On the packaging, Borderlands looks like exactly the kind of movie I would enjoy. It’s got a space adventure, a bunch of action, and hot people. I’m easy to please in a lot of respects. And this movie initially checked all my boxes and felt like it would be something I would enjoy. Not love because I don’t know the game and I’m not invested in this world. But I was willing to give it a chance after watching the trailer because you never know what media can unlock in you. For all I knew I would end up playing the games afterwards because I needed to know more about this world. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. And the only thing I was left with was a growing love for Cate Blanchett kicking butt.
As was probably inferred already, I don’t play video games like that. I’ll play Animal Crossing on my switch but that’s as far as I’m going to get into the gaming world. So I was never going to get the in-game references and was really hoping that the movie would find a balance between game lore and bringing this to a general audience. Because I’ve seen other movies do it recently, to my shock if I’m being honest. Video game adaptations, like anime adaptations, usually end up falling flat on their face. But I think the success of Fallout as a TV series gave me hope. But after watching Borderlands, there was no hope. Because as a movie it spent more time being a straight adaptation of the video game instead of something that even the general viewer can enjoy.
The dialogue for Borderlands was stilted and felt like it was plucked straight from the video game. The same thing could be said for the info dumps that happened or the way that they just threw us in the middle of everything with the expectation that we already knew what was going on. And don’t get me wrong, I’m down for figuring things out and exploring new worlds. But you ease people into big worlds like this, especially if it’s a multi-million dollar movie adaptation like Borderlands that has a cast that includes Blanchett and Kevin Hart. You take your time and you invest in the consumer, whether they play the game or not. Because you want them to come back for a sequel. At this point, I don’t think Borderlands is going to get a sequel and if it does I’m not going to be watching.
Admittedly, there were some saving graces in Borderlands. I did like the relationship between Hart’s character Roland and Ariana Greenblatt’s character Tiny Tina. There was a father-daughter kind of thing going on there where they chose to face things together in this world. Unfortunately, the movie didn’t explore that enough. Instead they tried to push this relationship between Blanchett’s character of Lilith and Tiny Tina that didn’t work. And it was really surprising because separately both actresses are talented. But in the scope of this story, they just didn’t fit. I didn’t feel the emotional connection between them or care about the journey they were on as a duo.
Blanchett herself was the main star power of this movie despite the trailers making it seem like it was more of an ensemble kind of thing. She was the lead. And I think the movie could have done a better job with her as a character if she had some dimensionality. Her character Lilith could be described as being the basic archetype for a no-nonsense bounty hunter with a dark past. That doesn’t work in 2024 and at this point I’ve seen this character dozens of times over. For Lilith to have worked, she would’ve needed a spark of relatability or to be more humanized in her struggles. Instead I just made due with what I got and swooned over her action sequences. One was when they were in that wild car chase, and she opens the door, puts her foot on the door, and leans her body out to shoot back at the people that are following them. There’s also a scene later on with her wielding a flamethrower. It was a moment I will never forget. *more swooning*
But even with the star power of Blanchett, Hart, Greenblatt, Jack Black, and the ever talented Jamie Lee Curtis, Borderlands couldn’t lift off. The only thing that lifted off was Blanchett’s Lilith when she suddenly got fire wings and I felt like that meme from Veep where she’s confused and asking what’s going on. Because it was admittedly delightful to watch Lilith float around with flame wings. But it was delightful because it was so outrageously weird that you couldn’t stop watching. That’s not a good thing. And I feel increasingly let down because I tried with Borderlands. I really really tried to give this movie a chance because I love sci-fi. But even Blanchett, even my love for sci-fi, and even my love for strong women, couldn’t save this movie.
Borderlands could have been something fun. I miss a good space adventure. But I’ve seen better constructed stories and dialogue from TV shows or movies on the Syfy channel. And those are basically put together with a wish, Canadian production backing, and like $10 in comparison to the millions that goes into Hollywood films. And if Lionsgate tries to make a sequel sometime in the future, I’m hoping that it takes into consideration the notes here and from fans of the game who loved the premise of this movie but shuddered at the execution.
Borderlands is now playing in theaters?
