The following contains spoilers for Borderlands, now playing in theaters
Summary
Borderlands' may have a terrible Rotten Tomatoes score of 9%, but being bad is far fromBorderlands' biggest problem. Based on the video game series of the same name,Borderlandsbrings audiences to the distant world of Pandora and follows the adventures of Lilith. A skilled bounty hunter hired to find the daughter of the maniacal business magnate, Lilith spends the film developing bonds with her targets and discovering her own destiny. The film pulls from a lot of different entries in the series to attempt its own original story, tying together different concepts and characters for a new narrative.
AlthoughBorderlandstook years to actually make, the end result clearly isn’t what Lionsgate, Gearbox, or Take-Two Interactive was hoping for. At the time of this writing, the film sits at 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, an abysmal score that makes it one of the worst recent adaptations of a video game. However,what went wrong withBorderlandsis far worse than the movie just being bad. There are some aspects of the film that even, in isolation, are actually alright.The big underlying flaw that impacts the film’s characters, action, and story makesBorderlandsthe one thing worse than bad.
Borderlands Ending Explained: Lilith’s Transformation & The Franchise’s Future
The ending of Borderlands remixes the final stretch of the original game, empowering one of the leads and uniting the heroes for a firery conclusion.
Borderlands Is Boring — And That’s Worse Than Being Bad
Borderlandsis a dull film, which is the worst sin the action-adventure adaptation could have made. Despite this,Borderlandshas some elements that work all right, like the physical production design and general look of Pandora. Most of the cast are doing their best to bring unique touches to their characters, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Ariana Greenblatt doing the best job of it. However, none of them can stop the movie from just being boring.High-octane action set-pieces, intense battles, and global exploration drove theBorderlandsgames. Despite the source material, the film doesn’t replicate it well at all.
TheBorderlandsmovie is much more stop-and-go. Action scenes are broken up with extended periods of uninspired dialogue and bland explanations. Traveling across Pandora could be exciting in the games because they offered players a chance to explore the massive scope. Transitions inBorderlandsare quick and dull, relocating characters from one reestablished set to another without any sense of scale or adventure.It stripsBorderlandsof the larger-than-life elements that defined the games, and is renders the whole thing a dull experience instead. The characters, action, and story are ultimately just boring, and not even entertainingly bad or weird.
The Character Growth OfBorderlandsDoesn’t Actually Really Happen In The Story
A film likeBorderlandsis ideally a visual feast of gonzo characters and concepts, grounded by a cast of eclectic and entertaining characters. However, none of the film really showcases that potential. Elements likeLilith’s history and powersare explained in scenes between her and Tannis or through recordings of her mother. The idea is these moments can set-up Lilith’s growth and realization of her potential, making the discovery of her full powers all the more impactful. However,all of that emotional impact is blunted when audiences were told about the effects instead of seeing the character actually experience it.
The character relationships are the same way. Lilith and Tina are the film’s big emotional bond, developing from two misanthropes opposed to one another to finding a bond characterized as a sisterly connection. However, there’s little actual development between the two. They have a few scenes together where they drop exposition or snark, and then seemingly strengthen their bond.None of the emotional heavy lifting in the film is ever completed in the story, it’s mostly just stated. Compare this toGuardians of the Galaxy, where the character dynamics were played with, tested, and at the heart of the story.
The Borderlands Movie Cutting This Video Game Character Is Even More Disappointing Now
The Borderlands movie is finally here, and of all the criticisms of the film, this missing character is one of the most disappointing ones.
Even Borderlands' Action Is Mostly Uninteresting
There’s Only So Many Faceless Goons The Film Can Shoot Before It Becomes Monotonous
If there was going to be a saving grace forBorderlands, it would have come through in the action. The film does feature plenty of sequences where gun fights break out and Psychos duel. Unfortunately,none of the action inBorderlandsis particularly entertaining or engaging. Most of the firefights are against crowds of masked and faceless enemies, who are dispatched easily even while our heroes prove indestructible. There’s little personality to the combat, with Lilith and Roland lacking any unique touches to their approach to combat that is often undercut by the repetitive nature of shooting another masked minion.
The film’s PG-13 rating keeps the action weightless and bloodless, lessening the natural stakes even in the climax. Part of the appeal of getting a director like Eli Roth was in seeing him translate the gory aspects ofBorderlandsto the big screen in inventive ways.However, the action inBorderlandsultimately feels forgettable and basic, without any stylistic approach that separates it from the countless action scenes from other films. TheBorderlandsmovie ultimately just feels dull overall, something that a vibrant big-budget sci-fi action-adventure should never be. It feels like squandered potential, given the tone of the game.
How The Borderlands Movie Could Have Worked
There’s A Reason Fans Were Excited For The Prospect Of ABorderlandsAdaptation
It’s all a shame too, becauseBorderlandshad the potential to be at least memorable, if not outright good. If the film had been willing to push the PG-13 rating or even embrace being an R-rated film, Roth could have fully indulged in the darker elements of the series. Games likeTales from the Borderlandsproved character-driven narratives can work really well on Pandora, suggesting a tighter focus on character in the script could have elevated the story. The variety of approaches to combat in the games could have been reflected in the film’s action, fueling plenty of inventive action.
Claptrap
Jack Black
Even just embracing the weird qualities ofBorderlandswould have been preferable to the film audiences got.The film could have been a bizarre trip into a colorful and lethal sci-fi setting, with all the weirdness of the games amplified. This might have made the film a mess from a narrative stand-point, but could have at least provided some memorable moments. A badBorderlandsthat’s weird would have been more memorable than a boringBorderlands. There’s a good movie in the creative DNA of theBorderlandsfranchise, but the Eli Roth-directed film failed to find it on almost every level.
Borderlands
Cast
Based on the video game franchise, Borderlands is a sci-fi action-comedy film that follows Cate Blanchett as Lilith, a treasure hunter who returns to her home planet, Pandora, to find a tycoon’s missing daughter. Together with a group of unlikely allies, such as a soldier, a teenaged demolitions expert, a wise-cracking robot, and an eccentric scientist, the group will work together to save the girl - all while learning to deal with each other’s unyielding quirks.
