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The summer of 2020 has definitely been an unusual one for movie lovers—a summer without superheroes on IMAX screens. So we’ve had to find our summer entertainment in new places—like in the graphic novel inspired Netflix thriller The Old Guard. And, as it turns out, that’s not such a terrible thing.
The Old Guard stars Charlize Theron as Andy, the head of a small army of immortal mercenaries who travel the world to take on important missions that no one else can handle. After millennia of trying to make the world a better place, Andy is frustrated to see that it only seems to be getting worse. Just as she’s ready to give up, though, the secrets that they’ve worked so hard to protect are exposed just as a new member joins their ranks. And they have to work together as a team to try to keep their powers hidden.
While Andy and her team may not be Marvel superheroes—complete with super-slick superpowers—what they lack in big-budget polish they make up in grit. They can take a bullet…or a whole lot of bullets…or a grenade…and get back up again. They’re smart, they’re passionate, and they don’t pull any punches. And they’re led by one tough heroine.
Theron’s Andy is a strong character who also gets some pretty awesome action sequences—and that makes her a whole lot of fun to watch. But she’s not just another brainless action hero. She’s seen a lot throughout her incredibly long life. She cares deeply, and she’s so very tired. And that gives the film its drama and its heart.
And, really, there’s something remarkable about this movie that goes beyond its characters’ inability to die. It’s the diversity of those characters. While most big summer movies feature a bunch of handsome, muscular tough guys who save the world while the female characters generally look on from the background, The Old Guard is led by one tough woman who can take down an entire room full of armed men without breaking a sweat. She fights alongside two men who met and fell in love while trying to kill each other during the crusades, a young black woman who was (up until recently) a US Marine, and, well, one handsome, muscular tough guy. And the amazing thing about this whole crazy summer is that our lack of big theater releases and the growing variety offered by streaming services means that movies like this one with characters like these get a well-deserved higher profile. And I look forward to seeing what that means for the industry as it (eventually) moves forward.
The Old Guard isn’t a Marvel movie, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a small-screen summer thriller that’s worthy of a dark living room, a large bag of microwave popcorn, and some oversized drinks on a Friday night.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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