Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
During the Cold War, an organization called "Patriot" created a superhero squad, which includes members of multiple Soviet republics. For years, the heroes had to hide their identities, but, in hard times, they must show themselves again.
Guardians (2017) is a Russian superhero blockbuster that attempts to carve out a Soviet-flavored alternative to the Marvel/DC formula. The plot is derivative and thin — a generic villain threatens the world, the scattered heroes must reunite — executed without much dramatic tension or character depth. Acting is serviceable at best, with underdeveloped characters leaving little room for performers to distinguish themselves. Cinematography has some ambition with decent visual effects for its budget and a few striking action compositions, though inconsistent CGI quality undermines the spectacle. Novelty gets a modest bump for the genuinely distinctive Cold War Soviet superhero premise and its non-Western cultural flavor — a werebear wielding a minigun is a memorable image — but the structural execution is too formulaic to push it higher. The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying, resolving its conflicts with little earned emotional payoff.