Spoilers are ahead for the Borderlands movie’s ending.
Summary
Even before the film was panned by critics and audiences alike, the plannedBorderlandsCinematic Universe was destined to fail. Director and co-writer Eli Roth’s sci-fi action-comedy adaptation of the bestselling video game series tries to be its own thing — a project that pulls from the source material’s catalog of characters, locations, weapons, and plot points, but, ultimately, alters fundamental traits. AlthoughBorderlands' cast of characterscalls upon fan-favorite personalities, including Lilith (Cate Blanchett), Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), and Claptrap (Jack Black),it cuts some crucial franchise figures too, which is a problem.
While certainsuccessful video game adaptationshave carved their own paths — including Amazon Prime Video’s Emmy-nominatedFallout— that’s clearly not always a surefire approach to translating a beloved property to the silver screen. Not only does the film turn Lilith, a bounty hunter who grew up on Pandora, into the movie’s chosen one-style protagonist, butBorderlandscompletely changes Tiny Tina’s origins. All of thesedifferences between the movie and theBorderlandsgameshave amounted toa dismal box office performance, which, in turn, jeopardizes theBorderlandsCinematic Universe’s future.
Eli Roth’s Borderlands Movie Should Have Included Handsome Jack As Its Villain
Handsome Jack Is One Of The Series' Best Characters
The main antagonist ofBorderlands 2, Handsome Jack is one of thebiggest characters missing from theBorderlandsmovie. Raised by his abusive grandmother after the deaths of his parents, Jack ultimately orders his guardian’s murder. That alone is a harrowing backstory, but Handsome Jack’s ruthlessness only grows as his life continues. By leveraging his fake clout — Handsome Jack claims to havefound the all-importantBorderlands' Vaultand vanquished its resident creature, The Destroyer —Jack takes over the Hyperion corporation and declares himself the dictator of Pandora. Needless to say,Borderlands 2really deepens its lore.
Handsome Jack is a huge part of the franchise’s continued success…
Since his story is so tied to that lore, Handsome Jack is a huge part of the franchise’s continued success, even though he only really appears in two of theBorderlandsgames. With a massive ego and a brutal demeanor,Handsome Jack is a villain whose terror has very real, traceable roots — and that makes him even more compelling. Although the game’s Vault Hunters are tasked with killing Handsome Jack, he always seems to be one step ahead, especially considering his connection to Angel, his daughter who, it turns out, is a Siren with the ability to Phaseshift.
How Cate Blanchett’s Casting As Lilith Started A Chain Of Problems For The Borderlands Movie
Although Oscar winner Cate Blanchett was clearly committed to bringing Lilith to life, her casting started a series of problems for Borderlands.
Atlas Was A Pointless Handsome Jack Stand-In For The Borderlands Movie’s New Story
The Borderlands Movie Chose To Pursue A Generic Villain
Borderlandstries to use Atlas (Edgar Ramírez), a corporate magnate, as its Handsome Jack stand-in. The choice really begs the question:why invent a villain when theBorderlandsfranchise already has one?Without a compelling antagonist, the plannedBorderlandscinematic universe is pretty doomed — and that misstep happened well before the movie’s box office disaster. In trying to do its own thing, the movie fails to make Atlas more than just a paint-by-numbers, generic antagonist. Although he’s dragged away by The Destroyer inBorderlands' ending, Atlas will likely be back — and that’s a real shame.
WTF Happened To Borderlands' Box Office?! Why It Couldn’t Even Break $10 Million
The Borderlands movie has been released to negative reviews and an even worse box office haul; what went wrong with the video game adaptation?
Tiny Tina & Other Characters Were Also Undercut By The Inclusion Of Atlas
Blending Tina & Angel’s Roles Was A Huge Mistake In The Borderlands Movie
In the film, Atlas is also Tiny Tina’s father, and it’s revealed that he had her genetically engineered using biological material from the Eridians — Pandora’s ancient inhabitants. Between the movie cutting Angel and giving the crumbs of her and Handsome Jack’s backstory to Tina and Atlas, theBorderlandsmoviedoes a huge disservice to its characters — as well as their video game counterparts.A lot of the movie’s issues stem from its dull antagonist, and Handsome Jack would have improved theBorderlandsmovie, all while making a strong case for the franchise’s cinematic universe.
Borderlandsis now playing in theaters worldwide.
Borderlands
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.
