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Review: ‘Borderlands’ is the Inglorious Basterd Child of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Jumanji’
August 8, 2024Ben MK
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Once the most maligned genre in cinema, video game adaptations have been enjoying a comeback as of late. Thanks to crowd-pleasers like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, 2021's Mortal Kombat reboot, and Sonic the Hedgehog, the credibility of the entire genre has received a power-up, opening the floodgates to more big screen interpretations of video gamers' favorite franchises. Whether it's fighting games, first-person shooters, or side-scrolling platformers, the list of triple-A games waiting to receive the Hollywood treatment is a lengthy one. And with Borderlands, director Eli Roth is jumping into the fray, in this colorful adaptation of Gearbox Software and 2K Games' action role-playing FPS. Set in the very distant future — the year 2864, to be exact, according to the games — the story follows Lilith (Cate Blanchett), a no-nonsense bounty hunter originally from the planet Pandora, who has spent most of her life trying to put as much distance between her and her home world as possible. Hired by the ruthless Atlas (Edgar Ramírez), the head of an intergalactic mega corporation specializing in weapons manufacturing, Lilith is tasked with locating his missing teenage daughter, Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), who was last seen on Pandora. Presumed to have been kidnapped by one of Atlas' own soldiers, a man named Roland (Kevin Hart), Tina might just be the key to unlocking a fabled vault hidden somewhere on the planet — a vault containing advanced and highly-coveted technology belonging to an ancient alien race known as the Eridians. If Lilith is to have any hope of completing her mission for Atlas, however, she may need a little assistance from a few unexpected allies. Enter Claptrap (Jack Black), a motormouthed general purpose robot programmed by a mysterious benefactor to help Lilith along her journey. After laying dormant for years under a scrap heap, he finds himself suddenly reactivated for duty, thanks to Lilith's unceremonious arrival on Pandora. Along with Roland, Tina, a scientist named Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), and a psychotic, musclebound former vault hunter named Krieg (Florian Munteanu), this rag-tag team of misfits must work together with Lilith to beat Atlas and his legions of henchmen to the vault, avoiding attacks from tentacled alien beasts and other bounty hunters along the way. Pursued by soldiers from the Crimson Lance, Atlas' own personal army led by the hard-nosed, axe-grinding Commander Knoxx (Janina Gavankar), these six antiheroes are the only things standing in the way of Atlas and his aspirations of galactic domination. But with both time and the odds working against them, will they even survive? Written by Roth and Joe Crombie, the result attempts to deliver an action-packed sci-fi adventure akin to Guardians of the Galaxy meets the recent Jumanji movies. But while the idea may have seemed infinitely more promising on paper, on screen, Borderlands plays more like shallow imitation rather than faithful, big-budget adaptation. From its lackluster visual effects and pacing issues to the film's surprising lack of energy, there are ample flaws to nitpick about Roth's helming of the beloved game franchise's big screen debut. Perhaps the most glaring negative of all, however, is the collective performance of the cast, who seem entirely disinterested in portraying their characters with even an iota of passion and sincerity. Factor in several halfhearted attempts at fan service, and you might even call Borderlands, well, borderline unwatchable. Granted, this isn't the first game adaptation to disappoint, and it certainly won't be the last. But considering the critical acclaim surrounding the source material, not to mention the caliber of the on-screen talent involved, it's all the more unfortunate to see the genre take such a huge step backwards, especially when recent video game adaptations have proven to be such a treasure trove for moviegoers. Borderlands releases August 9th, 2024 from Lionsgate Films. The film has an MPAA rating of PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material. Its runtime is 1 hr. 42 min. |
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