The Old Guard: diversity in the super-hero genre
The Old Guard is a Netflix original movie directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by comic book writer Greg Rucka. It follows a group of immortal mercenaries on a revenge mission after they're betrayed and their identities are at risk of being exposed.
The movie itself is simple and straight forward. The plot is serviceable with a few eyebrow raising moments that I'm willing to let slide for the sake of it being a mostly fun action flick. Plot-wise, there isn't anything particularly exciting or groundbreaking about it. But it's not the plot that made me re-watch this movie two times after my first viewing.
Diversity in the superhero genre is a topic that's been talked about for a while now, ever since Marvel has basically taken over the box office for these past few years. I myself have grown bored of the same formulaic cookie cutter origin stories that basically follow the same plot with minor adjustments that Marvel has been churning out. I'm tired of having to ask these big budget blockbuster movies for more diversity behind and in front of the cameras. The superhero genre hasn't excited or ignited passion in me for a long while now.
And then, The Old Guard quietly dropped on Netflix yesterday. I watched it with little expectation, and I finished the movie feeling absolutely elated. Like I said, the story itself isn't innovative or anything. It's the characters that are. We've been asking film studios to give us same-sex romances for some time now, and the results have been lukewarm at best. They'll usually be unimportant no name background characters or chaste characters that only get revealed as gay at the very last minute of the movie.
Joe and Nicky are not that kind of half-assed representation. They are protagonists that are relevant to the plot, for starters. The movie is peppered with scenes of their casual domesticity, from sleeping in each others arms to their cute little flirting moments. The movie makes it very clear that they're a couple - the only couple in the movie in fact, and they've been madly in love with each other for a very long time. These little moments culminate into a very passionate declaration of love towards the middle of the movie that is honestly cathartic to watch as a LGBT viewer.
Joe and Nicky aren't the only representation worth talking about in the movie. Charlize Theron plays Andy, a battle-hardened warrior woman who's live for thousands of years. Kiki Layne plays Nile, the newest addition to the group, who's a Black young woman coming to grips with her new found immortality. Nile is the heart of the movie, challenging Andy's cynicism and helping her find hope again.
So I've talked about the on-screen diversity, now let's talk about behind the scenes.Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black woman to direct a comic book adaptation. It's her passion for this project that gives this movie the heart that makes it worth watching, and it's obvious she's done a lot to treat the Minority characters with the respect and dignity they deserve. Prince-Bythewood's long time editor Terilyn A Shropshire is also the first Black woman to edit a superhero movie.
Is The Old Guard a perfect movie? No, but it doesn't have to be. Gay people, people of color and women deserve to be in fun, mindless action movies as much as your average straight white Chrises. Gina Prince-Bythewood has already expressed interest in making a sequel, so if you have Netflix please consider giving this movie a chance.
Source: Me!!!
I'm not a great writer folks but this movie is super cool and y'all should give it a chance! Also there's a few small spoilers in this review but I tried to keep the plot as spoiler-free as possible.
The movie itself is simple and straight forward. The plot is serviceable with a few eyebrow raising moments that I'm willing to let slide for the sake of it being a mostly fun action flick. Plot-wise, there isn't anything particularly exciting or groundbreaking about it. But it's not the plot that made me re-watch this movie two times after my first viewing.
Diversity in the superhero genre is a topic that's been talked about for a while now, ever since Marvel has basically taken over the box office for these past few years. I myself have grown bored of the same formulaic cookie cutter origin stories that basically follow the same plot with minor adjustments that Marvel has been churning out. I'm tired of having to ask these big budget blockbuster movies for more diversity behind and in front of the cameras. The superhero genre hasn't excited or ignited passion in me for a long while now.
And then, The Old Guard quietly dropped on Netflix yesterday. I watched it with little expectation, and I finished the movie feeling absolutely elated. Like I said, the story itself isn't innovative or anything. It's the characters that are. We've been asking film studios to give us same-sex romances for some time now, and the results have been lukewarm at best. They'll usually be unimportant no name background characters or chaste characters that only get revealed as gay at the very last minute of the movie.
Joe and Nicky are not that kind of half-assed representation. They are protagonists that are relevant to the plot, for starters. The movie is peppered with scenes of their casual domesticity, from sleeping in each others arms to their cute little flirting moments. The movie makes it very clear that they're a couple - the only couple in the movie in fact, and they've been madly in love with each other for a very long time. These little moments culminate into a very passionate declaration of love towards the middle of the movie that is honestly cathartic to watch as a LGBT viewer.
Joe and Nicky aren't the only representation worth talking about in the movie. Charlize Theron plays Andy, a battle-hardened warrior woman who's live for thousands of years. Kiki Layne plays Nile, the newest addition to the group, who's a Black young woman coming to grips with her new found immortality. Nile is the heart of the movie, challenging Andy's cynicism and helping her find hope again.
So I've talked about the on-screen diversity, now let's talk about behind the scenes.Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black woman to direct a comic book adaptation. It's her passion for this project that gives this movie the heart that makes it worth watching, and it's obvious she's done a lot to treat the Minority characters with the respect and dignity they deserve. Prince-Bythewood's long time editor Terilyn A Shropshire is also the first Black woman to edit a superhero movie.
Is The Old Guard a perfect movie? No, but it doesn't have to be. Gay people, people of color and women deserve to be in fun, mindless action movies as much as your average straight white Chrises. Gina Prince-Bythewood has already expressed interest in making a sequel, so if you have Netflix please consider giving this movie a chance.
Source: Me!!!
I'm not a great writer folks but this movie is super cool and y'all should give it a chance! Also there's a few small spoilers in this review but I tried to keep the plot as spoiler-free as possible.