The difference between Rina and Portwell on being alleged plot devices is that most Rina interactions were followed by a close up of Nini’s reactions to them, while Ricky couldn’t care less about Gina spending time with EJ 😂
One of the best things about Joe and Nicky in The Old Guard is their sexuality/relationship is a very important traits of both of their characters, but it’s not their only trait.
So many times when I hear people talk about gay/queer characters in media, I hear, “their sexuality isn’t an important part of their character” or “they just happen to be gay,” and I’ve always thought that was bullshit and a cop-out. Sexuality and romance plays a HUGE part in people’s lives. People spend a lot of their time looking for “the one”, looking for romance, looking for a relationship or sex or both. Think about classical male heroes and how often they bed women (think James Bond, James Kirk in Star Trek, etc.) Wouldn’t you say sexuality is a huge part of their characters? Yet with gay characters it’s said to be “not important.” It’s just a cop-out.
Joe and Nicky’s sexualities are very important because their relationship is so incredibly important to both of them. It’s portrayed to be the reason they’re both still happy to be living while Andy and Booker have grown jaded and suicidal due to loneliness. They are the most important thing in the world to each other. They aren’t “badass but just happen to be gay.” They are badass AND gay.
They’re incredibly competent fighters who can brutalize an entire army but when they go home they flirt, they wink at each other, they snuggle, they kiss, they talk about their love for one another. They’re no less masculine when they’re expressing their love for one another than they are when they’re massacring an army of soldiers.
Yet still, their characters are not reduced to just the token gay guys who are also tough. They have their own distinct personalities. Joe is impassioned, quick to anger, protective, playful, romantic, vengeful, but with a soft heart full of deep love. Nicky is quiet, reserved, compassionate, loving, and sweet, but also calculating and sarcastic and a force to be reckoned with in a fight.
They’re both such distinct, powerful personalities and it’s portrayed through their individual actions as well as through their love for each other. It fills me with so much joy that these characters were allowed to be so unapologetically, textually gay without it being an afterthought and also without it becoming the centrepiece of the story.
first of all i’d like to say thank you so much not only to god but to jesus for this still frame
secondly the fact that this is their normal everyday sleeping position makes me absurdly happy because look at them. just. look at them. i mean that is an absolutely god-tier cuddle right there. 10/10 snugs. look at that solid body contact, that nose to nape action, that cross-body arm hold. flawless execution.
thirdly, after 900 years of sleeps how fitting is it that the spoon is their go-to like i love that for them because it’s all about protection and trust with a splash of sexy and honestly good for them
The Old Guard saw the “action movies need a male lead”-stereotype, and just decided to say “Fuck that. Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne kick ass.”
The Old Guard saw the “people won’t watch movies if the main cast isn’t white or American”-stereotype, and just decided to say “Fuck that. The 6 main actors are South African, American, Belgian, Dutch, Italian and British.”
The Old Guard saw the “men aren’t supposed to talk about their feelings”-stereotype, and just decided to say “Fuck that. All main male characters have scenes talking about their feelings and emotions, which are relevant to the plot and the character’s motivations.”
Hell, The Old Guard saw all the stereotypical gay tropes, and just said “Fuck ‘em all.”
“Bury your gays”-trope? Fuck that. Immortal gays.
“Gay men are fragile”-trope? Fuck that. The gays kick ass.
“The film will loose money if a character is explicitly gay, so it will just be implied through subtext”-stupidity? Fuck that. They flirt, they kiss, there is an entire monologue dedicated to the love these gays have for each other.
And on top of all of that, The Old Guard has a great and clever plot, amazing action scenes, good pacing, great music, emotional beats that don’t drag the story down, and a well-executed setup for a sequel.
The Old Guard is a fantastic movie, and it is a great example of diversity that isn’t “forced”, but feels natural and makes a lot of sense in the story. This is diversity done right.
Say what you want, but imo, Ozai getting his bending taken away, being mocked by a group of teens, and then being imprisoned in a dark cell, wearing rags, and being forced to see the son he abused and abandoned take the throne and do a damn good job at leading is INFINITELY more satisfying then him just dying and quite likely being turned into a martyr figure by his supporters. “THE FIRELORD DIED FIGHTING THE AVATAR” is something that would have let him go into the history books almost gloriously. “He got beat by a teenager and died alone and powerless in a cell” ? Now that’s the kind of pathetic ending a piece of shit like him deserves.
