As someone who really loves the Borderlands game series, I was quite hesitant to watch the movie after how much it was destroyed in reviews. Being such a huge fan I was legitimately bummed it did so badly at the box office. But it didn’t just “do badly” it BOMBED harder than an Andrew Dice Clay joke at a nun convention. As of this writing, the movie has just made it over the 30 million mark, that’s on a 100-120 million budget film. It only made 8 million on its opening weekend. It bombed so hard it got released to streaming less than a month after release. That’s the kind of disaster that gets people fired.
Quick recap: the Borderlands movie is adapted from the wacky and incredible video game series and promised to be a wacky and incredible cinematic experience. The trailers made it look like a fun romp through the lands of Pandora. So what went wrong?
You tell me because I thought it was pretty darn good!
Even after all the poisonous vitriol and hate the Borderlands movie got, personally I really liked it. It had good action, moved fast and had some genuinely funny moments. So I feel that the average movie audience, and critics, just didn’t get what the film was going for. Which is that is a B-MOVIE masquerading as a big budget box office behemoth. But more on that later. So let’s break down the GOOD and BAD and the UGLY of the most disastrous movie release of 2024.
THE GOOD
The Borderlands games are renowned for their distinct visual style, characterized by bold, cell-shaded graphics and a post-apocalyptic world teeming with vibrant characters. The movie’s production clearly worked hard to stay true to this style, ensuring that the film feels like a natural extension of the game universe. From the desolate wastelands of Pandora to the over-the-top weapon designs, every detail has been crafted to reflect the game’s unique style. But admittedly it did look cheap and low budget, but was that on purpose or is an 100+ million budget just not enough these days? Sadly it’s likely the latter. I thought that they did nail the visual style, with some sequences ripped straight out of the games with battles in land vehicles over an apocalyptic, garbage-strewn landscape.
Borderlands boasts a rather impressive ensemble cast, featuring multiple Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett who plays the title role of Lilith. Like many others, I dropped an audible “WTF” when I heard the film managed to cast such a high caliber of an actress. In case anyone was wondering, she admitted to saying “yes” to the role because she was bored from being stuck inside during the covid pandemic, which made her a little stir crazy, so maybe she would’ve said yes to anything by that point. After her casting announcement there was likely a chorus of “DAMMITS” from directors who wish they’d asked her to star in their schlocky POS. Either way, getting Cate was a HUGE deal, to which Jamie Lee Curtis said herself she accepted the role of the awkward scientist Tanis literally because of the opportunity to work with Cate.
Then we have Kevin Hart as Roland, being (THANKFULLY) the least Kevin Hart we’ve ever seen. He was one of the most controversial choices for the character as Roland is a subdued and stoic characters in the game, two things Mr. Hart is NOT, because let’s be honest: Kevin Hart is f@$king annoying. So it was a nice change of pace to see Hart playing the straight man and not rambling on a mile a minute with his hyperactive shtick. Sure he still had jokes, but not every 5 seconds delivered in his manic style of humor that got old 10 years ago.
Jack Black NAILS the role of Claptrap with his quirky, robot banter and provides plenty of comic relief. IMO he was the most accurate portrayal of a character from the game. Then we have Ariana Greenblatt, who I thought was awesome as Tiny Tina! Seriously, she stole every scene she was in, and with Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart as costars, that’s saying a lot. Her acting was admittedly stiff at times, but at least she was having fun with the role, which I can’t say about her costars. Lastly there’s newcomer Florian Muntenea as the lovable tank Krieg who’s besties with Tina. He doesn’t really say much, and feels like he was just shoehorned in there to represent the psycho clan, which is on of the main antagonistic clan in the games, but he served his purpose.
Action is at the heart of all the Borderlands games, and the movie delivered that in spades. It moved fast from the opening and didn’t waste any time getting into some fast-paced sequences, explosive battles, and a variety of the bizarre and powerful weaponry that the Borderlands universe is known for. The film was a (somewhat) thrilling ride from start to finish. Fans of action-packed cinema will find plenty to love in the adrenaline-fueled chaos.
THE BAD
Eli Roth, known primarily for his work on horror films like Cabin Fever and Hostel, attempts to bring his unique vision with intense, character-driven storytelling, coupled with his dark sense of humor, so it should’ve made him the perfect fit for the film’s tone. The problem is it that his sensibilities as a director just didn’t work for the goofy, comedy stylings of the game universe, as he’s much more of a horror director than a comedy, and it shows.
The movie offered an opportunity to expand on the “Borderlands” universe and characters in ways the games couldn’t. It’s just too bad that it fell flatter than a Skag getting run over by a Outrunner. Besides Lilith and Tina, the other characters had almost no backstory, so any non-game fan has no clue who most of them are, and their relationships to each other. Tina especially was changed drastically from her game character, with her origins being that she was cloned by the antagonist Atlas who hoped to use her Eridian DNA to open the Vault. This expansion and story changes did not appeal to fans and the characters weren’t developed enough for newcomers to care about them.
THE UGLY
Let’s circle back to the casting. Cate and Jamie Lee are two Oscar winners but they both looked like they were saying “what the heck am I doing here?” during the entire film. Jamie was only there to work with Cate, and Cate was only there because she was bored. And these two reasons are likely why both actresses didn’t just phone in their performances, they bloody texted them in while sipping margaritas by the pool in Hawaii. This is the most dreadful performances I’ve ever seen from acclaimed actors, Cate especially. I assumed an actress of her caliber could take on any role and make it work no matter what, but holy cannoli it did not. It was like Eli gave her zero direction whatsoever and figured she would work it out on her own. Apparently after her casting she bought a game console and played some Borderlands to understand the world and characters, but she didn’t take any cues from Lilith and just seemed to wing it. Jamie was almost as bad, with her stiff, awkward performance, though admittedly, Tanis is like that in the games, but not to this level.
Then there’s the antagonist Deukalin Atlas, who was the weakest aspect of the entire film. He was just another bad guy who wants to “take over the world” by breaking into The Vault to obtain whatever power it holds, which wasn’t really clear to begin with. Nothing against the actor Edgar Ramirez, but I think he just had nothing to work with so he made it up as he went. His character doesn’t exist in the games, just the weapon manufacturing company Atlas, so he was created specifically for the movie. He had zero charisma or ability to come off as a real threat to the heroes, just another rich guy who wants to get richer by any means necessary.
CONCLUSION
While video game adaptations often struggle to satisfy both fans of the source material and new audiences, the biggest overall problem is that Borderlands failed terribly on both fronts. Fans and newcomers alike just didn’t get what they were going for. Like I said before, I believe it’s a B-MOVIE, not in a budgetary sense, but in the campy, cheesy style of action and humor. People didn’t get that, or assumed it was something it was not before going to see it. The Borderlands movie had all the ingredients of a blockbuster hit: a stacked cast, a visually stunning adaptation, humor, heart, and some fun action sequences. So I honestly don’t get why it’s been hated on so much and did so horribly awful at the box office. While I’m definitely looking at it through rose-colored glasses, it hurts my heart to see one of my most favorite games series being dragged through the toxic, poo-smelling mud.
But I LIKED IT. Did I love it? NO. Does it have a myriad of problems? YES. Is it being unfairly judged? YES. Do I have another clever line to add here? NO.
So I leave it with you. If you’ve seen it let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading. See you in Pandora.
Tim
aucoinink.com
