On paper, Eli Roth Borderlands The adaptation sounds like a recipe for a solid sci-fi comedy: Oscar winner Cate Blanchett as the wisecracking gunslinger Lilith; Jack Black, fresh off voicing Bowser, as the wisecracking/annoying Claptrap; and the incredible Jamie Lee Curtis back in the genre fray after… Everything everywhere, everything at once. And yet the film is a lifeless slog that is better suited to an episode of Mysterious Science Theatre, completely wasting the potential of those elements.
Just like the original game, Borderlands The plot takes place primarily on the alien planet Pandora – a name that clearly should have been changed, as audiences now associate it primarily with the Avatar films. Roth’s adaptation makes significant changes to the game’s plot and characters: It begins with Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt) being rescued from a space prison by former soldier Roland (Kevin Hart (?!)). Inexplicably, they encounter former psychopath Kriege (Florian Munteanu) and together they escape to find a legendary vault on Pandora, containing untold alien treasures.
Meanwhile, in a nondescript town on another planet, Lilith is recruited by the head of the Atlas Corporation (a scenery-eating Edgar Ramirez) to rescue Tina, who claims she is his daughter. Like a hastily created maze for a kid’s menu, it’s easy to predict the path the film will take. Lilith reluctantly returns to Pandora, bonds with the other characters, and plot points are punctuated with the excitement of a visit to the DMV.
There are obligatory action scenes, as you'd expect, but it all feels routine: computer-generated explosions, half-hearted choreography and minimal stakes.
Blanchett is an actress who has shown she has enormous range. She can play a stunning and terrifying Galadriel in The Lord of the Ringsand a pompous director in DepositBut while watching her roll around with futuristic weapons has some basic pleasures, she never feels comfortable in the skin of an action heroine. There's none of the ferocity of Charlize Theron's more physical roles, or even Angelina Jolie's in a mediocre thriller like Salt (a movie that, I assure you, is much funnier than Borderlands) Blanchett seems too cool for this shit.
And unlike other movies that feature a motley crew of heroes, like Guardians of the Galaxy or the excellent Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among ThievesLittle time is spent building relationships in BorderlandsRoland seems noble, but we never really learn who he is or what drives him to save Tina. (I also question the wisdom of casting a comedian like Hart in a mostly straight role.) Krieg is a shell of a character who only has a few lines of stunted dialogue and no real development. Jamie Lee Curtis's role as the “xenoarchaeologist” Tannis is completely pointless.
What we have, in short, is a boring movie filled with empty characters and actors who would be better off in something else. If Cate Blanchett were to sell herself for a cheesy advertising campaign, if —It would be less embarrassing than starring in this failure. In an era where many game adaptations have been surprisingly worth watching, such as the one from and and a masterpiece of a show like exists, Borderlands It looks like an unforced error.
Instead of being a big budget movie, it could have been better as… Maybe there wasn't a need for two Oscar winners. and a comedian known as Kevin Hart. They probably should have kept the script for the movie. Chernobyl and Showrunner Craig Mazin, instead of hiring more writers (one of the writers mentioned is “Joe Crombie,” a pseudonym for someone who didn't want his name to appear in this movie),
But as things stand, Borderlands It's pure wasted potential. Play the games again, hell, go watch some of the —instead of sitting back and watching this atrocity.
