The Old Guard 2 reviews: Charlize Theron’s return fails to rescue a messy sequel, say critics and fans

Charlize Theron is back with The Old Guard 2, but the first reviews aren’t so favourable. The sequel’s story kicks off when Quỳnh (Veronica Ngô) breaks free from her watery tomb at the ocean’s floor. She is angry, obviously. For centuries, she’s been trapped in a brutal cycle of drowning and reviving back to life every few minutes. She is seething with revenge and Quỳnh holds Andromache (Charlize Theron)  responsible for not rescuing her sooner, quite reasonably pointing out that she was stuck in a pretty small patch of ocean. Fueled by that anger, she joins forces with the villainous Discord (Uma Thurman), the oldest of the immortals, to seek her revenge.

Cue, an unending rollercoaster.

Critics, from The Guardian to Vulture, are split. They applaud the slick, stylized action scenes and the cast’s commitment—Theron still rules the screen with icy grace, and Matthias Schoenaerts brings brooding intensity. Thurman’s addition is a welcome jolt, injecting some much-needed sass and unpredictability. But then the script steps on a few landmines: convoluted plotting, a messy rush through character arcs, and a reliance on exposition-heavy dialogue that drags the story down. The emotional stakes feel muted compared to the first film’s heartfelt core, and the pacing sometimes stumbles, leaving viewers to piece together the plot like a jigsaw puzzle missing key pieces. “There’s a debilitating cheapness that keeps this picture from reaching its true potential. I have no idea what the budget was — for all I know, it could have been bigger than the original film’s — but it feels at times like we’re watching a mock-up of what a movie called The Old Guard 2 might look like,” reads the Vulture review.

IGN, nevertheless, praises Theron: “At the center of it all though, Theron once more proves just what a fantastic leading lady she is, even in a weaker film like this. She continually brings such gravitas and believability to Andy – who lost her immortality at the end of the first film and is now reeling from Quynh’s return – and makes the most of her character’s mixture of angst, inner strength, and impressive physical prowess,” writes the reviewer, calling the film ‘a much less engaging continuation’ from the previous film.

Users on Rotten Tomatoes, aren't pleased. One wrote, "Could've been made longer to explore the characters more and give depth to the storyline. This sequel was simply too short and was primarily just a build up to the next installment."

Another added, "The trailer was more exciting than the movie itself. Storyline and transitions were characteristic of a B-flick movie. Almost as if the actors in the movie needed a side hustle. I fell asleep midway only to wake up finding out there’s another sequel. Needless to say, Not at all excited for the next one."

So, while The Old Guard 2 delivers enough action and intrigue to keep franchise fans entertained, it falls short of recapturing the original’s magic and emotional resonance. It’s a flashy sequel that sets the table for a potential third round, but whether it will fully satisfy remains to be seen. In short: cool fight scenes and solid performances, tangled up in a story that tries to do too much, too fast.