return to, filled with characters you'll want to spend more time with.
With an exciting sequel set-up in a credits scene, there's every chance that there will be a sequel if The Old Guard is a deserved hit on Netflix.
It might be called The Old Guard, but it feels fresh to us.
The Old Guard is available to watch now on Netflix.
Netflix/Left Bank Pictures The Crown season 3 with Amazon exclusive box artwork
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
