Russia is getting its own superhero team in 2017.

The official full trailer for Saric Andreasyan’s Zaschitniki (Guardians) has been released online, giving us our first look at the group of Soviet superheroes created during the Cold War, who have now gathered together to protect their homeland from supernatural threats.

Set to hit theaters in Russia on February 23, 2017, the Russian neo-noir superhero film stars Anton Pampushniy (Arsus), Sanzhar Madiev (Khan), Sebastien Sisak (Ler), and Alina Lanina (Xenia) as the four individuals whose DNA has been augmented to give them superpowers that reflect the ideals of the USSR. Also starring are Valeria Shkirando (Latina), Vyacheslav Razbegaev (Dolgov) and Stanislav Shirin (Kuratov).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsQVdrillxA

IMDB estimates that Zaschitniki cost RUR 380,000,000 to make, which converts to $5.85 million; however, Wikipedia lists its budget as 330 million ruble or $20 million. Whichever figure is more accurate, it’s evident that despite lacking the budget of a Hollywood superhero blockbuster, the visual effects shown in the trailer look pretty impressive. Here’s the synopsis for the film:

Set during the Cold War, a secret organization named “Patriot” gathered a group of Soviet superheroes, altering and augmenting the DNA of four individuals, in order to defend the homeland from supernatural threats. The group includes representatives of the different nationalities of the Soviet Union, (and) each one of them has long been hiding (his or her) true identity. In hard times, they settled down to business and gather to defend their homeland.

Though the superhero movie and TV craze is regarded as mostly an American institution, Armenian director Saric Andreasyan’s film looks to bring that trend to Russian audiences with characters sporting unique powers.

Arsus (Anton Pampushniy) can seamlessly transform himself into a large bear and he can control how much of his body is transformed, resulting in a human/bear hybrid with overpowering physical strength. He also carries a minigun which he can place on his back when he is fully transformed.

Xenia (Alina Lanina) can turn her body into water, allowing her to move through it unimpeded and survive without air underwater or even in a vacuum. Moreover, she can become virtually invisible as well as gelatinous and viscous, letting her flow like liquid while being able to interact at the same time.

Ler (Sebastian Sisak) has the ability to manipulate all forms of earth, allowing him to levitate and throw rocks of any size, cause the ground to quake or break apart, form instant craters or sinkholes, and even create an exoskeletal rock armor to protect his body.

Khan (Sanzhar Madiev) is gifted with both superhuman strength and speed, allowing him to smash through walls with his fist and dodge bullets at point blank range. Trained in multiple martial arts and weapons, he carries twin crescent-shaped blades that he can use to slice through cars with ease.

The film’s antagonist August Kuratov (Stanislav Shirin) must be powerful indeed if it takes these four to defeat him. Kuratov owns a machine called “Modul-1” that allows him to control any electrical equipment, which he uses to build an army of clones to take over Moscow and the world.

Zaschitniki’s official Instagram account confirms that the movie will be released eventually in the US and China, though no concrete details are provided.

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