The Old Guard

"Charlize Theron rocks swords, fantasy art axes, a truckload of different firearms, and a ferocious fringe in this proudly B-grade superhero tale. Annoyingly, director Gina Prince-Bythewood mostly hides great choreography behind bad editing and creates most of the actual violence digitally rather than with practical effects. It’s a shame, because it looks like there’s some real good shit is going on underneath all the rapid cuts and we know Theron can throw down with the best of them after Atomic Blonde. Still, there are enough flickers of excitement to entertain fairly well."

"While there are a couple of interesting twists, there is an air of predictability and inevitability about proceedings, especially given the story’s obvious franchise potential, and a couple of times when things really don’t make a lick of sense..."

"Not even Charlize Theron can save an action movie crying out for a comic touch to match the silliness of its premise."

"Despite 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, and squanders a potentially engaging conceit."

"Even 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."

"Sleekly enjoyable."

"The 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."

"In a watchable franchise wannabe, Charlize Theron leads a team of immortals who are also B-movie renegades."

"There's a pleasing sweep to the storytelling, which jumps across settings in Africa, Southern Asia, rural France and London. Prince-Blythewood has used TV experience on Cloak & Dagger and Shots Fired as a stepping stone to a more action-driven movie than her previous work."

"Charlize Theron stars in a comic-book movie with a point of view, creating a marriage of expectations and twists unlike little else in the genre."