“Guardians” is essentially a Russian knock-off of Marvel’s “Avengers” films and while the film feels somewhat unoriginal, it works very well for what it is. I really got the sense that the filmmakers of this were having a lot of fun; it’s a shame that this movie has been so overlooked (even in Russia it was panned).

During the Cold War, a squad of superheroes were created by Soviet scientists. For decades, they have remained in hiding across many parts of the former-Soviet Union. When an evil scientist intends to terrorise the globe, the ‘Guardians’ must unite if they are to save the day.

Unlike the Marvel superhero movies, the Guardians are not lifted from any comic books. Ler (Sebastien Sisak) can move rocks with power of his mind, Khan (Sanjar Madi) runs like the Flash and wields swords, Kseniya (Alina Lanina) can turn invisible and Arsus (Anton Pampushnyy) can turn into bear. The one that can turn into a bear is just amazing as in one scene he even gets to use a minigun. The sight of a bear man with a minigun is just hilarious and amazing at the same time. The supervillain looks a little goofy but I guess it works considering this a film with a bear man with a minigun.

The action sequences in “Guardians” are very impressive and the special effects are great, particularly when considering the fact this movie had a tiny budget when compared to Hollywood superhero pictures. If you want a film with deep and meaningful characters with great performances then look elsewhere but if you want an action-packed superhero flick that is going to deliver a few laughs then you have absolutely come to the right place. A sequel is teased at the end but with the film doing poorly at the box-office, I sadly doubt that we will see a “Guardians 2” any time soon.