As a long-time fan of the Borderlands video game series, I was genuinely excited for the movie adaptation. However, after reading these reviews, I feel like I just got kicked in the gut by one of those psycho bandits from Pandora. This movie seems to have missed the mark entirely! It’s like they took all the wit, charm, and action from the games, shoved it into a blender, hit ‘puree’, and then served up a tasteless slushie that left me feeling empty and disappointed. I guess I should’ve known better than to expect a masterpiece when even the chicken nugget order is more enticing! Oh well, at least now I can focus on finishing the next game in the series and pretend this movie never happened.
Initial responses to the “Borderlands” film have been quite disappointing, to say the least. To be frank, they’ve been abysmal, and its Rotten Tomatoes score is startlingly low.
Eli Roth’s film adaption of the widely acclaimed video game series started off with a critic’s aggregate score of 0%, but it has since improved slightly. Regardless of how you look at it, this isn’t a promising start for the movie. Notably, this film boasts an impressive ensemble cast including two Academy Award winners (Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis), along with Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Edgar Ramírez, Gina Gershon, and a voice role from Jack Black.
Critics unanimously panned “Borderlands,” labeling it a poorly made film. To put it plainly, the consensus among critics is that the movie is nonsense. As David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote, “It’s not a movie for critics, as the saying goes,” and he further added, “Nor is it suitable for consumption by most gamers, film lovers, or 99 percent of living organisms.” William Bibbiani of TheWrap echoed this sentiment, stating that while the movie isn’t inherently bad, it’s not intriguing enough to be so. He called it “mass-produced pap.” Cynthia Vinney from Looper also voiced her criticism, likening the film to a series of video game sequences but finding it dull instead of inspiring and tedious rather than gripping.
Borderlands seems like a pretty bad movie!
It’s fair to say that the critics were highly critical of the game “Borderlands”. To put it simply, Matt Donato from IGN Movies described it as a massive letdown, stating that it resembled poorly pieced-together studio work, disappointingly deviating from what fans love about Gearbox Software’s franchise in an uninspired and regrettable manner. Nick Schager at The Daily Beast was even more scathing, labeling the game as so dull and haphazard that not even an artificial intelligence would consider it original enough.
1. Barry Hertz at Globe and Mail had numerous criticisms, stating, “The movie is messy in tone, lacks narrative cohesion, and is heavily narrated with decisions that show creative uncertainty, making it an awkward experience even for die-hard gamers.” Over at the Financial Times, Danny Leigh offered a qualified criticism to Cate Blanchett, suggesting, “It seems likely that Eli Roth has failed in his attempt to create a blockbuster from an edgy idea. However, there are hints of something more intriguing: Cate Blanchett’s captivating charm and occasional bold energy.” Vicky Jessop for the London Evening Standard was blunt, writing, “Borderlands could very well be the worst film of the year. It is so incredibly bad that it feels like a trip back to when video game adaptations were synonymous with mediocrity.”
Borderlands might be one of the worst video game adaptations out there, according to critics
At IndieWire, Alison Foreman presents a convincing case that many video game adaptations may not be successful, stating “Eli Roth’s worst movie yet and another disappointment for AAA games on the big screen.” Two other reviewers, Dan Jolin of Empire Magazine and Jake Kleinman at Inverse, both suggested that the film ‘Borderlands’ tries too hard to emulate the success of Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, but fails in comparison. Variety’s Peter Debruge also mentioned this connection, saying ‘Borderlands’ is similar to a recent Marvel film, but arrives so soon after ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ that it feels more like a failed dive rather than a successful splash into the pool.
People who are knowledgeable about the video game, such as Collider critic Taylor Gates, expressed their opinions because they found the movie to be less engaging compared to the original. They were disappointed because the rich tapestry of complex characters and profound themes like trauma and survival, which the source material offers, seemed either neglected or beyond the reach of the film.
No, seriously — critics really hate Eli Roth’s Borderlands
Despite the overwhelming dislike from critics across various global publications, “Borderlands” managed to foster a sense of agreement and unity among them. In essence, they all agreed that this movie was not their cup of tea. Tim Robey from the Daily Telegraph suggested that there might be brief moments of lowbrow entertainment if one approaches it with minimal expectations. Meanwhile, Clarisse Loughrey from the Independent UK expressed a sentiment similar to trying to order late-night chicken nuggets while intoxicated – clumsy and ungraceful.
In the critique of ‘Borderlands’, David Rooney from The Hollywood Reporter pointed out the underdeveloped characters, stating they were more like flat, cartoonish video game personas, which didn’t allow viewers to feel deeply invested in their struggle for survival or race to reach the vault first. On the other hand, Tim Grierson from Screen International expressed sympathy for star Cate Blanchett, as this film failed to capitalize on her versatile acting skills by providing her with an opportunity to portray a gun-wielding, action-packed character. Overall, it’s evident that ‘Borderlands’ is receiving negative reviews and we’ll soon find out if its box office performance will match its critical reception as it opens this weekend.
“Borderlands” opens in wide release on August 9.
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2024-08-08 22:00