Borderlands is proof that the era of good video game adaptations is officially over
Mild spoilers ahead Border areas.
We’ve been really spoiled lately. Big budget HBO and Prime Video video game series like The last of us And Aftermath seriously impressed gamers and newcomers alike, delivering perfect adaptations of these beloved stories. Full of emotion, laughter, beautiful environments and compelling scripts, finally, gamers ate well when it came to adaptations. We’ve had a good run, right? So, can it definitely continue?
I don’t think so. This successful series of films based on video games has come to an abrupt end thanks to Eli Roth’s new film Border areas. It’s astounding how you can take a video game series that is so unique, rich in story, and full of heart and turn it into one of the most generic-looking action movies you’ll see this year, or maybe ever. When you have source material as strong and compelling as Border areasthat in itself is an achievement.
What is the Borderlands movie about?
The timeline of the game differs from what we saw in the Border areas movie, so for the sake of clarity I’ll outline how they went about the plot. It follows Lilith (Cate Blanchett), a notorious outlaw with a mysterious past, who reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora after being offered a lot of money to bring a missing daughter home to her father, who happens to be an incredibly powerful man.
The daughter in question is Tiny Tina, a character who appears in the Border areas franchise and the spin-off game Wonderland by Tiny Tina (great game by the way). A fan favorite character and a figure synonymous with the Gearbox Software franchise, movie buffs will no doubt be eager to see how she is portrayed on the big screen.
I assume the cast had fun?
Tiny Tina is portrayed poorly in the movie. I don’t necessarily think it’s Ariana Greenblatt’s fault either, because she was great in Barbie. Like the rest of the ensemble cast, she’s just given a bad script to work with, and her performance suffers as a result. It’s a shame, really, because it’s clear she gave it her all. But I can’t believe I’m saying Tiny Tina should have been more annoying, considering how often she irritates players. The characterization is so different from what Tina fans are used to, which is disappointing.
What I will say is that the other fan favorite character, Claptrap, is 70% there, with Jack Black fitting the role perfectly. As the annoying robot that follows you around, sings and makes jokes, he at least provides some comic relief. Certainly not enough, considering Border areas is a very funny franchise. Some of its jokes are painfully unfunny, even, including a bit of toilet humor that goes on for far too long. Yeah, that’s what we’re dealing with here.
It’s a shame that the film adaptation didn’t capture any of the game’s uniqueness – it felt like a generic action movie with the Borderlands logo slapped on
Only two of the playable characters from the first game make an appearance; Blanchett’s Lilith and Kevin Hart’s Roland. Those expecting to see Mordecai the Hunter and Brick the Berserker will be disappointed, as they’re nowhere to be seen, another sad omission in a game that had plenty to offer. The two characters they did focus on were fine but didn’t do much to stand out from other action heroes. The costumes could also raise some eyebrows, especially those of the main characters.
The movie is like bad cosplay
There’s not much to take away from this film, which really pains me to say. Sure, it looks nice in places and I liked some of the fictional branding, but even some of the CGI is sloppy, and considering the huge budget, that’s going to be disappointing for fans hoping to see this in IMAX or other big screen formats. It’s seriously not worth the ticket price, and there are better titles out there to spend your money on.
If you want to see it Border areasmaybe wait until you can stream it at home. That way, if it annoys you too much, you can always grab your controller and play the original games, which are a hugely funny, self-aware, stylized experience with a lot of heart. Ah, that’s better.