Jude Anthany Joseph's third feature, after Ohm Shanti Oshana and Oru Muthassi Gadha, released on Prime Video at midnight today. This seemingly feel-good film, also seemingly made in limited spaces and with a shoestring budget, tackles a concept and issue never tested before in Malayalam cinema circles. In Sara'S, we follow the life of Sara Vincent (Anna Ben), a young, bubbly, yet unapologetic filmmaker who struggles to make it big in the industry. She continuously assists male directors and is in the scripting works of her dream film. Sara has decided, from her school days, that she would not bear any kids. This is when she meets Jeevan (Sunny Wayne); her relationship with him subsequently brings her ideology and decision into a confrontation with the established norms of society, family and child-rearing. Anna Ben in Sara'S The best aspect in which Sara'S has excelled, without doubt, is its hard-hitting taut script. Debutant Akshay Hareesh deserves praise for managin
Gina Prince-Bythewood's latest outing, The Old Guard, found its digital release on the OTT platform, Netflix. Adapted from the comic book of the same name by Greg Rucka, who also penned the screenplay, The Old Guard follows the adventures of a globetrotting team of immortal mercenaries, led by the mythical Andromache of Scythia, played by Charlize Theron. The film also starred KiKi Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts and others. Here is our review on the fantasy superhero film.
The Old Guard narrates the exploits of a team of immortal assassins, most of whom who have fought in and been witnesses to historic wars and battles. Leading them is Andromache of Scythia, inspired from the mythological character, called Andy for the majority of the film. Instead of treating their trait of immortality as a gift, these mercenaries often consider it incarceration. They only find satisfaction and fulfillment by using their powers to save the world and prevent conflicts. The team comes across a new potential prospect, in the form of US Marine Nile Freeman, who has just recently discovered her ability. As Freeman learns about her powers and adjusts herself to her new "unbreakable" life, the team faces an adversary in the form of pharmaceutical baron Steven Merrick (Harry Melling), who hunts the globetrotting team down with the help of CIA operative James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), in order to decode the reason for their immortality for his own vested interests, by any means possible.
To call The Old Guard a refreshingly novel take on the comic book cinema canon would be an overstatement; but to dismiss it as just another cliched superhero trope would be to undermine the ambitiously-made film. Bythewood has attempted to provide a rather a sombre and melancholic depiction of these characters gifted with extraordinary powers, traits which only occupy second place as Bythewood and scriptwriter Rucka lay emphasis on the characters themselves and how they deal with their unique abilities. Much of the narrative revolves around these characters pondering upon their messed up lives, a deviation from the usual trope itself as their powers here are seen as a source of despair and entrapment. Theron's Andy is repeatedly seen regretting the loss of her partner in combat, Quynh, played by Van Veronica Ngo, who was sent in an iron maiden to the bottom of the sea, where she would drown for eternity. The other characters, including Freeman, lament the losses they have endured as a subsequent result of their abilities, and it is this dark and rather existential outlook on the superhero ethos, previously seen in 2017's Logan, that makes The Old Guard a relatively refreshing take on the genre. However, that only partially compensates the fault that this film is replete with worn-out tiring cliches, frequently seen in other movies of the superhero and action genre.
The action sequences in The Old Guard are, luckily, executed with such panache that it excites us as we watch this captivating yet cliche-laden affair. The well-choreographed sequences are not too many, but definitely excel in their class and quality. Whether it be the music that accompanies these set pieces or the camera movements that sway effortlessly between its subjects, the action set pieces are the major stand out in this film.
Theron has often succeeded in impressing viewers with her dominant lead characters in action-heavy, stylish films like The Old Guard, such as Mad Max:Fury Road and Atomic Blonde. She performs in the the same exemplary charm we witnessed in the aforementioned films. In The Old Guard, Theron effectively brings to screen the travails, sorrows and sufferings of the century-old mercenary and is absolutely effortless in the film's stunning action sequences. The other members in the cast such as Layne and Schoenaerts deliver to their fullest, although at times, it seemed the script didn't provide the other artistes enough space to deliver memorable performances, a malady often found in action films that capitalize on its set pieces and forget their characters. I also wish I had seen more of Ejiofor's character in the film, given the brilliant actor the man is.
As a superhero action film, The Old Guard is a worthy start that has the potential to spawn a franchise of such high-octane, action packed flicks, which, hopefully, improves on narrative aspects. In a nutshell, The Old Guard has enough firepower to kick start its own cinematic canon.
With its remarkably pulled-off action sequences laced with a standout performance by Charlize Theron, The Old Guard will not disappoint avid viewers of the action genre. Even though it thematically sets an interesting precedent for movies of the genre with its dark and sombre ambience accentuated by its melancholic characters, The Old Guard fails to set a higher bar due to its lacklustre, run-of-the-mill storyline.
Reviewer©rating: 3 stars
MPAA rating: R (for sequences of graphic violence and language)
Run time: 125 minute
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