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Parents' Guide to

The Old Guard

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Smart female-led action saga has heart; violence, language.

Movie R 2020 118 minutes
The Old Guard Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 12 parent reviews

Autumn S.
Autumn S. Adult
April 10, 2022
age 18+

Pretty Pathetic - Too many loose ends

This movie is just terrible. Every scene was so implausible and not because of the fact that they are immortal. You end up questioning every scene. For instance, if they wanted to change the world, why didn’t they assume some kind of power? Start companies, invest, or something? Research, science, technology for positive advancement? I mean they don’t know that what they do, saving lives has grandiose consequences, so…?… Just fighting for 1000’s of years? Weird. Why not try something else as well at least. Then there’s the initial fight between the 2 main characters. Why are they physically fighting at that point? There’s no reason to. The one character did not have to go with the other. She said to come with her if she wants answers. She gave her a choice. And how could people who have been around so long not have infinite backup plans and connections? I would go on, but would hate to give the movie completely away. It is just boring really. And those that say there is violence, really not as much as you would think, although certainly violent. The ‘evil’ characters are so cliché. The corporate bigwig willing to do anything, immoral or not. Finally, I don’t care who you are or how great your relationship is, after eternity together it is not going to be ALL roses. But, they sure act like it. It is just a bit over the top that they are like newlyweds and yet have been together since the crusades. If they were more like ‘The Honeymooners’, “to the moon Alice!”, that would make more sense. Skip this one. Maybe Theron just needed the $, because wow was this bad. Some language, but not overly so. Decent fighting scenes that are way too short. Nothing overly sexual either. No nudity. Just lots of self indulgent dialogue.
1 person found this helpful.
ameliam10
ameliam10 Adult
August 11, 2020
age 16+

Fantastic film, amazing role models!

I loved this film from the beginning till the end. It may be the best film I have seen in many years! Beautifully scripted, action packed, and most importantly, fantastic role models, especially the amazingly strong and resourceful female lead. It is ethnically diverse too, and has positive same-sex couple representation, as well. It is nice knowing it is easily available on Netflix, too. It is however worth noting that a few scenes in this film may be upsetting for some, but most of the film isn't this way (also, I've seen so much worse in films of this type!) Anyways, to me, The Old Guard is a definite must-watch! I wish more films were like it.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE OLD GUARD, a masterfully skilled, courageous team of immortal warriors agree to a dangerous rescue in modern day. Unfortunately, once Andy (Charlize Theron), Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Nicky (Luca Marinelli), and Joe (Marwan Kenzari) arrive in South Sudan to liberate schoolchildren held hostage, they discover their task was a ruse. They've been set up by Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a man who identified himself as a highly placed security agent when he sought their help. The team narrowly escapes but is now aware of imminent danger. At the same time, their extraordinary senses let them know that another immortal has appeared on earth, the first in more than 200 years. Nile (KiKi Layne), a U.S. Marine serving in Afghanistan, must be extracted from her military base and made a part of their small band. At first, Nile is confused, horrified, and disbelieving, but ultimately the team of four becomes five. Their mission now is to find Copley and determine how their immortality was detected and stop those who have made them targets.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (24 ):

Dazzling action, an intriguing story, and talented actors make this female-driven adventure well worth the time; the writing and some thought-provoking notions about immortality make it special. Gina Prince-Bythewood, now the first Black woman to direct a big-budget actioner, delivers on both grand and intimate scales. The device of introducing a novice who needs to be schooled in the whys, wheres, and hows of the characters' origins works wonderfully well; the audience absorbs the backstory along with the newbie. And, though The Old Guard is based on a series of graphic novels, it's played with straightforward honesty and intimacy, not the often tongue-in-cheek tone of most comic book superhero tales.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in The Old Guard. What emotions does the brutality evoke? Is it exciting or horrifying, or both? How does the fact that two of the movie's action heroes (Andy and Nile) are skilled and successful women change existing female stereotypes? Why is it important to understand how the violence in the film may impact kids?

  • Pick one of the members of The Old Guard team. What valuable character strengths (i.e., perseverance, courage, integrity) does that team member have? Then, pick one of those strengths and show why it was important to her or to him.

  • The final scene of this movie, along with other carefully integrated hints, lets the audience know that there will be a sequel to The Old Guard. What were some of those clues? Would you want to see more stories about The Old Guard? Why or why not? What can you expect to see next time? How do you think companies decide whether or not to create a sequel or sequels?

  • The Old Guard's tagline is: "Forever is harder than it looks." How does the movie explain this statement?

Movie Details

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