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The Old Guard 2 Appreciation Thread

Because I want to celebrate the things that The Old Guard 2 did well and even improved upon The Old Guard. That and I'm tired of seeing the dump piling on of the second movie XD. Just a little something to balance things out.

Let's start with the title card comparison. I always love a good title card.

The first Old Guard title card does have a very bold appearance, but that's pretty much about it. I do appreciate its brightness, but TOG2's title card is amazing! There are cracks in the lettering indicating well-worn aging of the immortal characters. It looks like a chiseled stone carving as opposed to a computer font. That "A" formed by the traditional weapons of Andromache, Nile and Quynh is a very nice touch. It establishes pretty early on this movie is about these three women and how they're connected. Yes, a lot of things happen to Nile in this story that is outside of her control, but her place in immortal lore is just beginning. Give it some time to cook XD.

Next up: the cinematography is on point!

Cinematography is a pretty strong suit of The Old Guard movies, but it's more heightened in the second movie. I particularly love the last shot of Andy resigning to her temporary defeat as the 5 helicopters fly off in the distance while the sky dawns. The musical score hits peak tension and dread to highlight Andy at her lowest point is just chef's kiss.

Down Memory Lane - no notes. Camera movement perfect. Leitmotif perfect.

Character moments between Booker and Quynh:

I love this scene and their interaction once Quynh drops the tough guy act, and goes for the emotional jugular instead.

Who says there's no humor in TOG2. I mean it's dark and bleak but it's there. Poor Copley looks so uncomfortable here when the issue of betrayal was brought up again lol.

Then there's the heartbreaking goodbye conversation between Andy and Booker:

He's already made up his mind, and just wanted to say his goodbyes to Andy, unbeknownst to her at this point. There's much love between the two of them. Even though Booker is only 200+ years old, his level of grief matches that of Andy's and the two of them have always found some sort of camaraderie in that shared sense of loss.

Joe and Nicky: They're just destined to be together from the start, and some partnerships are just like that. When we hear of couples who have been together for 50, 60, 70 years who met each other in high school or even as far back as children, who just stayed together, overcoming challenges and sharing in each other's joy. You can't help but think that may be there's such a thing as a "red string of fate" or "in-yun" or "duyên nợ" at play.

That's all for now. There are other things I'd like to make an appreciation thread for, but they're a bit more specific to a particular character or the fight choreography for the second movie.

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I just watched the old guard 2

and idk if i understand the hate

like it could have been longer so it had opportunity to have more depth and like to know more about the newly introduced characters and to have more open conversations between the characters... but i dont think anything was hurt by not having that

and it was cruel to have the cliffhanger without the 3rd movie being fully confirmed but this was always meant to be a trilogy

and idk, i thought that we still saw some very meaningful glimpses into who the characters are. like in their interactions.

and watching everything Charlize Theron did was... well- you've seen her: hot.

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Me when I'm hanging out with my long-time married gay friends and for some inexplicable reason they're not actively making out to prove they're actually in love: You guys seem like just really good buddies :/ I don't know. :/ It just kind of seems like you're more like coworkers to each other now...

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I’m getting the urge to say some words for my girl Nile Freeman. A thought that’s been percolating for me since I watched tog2 was the fact that she does whatever she wants, and I don’t mean this in a shallow girlboss unstoppable way.

I mean that I love seeing all the instances where she is directly doing what everyone tells her not to. When they’re playing liar's dice (i think) about 12 minute into tog2, and everyone is telling her not to call it, she goes with her gut and calls it anyway.

On the plane in tog1 Andy tells her that her prayers are unheard, but Nile goes on praying. In the same scene, Andy tells her not to try and fight back, but Nile goes on to make two separate attempts to do so.

Also in tog1, while Andy is fighting off the swat team alone in the church, Nile is adamant that they should go help her, despite booker's assurances that "that's not the signal."

In tog2, when everyone is insisting that andy be left alone to go find quynh and be given space (34 min in), Nile just gives them this look, this "you idiot" look, and storms out after her, not taking no for an answer when Andy tries to stop her from coming along.

And its not just big things. Nile's agency and self confidence are kind of ever present in these movies. She decides to go home to see her family in tog1 because that's what she wants, and that's what feels right. She turns around to save Andy because she decided that was right too. She's the only one to go out and chat with booker right before his exile, and the only one who wants to let him off easy. She steers a boat into a building. She jumps a guy out of a skyscraper window. She's an icon. She is the moment.

But what I'm really getting at I think is that she really trusts herself. She trusts others as well, and she knows how to take orders. I mean hell she's a soldier, and she's good at it. But despite that ability, she always goes with her gut. I know if I were in her place, I wouldn't have the bravery to voice an opinion contradicting that of some guys hundreds of years older, who in a very literal sense have more experience, but she does it without a second thought.

It's not that the others see her as inferior, but they do sometimes see her as young, or maybe even naive in some circumstances, and Nile will take none of that as an excuse to put down her own judgement.

And you know what, she's damn right to consider herself their equal! It was a bluff. She should fight back against being kidnapped by a stranger on a plane. Andy did need company to go and find Quynh. Of course Nile isn't always right. She has gaps in her knowledge and she makes incorrect predictions sometimes, just like anyone, but I really love her confidence. It's one of the things that makes her character so empowering, I think.

Anyways 'nuff said, I just wanted to talk about Nile Freeman the baddie the legend the queen.

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The Old Guard 2- "discord"

I like that “discord” is not just the name of the new big antagonist, but a theme within the film and story itself. There is a tension and mistrust between multiple people, in the group, developing over the course of the movie. So really, discord is the main problem: Joe lies to Nicky, Nicky feels betrayed, Booker is back, but Nicky is unsure if he won’t betray and sell them out again (while Booker tries desperately to make up for his mistake), Quynh and Andy’s whole conflict and arc is about Andy abandoning her and now trying to reconcile while they both realise they have different goals and views on humanity, Nile is thrown into more myth and secrets and worry. The group does not work together as harmonious as they did before. The harmony has turned to discord. Them splitting up during the fight at the end is what causes the downfall and defeat.

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I need to express how I feel about The Old Guard movies. And how I feel is OBSESSED!

I had to rewatch the first movie before watching the second (cz honestly I didn't remember any specifics other than Joe's monologue when he was captured about how he feels about Nicky 🫶🏻).

But my GOD these are good movies!

The action sequences are on point, the mythology element is really interesting, the locations around the world are amazing and Charlize is just 👌🏼🔥

Also, am I the only one who loves how multicultural the cast is?! A South African, two Americans, a Dutch-Tunisian, an Italian, a Belgian, a Vietnamese, a Brit of Nigerian origin and a Brit of Malaysian origin.

Assuming there will be a third movie (i meaaan, after that cliffhanger, how can there NOT be?), some of the few things I would wanna see are:

More mythological or historical flashbacks with the immortals (think Legends of Tomorrow, how in the earlier seasons, we would see the Legends intervene in real historical events)

Some confirmation hopefully of the romantic relationship between Andy and Quynh. I know we already have LGBTQ representation in these movies but you can’t have Andy looking like THAT and not have her be queer!

More insight on Tuah and his knowledge/research on the immortals e.g. how they came into existence etc.

More Italian from Nicky and Joe. And more foreign languages in general

More travel to new countries (perhaps Greece?)

The additional of a new character perhaps with an amazing casting choice?

This is just me but… perhaps no mullet on Andy? 🙈 I’m sorry! I’m just not a fan, personally. I much preferred her hair in the first movie. But to each their own.

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Guys I just suddenly realised that Marwan said in his interview that Joe desperatley wants to keep the family together and ToG2 ended with each of the immortals being seperated and tortured by Discord!!?!?!?!?!? Need the third movie so my boy can get his family back

😭

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Can we also talk about the fact that Joe's fear is "WE" could end. Not him dying, not even Nicky dying, but their RELATIONSHIP, their status as a "we", as Joe-and-Nicky, could end. They don't know if they're going to go together or separately, but either way it will be the end of Joe-and-Nicky, and THAT'S what Joe fears most.

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ok LISTEN I just finished 2 old 2 guard and…

Tbh, I liked it.

Like okay I GET what everyone is saying, I def do. It was rushed and chaotic and there was random info that had no answers and YES vacuum sealing the boys is immensely silly BUT

Imagine. IMAGINE. What it’s setting up!!!!! Just walk with me for a minute

Joe or Nicky thinking the other is dead and volunteering to give up their immortality. Discord being defeated. The fam rejoined. ANDY FINDING HER PURPOSE IN THE FAM. EVERYONE SAFE AND SOUND.

(Booker somehow coming back to life I BEGGGGG)

The fun fam moments were so special!!!! The car chase!!! The laughter!!! The game nights!!! The Joe and Nicky depth!!!!!!!!! I CHERISHHHHHHH

It wasn’t as bad as everyone has been making it out to be and I enjoyed it and loved seeing my fam together again

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I honestly think one of my favourite things about TOG2 is the insight into Nicky’s character - he is soft and gentle yes but when it comes to the wellbeing of those he loves, he does not forgive and he does not forget. His hurt and rage and betrayal took longer to come to the surface than Joe’s, but it’ll also take that much longer to abate.

Hurting his family? His Yusuf? There are some sins only god can forgive.

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The Old Guard 2

The Old Guard 2 was awesome, but Netflix'd better greenlight a third movie right freaking now. I'm reading the comics, but that doesn't help with the cliffhanger because the plot of the movies is different.

The first film was already full of hot people, and they went and added Henry Golding and Uma Thurman to the cast. ^^

There's major m/m, as well as subtext f/f (canon f/f in the comics).

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Nicky is the one who never gives up, running toward the Cliffs of Moher. Joe, who seems like the most impulsive and fierce, is actually the one who sometimes stops. His anger is fire, but it burns out quickly. His boldness is strong, but he’s soft in ways his lover knows intimately

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Are you gonna do what you do best and fight by my side? No. You will fight by my side.

THE OLD GUARD 2

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Guess who just watched The Old Guard 2?

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When you realise you wont be able to watch The Old Guard 2 tomorrow when it comes out but then remember it's because you convinced your family to go to marrakech because you were so obsessed with the first one

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THE OLD GUARD 2 CHARACTER POSTER - DISCORD

Source: @umathurman IG post, 29th June 2025

Official ensemble poster here

Charlize Theron here

KiKi Layne here

Marwan Kenzari & Luca Marinelli here

Veronica Ngo here

Chiwetel Ejiofor here

Matthias Schoenaerts here

Henry Golding here

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The Whole Gang!!!!

4 days people!!!!