Not too long ago, the creators of Borderlands (2024) said they could adapt a video game into a movie that would be as chaotic, funny, and visually stunning as the source material. To put it bluntly, they were wrong. Borderlands is a cinematic lobotomy, a feature-length proof that some things are simply better left in their original state. So let's not mince words because this movie deserves none.
The plot follows Lilith (Cate Blanchett), a hardened mercenary, as she's recruited by the powerful Atlas Corporation to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt). Joining Lilith on this wild adventure is the eclectic crew of Roland (Kevin Hart), Krieg (Florian Munteanu), and the ever-annoying Claptrap (voiced by Jack Black). Together, they traverse the desolate planet of Pandora in search of a legendary vault.
On paper, this narrative holds promise. The cast boasts a talented ensemble, and the source material is brimming with potential. However, the film struggles to find its footing from the outset. The humour, a cornerstone of the Borderlands franchise, is often forced and relies too heavily on crude jokes and slapstick.
The film, a desperate attempt to cash in on the game’s popularity, is a hollow shell of its former self. The characters, once vibrant and outrageous, are reduced to cardboard cutouts with even cardboarder dialogue. Kevin Hart’s Roland is a painful caricature of a comic relief sidekick, squandering the potential for a more nuanced character, while Cate Blanchett’s Lilith seems to be sleepwalking through her performance. Florian Munteanu's Krieg is underutilised, reduced to little more than a silent, hulking brute. Even Jack Black’s typically energetic voice acting feels muted as Claptrap, the most annoying creation to come out of Hollywood since some fool convinced Awkwafina that she could sing.
The film's visual style is a mixed bag. Pandora is brought to death with terrible green screens and sets that look like they were put up minutes before the shoot. Due to the terrible cgi and sets, the action sequences feel dull and lifeless, lacking the frenetic energy and satisfying gunplay that define the Borderlands experience.
Perhaps the film's most significant failure is its inability to capture the spirit of the Borderlands universe. While the game series is known for its absurd humour, it also boasts a rich lore and complex characters. The movie skimps on world-building and character development in favour of rapid-fire action and cheap laughs. I couldn’t wait for the movie to be over even when it lasted barely an hour and a half.
Ultimately, Borderlands is 102 minutes of terribly written characters completing fetch quests after fetch quests with lame, bloodless and tedious action sequences strung together by the most paper thin nonsensical excuse for a plot revolving around one-dimensional nobodies who barely even qualify characters by some of the most laughably miscast actors in cinema. It’s an absolutely horrible film that puts the very concept of video game movies to shame. This is one of the rare instances in movies where holistically nothing comes together and failure becomes inevitable.
Sami is a contributor at The Daily Esports.
