When it comes to video game adaptations, the end product is very hit or miss, with the studios behind them having subjected us to our fair share of stinkers over the years. The latest up to bat is Borderlands, with Eli Roth’s interpretation of the Gearbox Software game looking to bring Pandora to life in an explosive manner. Having given us an enticing ad campaign leading up to its release, Lionsgate has certainly done their best to generate hype. But now that the film has arrived in cinemas will it live up to it?
The film's narrative focuses on Lilith (Cate Blanchett), an infamous outlaw and renowned treasure hunter, as she returns to her home planet of Pandora. Bringing together a band of misfits, the reluctant vault hunter goes in search of the missing daughter of Atlas (Édgar Ramírez), the most powerful man in the universe. On their journey our unlikely group find themselves opposed by merciless bandits and alien monsters, with the safety of this missing girl quite possibly being crucial to the fate of the universe.
Eli Roth is at the helm of this adaptation, with the Hostel director delivering a product that is questionable at best. Blending various aspects of the Borderlands lore into one narrative, the script written by Roth and Joe Crombie ultimately proves to be over simplified and uninspiring. This leads to a vastly overambitious plot, that despite having an intriguing premise, delivers too little in return. The director also fails to produce any real excitement or drama, with the various twists and turns throughout this flick's 102 minute runtime feeling way too coincidental.
Cate Blanchett heads an ensemble cast, starring as the bounty hunter Lilith. On the whole the actress does a solid job of portraying a conflicted character, as despite differentiating from the source drastically, we still get a somewhat complex character. Joining Blanchett we have Kevin Hart as a former soldier, Roland, Ariana Greenblatt as the explosive daughter of Atlas, Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Tina's musclebound bodyguard, Krieg, Jamie Lee Curtis as vault scientists, Dr. Patricia Tannis and Jack Black as the wiseass robot, Claptrap. Despite once again wavering from the source material, the rest of the cast does a decent job of bringing variety to the film, with the overall dynamic between them for the most part being enticing.
Now it does feel harsh to point too much criticism towards the cast, with the simplistic plot and underdeveloped character profiles being the main source of negativity. Nonetheless there are unfortunately a lot of moments throughout the film where more than one member of the cast looks lost, if not unnecessary to the story development. This leads to several one-dimensional performances, with Hart in particular feeling very much like the same character we've seen in all his other films (albeit toned down). Curtis also falls into this unfortunate pitfall, with it feeling like we don't spend enough time exploring her character. Despite all this negativity, there are a couple of gems within this film, with Greenblatt's dynamic portrayal of Tiny Tina, and more so Black’s hilarious voice work for Claptrap being entertaining to say the least.
One thing that the film does succeed in from time to time is fan service, with there being various Easter Eggs related to the games scattered throughout. Whether it's Lilith taking a ride on Marcus’ (Benjamin Byron Davis) bus, the Atlas Omega shield or Claptrap connecting to the ECHOnet, there are plenty of moments that fans of the game will lap up. Despite this, there are a few aspects of the games that are overlooked more than they should, with both the Psychos and more so Skags having a very limited role. Now the former does have a more extended feature in the film, being part of a rather comical scene involving Claptrap, but neither prove to be any real threat to our vault hunters.
The main threat on Pandora for our motley crew is the Crimson Lance, with the private military company working on behalf of Atlas and led by Commander Knoxx (Janina Gavankar). Despite having great numbers at their disposal, these disciplined foes provide little to no threat, with our heroes seeming to thwart them at every turn. The fact that Atlas has such a force at his fingertips also leaves the question of why he hired Lilith in the first place, with it seeming like a mute point. Talking about the business titan, Deukalian Atlas’ role in this venture proves to be extremely limited. This isn't entirely a bad thing, as if his forces gave any form of peril for our vault hunters then it would make the scenes he does appear in all the more prominent. Édgar Ramírez does, however, give a tremendous performance as the villainous arms manufacturer, with his lack of empathy making him a very dislikable character.
Something that I was eager to see was how the production team would build the world of Pandora, and how the looter-shooter style of the video games would translate to the big screen. On the whole the landscape proves eye-catching, with cinematographer Rogier Stoffers capturing the rugged beauty of this world perfectly. As for the action and overall character design, they unfortunately leave a lot to be desired. Feeling flat and lethargic, the action sequences do little to build any form of excitement, acting more like a means to an end. The costume department also fails to capture the intricate world of Borderlands, as despite Lilith and Krieg looking somewhat true to character, the likes of Tiny Tina look more like bad cosplay. This also translates into the action scenes, with our heroes always seeming to come out with barely a scratch on them.
Verdict
Borderlands proves to be a subpar adaptation of a beloved franchise. Delivering an intriguing premise, yet failing to produce any form of drama or excitement, the film ultimately plods its way to its inevitable conclusion. The uninspired plot also proves a hindrance to the cast, as despite there being some humorous moments throughout, the film lacks the charm and carnage that the video games have been synonymous with.
3.5/10
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