← Back to Directory
The Old Guard 2
Movie

The Old Guard 2

2025 • Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Woke Score
6
out of 10

Plot

Andy leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.

Overall Series Review

The second installment of the immortal mercenary story is a messy and underdeveloped effort that critics found confusingly plotted and focused more on emotional lore than cohesive action. The team of diverse, centuries-old warriors, led by Andy (Charlize Theron), confronts the re-emergence of two powerful, ancient female immortals: the long-imprisoned Quỳnh and the humanity-hating Discord. The main conflict involves chasing forbidden knowledge and battling threats that manifest as global corporate elites and arms dealers, which requires the diverse team to manage their fractured relationships. The narrative centers on powerful women in both protagonist and antagonist roles. The film expands the established world by adding more lore and new characters, yet it fails to use its ensemble cast effectively, ending with a frustrating cliffhanger.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics8/10

The core team is intentionally hyper-diverse, featuring a Black female ex-Marine, a Black male human ally, a Middle Eastern and Italian gay male couple, and an Asian male chronicler alongside the white female lead. The plot is explicitly framed around contemporary systemic issues, with the heroes fighting against 'shadowy elites' and Big Pharma interests, fulfilling the 'systemic oppression' narrative.

Oikophobia6/10

The ancient immortal team safeguards humanity from itself, which means continually fighting against the corruption of modern institutions such as arms dealers and 'black ops nuclear facilities'. The plot is noted to contain 'lectures on inequality,' framing global and presumably Western corporate power structures as fundamentally malign. The immortal nature of the protagonists partially detaches the narrative from any specific national heritage.

Feminism8/10

The most powerful figures, both hero and villain, are female, including the central leader Andy, the newest immortal Nile, the vengeful Quỳnh, and the ultimate antagonist Discord. The story focuses heavily on the complex relationships and 'centuries of hurt' shared among these dominant female characters. Female leads are portrayed as the most capable warriors and leaders, embodying the 'Girl Boss' archetype, with no focus on domesticity or motherhood.

LGBTQ+7/10

The gay male couple, Joe and Nicky, are a returning, normalized, and integral part of the immortal 'found family' unit. The film is praised by some commentators for normalizing the lives of queer characters and allowing them to simply exist in an action setting without stereotyping. The permanent presence of a gay couple at the heart of the action deconstructs the expectation of the traditional nuclear family structure as the central unit.

Anti-Theism2/10

The conflict is secular, focusing on mythology, ancient 'lore,' and the existential burden of immortality rather than a specific divine or anti-religious struggle. The moral framework is subjective, based on the immortals' self-appointed mission to 'safeguard humanity' from secular threats. There is no direct vilification of traditional religion or Christian figures in the central plot points.