Overview and Premise
Eli Roth will be directing the 2024 science fiction action-comedy film Borderlands, which is inspired by the video game franchise Borderlands created by Gearbox Software. The film aims to replicate the loved chaotic humor, the larger-than-life characters and post-apocalyptic setting of the games. The game takes place on Pandora, a planet filled with ancient alien technology, where people barely survive amidst constant gunfire.
The main narrative focuses on Lilith, a Siren with “Siren” powers who goes back to Pandora to search for Tiny Tina, daughter of arms dealer Atlas. As she searches, she forms an odd mercenary team that includes Roland the soldier, Tannis the eccentric scientist, Krieg the berserker, and Claptrap the wise-cracking robot. Together they fight bandits, uncover conspiracies, and race against time to find an alien vault that could change the universe’s fate.
Pre-Production and Production
The adaptation of Borderlands into a feature film was a multi-step process with many ups and downs, including changes in direction and writers. A 2015 announcement led to Roth being confirmed as director in 2020. Principal photography in Budapest began in 2021. Although production was generally smooth, reshoots due to Roth’s schedule conflicts with Tim Miller.
Fans were familiarized with Adult Themes along with graphic violence and edgy humor throughout the series, due to this, a negative reaction was directed towards the PG-13 rating and 101 minute run time. Meanwhile, the decision to blur the raw chaotic energy from the games adapted into a formulaic, mainstream, Sci-Fi Adventure was also strongly opposed.
Cast and Characters
Bringing Lilith to life, Cate Blanchett adds her commanding presence to the character. Though she is the film’s central character and brings gravitas, she is best described as out of place because her performance alongside the rest of the story that consists of disjointed action and slapstick humor.
Redesigned Roland as a more timid version of himself was brought to life by Kevin Hart. Although Hart is known for his comedic roles, critics noted a lack of chemistry not only between him and the cast but also claimed the trademarked humor being overshadowed by a serious role to be quite the strange addittion.
Jack Black provides the voice for Claptrap, the sharp-witted robotic sidekick. Despite Claptrap being one of the most identifiable characters in the game series, his voice adaptation strips away the charm and creativity that endeared him to fans.
Tiny Tina is voiced by Ariana Greenblatt, who gives a spirited yet inconsistent rendition of the bomb-exploding pre-teen. Their chemistry is underdeveloped, Krieg, portrayed by Florian Munteanu, and her share a core subplot.
As Dr. Tannis, a morally ambiguous and neurotic scientist, Jamie Lee Curtis does little more than scratch the surface with her character, who lacks depth and background.
Atlas is portrayed by Edgar Ramírez while Mad Moxxi is played by Gina Gershon. While their looks and aspects of their portrayals fits the characters, their plots are often drowned by overwhelmingly convoluted narratives.
Plot Overview
The narrative opens up with Lilith’s return to Pandora after years of self-imposed exile. She is now working for Atlas Corporation, who need her to find their missing daughter, Tiny Tina, who is held captive by raiders. On her journey, she rekindles contacts like Roland and Tannis and, much to her chagrin, joins a band of mismatched outlaws.
Partaking in the journey, the team fights Pandora’s savage landscapes and mutant beasts alongside corporate mercenaries. As they get closer to Tina, they find hints of an alien vault which holds immeasurable power. The resolution involves a desperate rush to beat Atlas’s private army to the vault in order to stop a cataclysmic event.
The vault becomes the last battlefield where Atlas gets imprisoned, leaving Lilith to enjoy her win over the corporation. On the other hand, the team understands that apart from the contents, the vault’s true challenge stems from the ambition of those who want to control it.
Direction and Visual Style
The humorous elements, plus the character and scene interactions are actively ruining the rest of the film, as they can’t find a healthy combination of all of them which leads to the audience experiencing harsh changes of the tone. As for the action scenes, they remain to be filled with overused CGI, reckless pacing, lack of choreography, and broken thematic elements, all of which combining to create an incredibly dull and unshaped experience.
Over the energetic and crunchy details of Pandora, one could see miles of lifeless desert plains alongside plain and simple insides of buildings.
Reception and Box Office
Upon its release, Borderlands received critical backlash from all sides. Fans of the video game series were turned off by the film adaptation’s lack of authenticity. Moreover, casual viewers found the humor awkward and the plot illogical. Critics pointed to the character development as shallow and traditional with no resolved arcs or complete storylines.
Critics noted the film’s lack of balance, with its overreliance on undeveloped characters and absent worldbuilding leaving neither real sci-fi drama nor witty comedy in its wake. Blanchett’s performance was praised by some critics as the sole highlight of the film, although there were those that countered this point stating she was underutilized for the role she was given.
The film proved a disaster financially as it earned barely above $30 million while its budget was over $100 million, marking it a loss of over $70 million right off the bat. Movie theaters quickly stopped screening the film, as streaming services barely made any revenue off of Borderlands. Most experts stated that the film was the biggest financial flop of 2024.
Analysis and Themes
Borderlands was touted as a delightful, albeit chaotic, action-adventure, but struggles with identity. The original game series is best known for satirizing rampant corporate greed, featuring over-the-top humor, and a chaotic tone. In an attempt to reach out to a larger audience, the film adaptation watered down these beloved elements.
This film seeks to address issues of loyalty, atonement, and rebellion against corporate tyranny. However, these concepts are subdued by an inconsistent narrative structure and an overcrowded ensemble cast. The message becomes drowned out as a result of attempting to balance too many characters and subplots.
Conclusion
Borderlands serves as a quintessential example of squandered opportunity. Given its impressive cast and rich lore, as well as its pre-existing fanbase, it stood to be a breakout video game adaptation. Yet it succumbs to the countless creative conflicts and shallow execution of its numerous visionary influences.
While the film might evoke nostalgic moments for fans of the franchise, it ultimately strips away the heart, wit, and madness that gave the series its identity. For casual viewers, it fails to establish an intriguing universe or noteworthy characters to engage with. As it is, Borderlands stands as a forgettable installment in the video-game adaptation movies and a warning on the risks of playing too conservatively with cherished intellectual properties.
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