Borderlands First Reactions Are Worse Than We Even Expected
Adapting a beloved video game franchise into a film is oftentimes a monumental task, just take a look at the Doom, Far Cry, and Max Payne films. So when Lionsgate Films first announced a Borderlands movie way back in 2015, there were obviously some doubts that the quirky game would translate to the big screen. As the film finally nears its wide release after nine years, first reactions to the silver screen adaptation have proven that those doubts were well deserved.
All Flash No Smash
After the first reactions of the film dropped on X, it appears that Borderlands may have missed the boat. Following the movie’s anticipated premiere on August 6 in LA, critics have not been shy in letting their disdain for the film be known. Many critics have bashed Roth’s movie for lacking the substance of many high-quality adaptations.
“Borderlands feels like what an out of touch executive thinks the ‘cool kids’ find appealing,” writes Loud and Clear Reviews’ Edgar Ortega. “It’s not even so bad it’s good, just a complete mess.” Ortega also feels that the film lacks any “earnest character moment” throughout its 102 minute runtime.
But Wait, There’s More!
Awesome Friday! reporter Matthew Simpson echoed similar sentiments about the film’s style. “Oh hey, I can tell you I’ve seen [Borderlands] now, and that it’s really bad,” Simpson wrote on X. Simpson also noted that the video game movie was, “stuck in a weird place where it looks both expensive and cheap at the same time.”
Other critics were quick to point to the emptiness behind Borderlands, calling the film a “disaster.” Bitesize Break’s Adriano Caporusso bashed the movie from top to bottom. “Filled with every cliché you can ponder, this film swaps the mayhem and imagination of the games for a lifeless, unfunny, and visually repulsive dud with annoying characters and a cast with not one ounce of chemistry,” Caporusso writes.
Borderlands’ Beginning And Runaway Success
In 2009, video game developer Gearbox Studios released its Borderlands video game. The game follows four distinct adventurers after they land on the planet of Pandora, a barren wasteland filled with a collection of dangerous enemies, in search of The Vault. The role-playing shooter became an instant hit among critics and fans, earning several “Game of the Year” nominations.
Due to its popularity, the game has spawned two direct sequels as well as a handful of spin-off games. On August 9, the Borderlands movie will hit theaters in America. Directed by Eli Roth and co-written by Roth and Joe Crombie, Borderlands banked on riding the high-praised video game adaptation wave started by The Last Of Us and Fallout franchises.
Box Office Flop, Or Too Soon To Tell?
Even with the most tempered expectations ahead of its release, Borderlands appears to have completely missed the mark. With an estimated budget between $110 million and $120 million, box office projections have not been kind to the film either. At the end of the day, it appears that the video game adaption is heading to a likely box office disaster.
It would be perfectly understandable for fans of the video game franchise to be let down by Borderlands’ poor reviews. On paper, the film has everything going for it to be successful. With Cate Blanchett headlining the all-star cast, a film couldn’t ask for a stronger lead.
Let’s Hope The Early Reviews Are Wrong
Blanchett stars as Lilith, one of the few remaining Vault Hunters left in the universe and one of the main protagonists in the video game series. The Australian born actress is no stranger to stepping into some pretty big shoes. She has taken home two Oscars throughout her career, most recently for her lead performance in the 2014 film, Blue Jasmine.
Joining Blanchett in the cast are some heavy-hitting A-list names as well, including Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jack Black. Even with that level of talent working on screen, the cast can only do so much. With a bulk of the criticism aimed towards the film’s weak script, it still remains to be seen if Borderlands will be able to make it through its shaky start.
