70
Metascore
45 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandDespite the familiarity, The Old Guard manages to be both very grounded and very entertaining, a marriage of expectations and twists unlike little else the genre has inspired even during its most fruitful times.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyWhat makes this gripping graphic novel adaptation so distinctive is the trust it places in its audience to stay glued through the quiet, character-building interludes threaded among excitingly varied fight scenes that crescendo in an expertly choreographed showdown.
- 70IGNJoshua YehlIGNJoshua YehlThe story opens the door to a fascinating mythology of ancient warriors and immortality, although things get a little clunky when it comes time to explain how it all works. Still, The Old Guard is well worth watching if you’ve got an itch for something new.
- 70Screen RantMolly FreemanScreen RantMolly FreemanWhat The Old Guard lacks in well-paced, tightly plotted story, it more than makes up for with compelling characters and slick, thrilling fight scenes.
- 63USA TodayBrian TruittUSA TodayBrian TruittOld Guard feels fresher as a high-minded treatise on mortality and loss than a superhero-y franchise-starter.
- 50Slant MagazineChris BarsantiSlant MagazineChris BarsantiThough it smartly prioritizes the bond of relationships over action, the film is in the end only somewhat convincing on both counts.
- 50SlashfilmChris EvangelistaSlashfilmChris EvangelistaUnfortunately, whenever the action stops, The Old Guard sags, with emotional moments that never really land, and big dramatic scenes that lack any genuine drama.
- 40The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThe adjective in the title is right. It gets old pretty quickly.
- 40EmpireJames DyerEmpireJames DyerDespite some solid action beats and a story that skips from Sudan to Afghanistan, Paris and, finally, Guildford, The Old Guard is a trite revenge/conspiracy yarn, clumsily told (“That woman has forgotten more ways to kill than entire armies will ever learn”), and squanders a potentially engaging conceit.
- 40Total FilmKevin HarleyTotal FilmKevin HarleyEven an axe-swinging Charlize Theron struggles to wallop much life – endless or otherwise - into Gina Prince-Bythewood’s comic-book riff, a derivative fantasy-actioner so laggy it puts you right off immortality.