It was bound to happen. With all these superhero movies someone in another country was going to create one of their own. In this case: Russia. Friends of mine and I were privy to a screening of The Guardians, a Russian science-fiction film that is clearly a rip-off of Marvel’s The Avengers. Released theatrically in February, the action flick with a $5 million budget turned out to be more impressive than some of the $100 million Hollywood blockbusters produced today.

 

During the cold war, an organization called “Patriot” created a super-hero squad, which included members of multiple Soviet republics. For years these heroes had to hide their identities. When a powerful super-human threatened world domination, they joined forces to combat the threat.

The Guardians met with strongly negative critical reception in Russian media but I suspect the movie may receive better reviews here in the United States. Fanboys of superhero movies will delight in the creativity of the battle sequences and top-notch special effects. Regardless of what the critics say, a sequel has already been commissioned by Turbo Films.

When I watch a movie I usually ask for one of two things. Entertain me or impress me. The Guardians was entertaining and many times I was impressed. This is saying a lot compared to the junk Hollywood routinely puts out every year. This was not meant to be Oscar-worthy material. But the director and writer were clearly influenced by the big screen adaptations of comic book heroes and created their own — borrowing liberally so many ideas it wasn’t funny. Even a post-credits teaser!