Spoilers are ahead for the Borderlands movie.
Summary
Although director Eli Roth’s action-comedy film adaptation ofBorderlandsuses the bestselling video games as inspiration, the movie takes massive liberties when it comes to Tiny Tina’s origin story. Played by Ariana Greenblatt (Ahsoka),Tiny Tina is one of the most beloved figures in the franchise, making her addition to theBorderlandsmovie’s cast of charactersexciting — at least in theory. Out of the gate,Borderlandslanded a dismal Rotten Tomatoes score, debuting with a shocking 0% on the platform. Needless to say, Roth’s film may do more harm than good to its fan-favorite characters.
Unlike other video game adaptations,Borderlandsrecycles familiar characters but doesn’t graft the plot of the first game onto a cinematic skeleton. Lilith, played by Cate Blanchett, is a bounty hunter who originally hails from the deadly Pandora. In the original game, however, Lilith is one of four Vault Hunters —Lilith’s Siren powers in theBorderlandsmoviearen’t quite the same as the source material. ButLilith isn’t the only character who was altered for the silver screen. That said,Borderlandsdifferences from the video gamesare also made manifest in Tiny Tina’s backstory.
Tiny Tina’s Origin In The Borderlands Movie Explained
Tina Is Atlas' Daughter In The Borderlands Movie
In Roth’sBorderlandsmovie, Tiny Tina is the daughter of Atlas (Edgar Ramírez) — a character who doesn’t quite have a video game counterpart. Similar to Handsome Jack,Atlas is a powerful corporate magnate who hires Lilith to rescue Tina. On the planet Pandora, Lilith is greeted by the mysterious robot Claptrap (Jack Black), and, together, the duo find Tina. Before Lilith locates Tina, the teenager is kidnapped from a facility by Roland (Kevin Hart), a rogue mercenary, and Krieg (Florian Munteanu), a bandit who serves as Tina’s protector. It becomes clear that Tina has no intention of rejoining Atlas.
Tiny Tina was genetically engineered with biological material from the Eridians…
When Lilith comes to understand that Atlas wants his daughter back against her will, the red-haired bounty hunter teams up with Roland and Krieg to fight off the Crimson Lance, Atlas' private army. TheBorderlandsmovie eventually reveals that Tiny Tina was genetically engineered with biological material from the Eridians — an ancient species that once called Pandora home. In true villain fashion,Atlas wants to use Tina’s genetics to open a Vaultthat contains lost, and incredibly powerful, technology. InBorderlands' ending, the crew finally makes it to the Vault — with surprising results.
Borderlands Review: Fast-Paced Video Game Fare That Could Benefit From Taking A Breather
Borderlands rushes through too many plot points for its own good, but it’s saved by its likable cast and willingness to lean into video game moments.
How Borderlands Changes Tiny Tina’s Video Game Backstory
Tina Was A Test Subject In The Borderlands Games
A demolitions expert who was first introduced inBorderlands 2, Tiny Tina has a much different backstory in the video game series. According to the Gearbox games,Tina and her parents were sold to Hyperion— a weapons and robot manufacturer — and made into test subjects for Handsome Jack’s slag mutation experiments. Ultimately, Tina’s parents died as a result of these tests, but she managed to escape using a grenade she’d stowed in her dress. Free from Hyperion’s abuses, Tiny Tina decides to seek revenge on Flesh-Stick, the “psycho” bandit who sold her family in theBorderlandsgames.
Seriously, What The Hell Went So Wrong With Borderlands To Earn The Movie 10% On Rotten Tomatoes?
Although Borderlands is an adaptation of a hugely popular video game, the 2024 movie is proving to be a major flop for a few big reasons.
Why Borderlands Made Tina’s Origin So Different
The Borderlands Movie Tries To Streamline Elements From Multiple Games Into One Story
It’s not really clear why Eli Roth and his co-writers decided to change Tiny Tina’s backstory so drastically for theBorderlandsmovie. Clearly, the film never intended to adapt its source material in a one-to-one way, preferring instead to makereferences to theBorderlandsvideo games. In trying to streamline the many elements of Borderlands into a single movie,the project makes Lilith into a more traditional chosen one-style protagonist. That said, other characters fromBorderlandsmovie’s cast, including Tina, are reshaped to fit within the architecture of Lilith’s story.
Borderlandsis now playing in theaters nationwide.
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.
