WATCH: Guardians 2017 Russian Movie Trailer Break International Waters

Guardians — or Zaschitniki — is a Russian superhero movie about an organization called “Patriot,” tasked with bringing together a group of superpowered individuals from former Soviet Union territories. Their goal? to stop a supervillain, of course! I’ll be honest here… I normally steer clear of movies in languages I can’t understand but as I was browsing Youtube for upcoming clips, just like anyone else, I noticed this kept popping up in my recommends list. So I clicked it, and I was not disappointed.

WATCH: Guardians (Zaschitniki) 2017 trailer via Official Russian Trailers YouTube channel

‘Guardians’ Superhero Names (main cast)

I’m not familiar with a lot of Russian movies, so I can’t tell how big these guys are. Still, I do enjoy a good superhero flick, so…

Kseniya (Alina Lanina)

She seems to have the ability to control water. By the looks of things, she can either turn invisible at will, or turn into water. It’s not the first time I’ve heard of superheroes with hydrokinetic abilities, but it’s the first time I’ll be seeing one on the big screen.

Ler (Sebastian Sisak)

Ler’s ability is earth manipulation. He can move rocks and stones at will, and even create constructs limited only by his imagination. He also wields an electrified whip. Not entirely sure how you make that leap, but alright.

Khan (Sanzhar Madiyev)

Khan carries dual blades that look like a cross between the infamous Warglaives of Azinoth of Warcraft lore and the Ethiopian shotel. The light-footed Khan looks visually similar to Marvel’s Winter Soldier, but with the ability to move at breakneck speeds at a whim ala-Quicksilver. I’ll go on a limb and say he’s meant to represent the element of Air.

Arsus (Anton Pampushnyy)

What needs explaining? Arsus is a half-man, half-bear who likes guns. Arsus doesn’t look like this 100% of the time though. He transforms into his bearman (werebear?) form at will. Now let’s get real… we see a werebear wielding a minigun from the thumbnail. You can’t be more Russian than that. Of course, he represents the element of Bear.

So there you are. Earth, Bear, Water, and Air.

Guardians: International Fame, Hometown Infamy

Interestingly, despite the popularity of the English-dubbed trailer, Zaschitniki’s trailer is currently receiving a poor response from the Russian community. It’s possible that the director — Sarik Andreasyan — has a reputation brought about by several other average Russian films produced under his watch.

Also of note, Guardians has received some criticism for being a ripoff of several Western superheroes, much as the Filipino people have branded Alyas Robin Hood as a ripoff of Arrow. Complaints are quick to point this out, and add to that the subpar CGI, and I can understand why the trailer has received a lot of flak. I’ll be honest and say the CGI in the trailer doesn’t look on par with The Avengers, or anything like that, but I’d say it comes close enough to be believable… if the story is good enough.

Oh and before I forget… if you wonder why I seem excited for a Russian superhero film and yet can’t bring myself to support Filipino superhero flicks, I’ll tell you now that isn’t true. Given the chance, I will support any Filipino superhero franchise IF the story is good, and if I can see effort put into to make it original and distinguishable. I gave Alyas Robin Hood all the chances it needed. It failed.

Guardians is scheduled for release February 23, 2017

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