I have rather fond memories of the original Borderlands which released in 2009. I got a copy for PlayStation 3 along with a small group of friends and a number of fun multiplayer sessions followed for some months afterwards. It was not the kind of game that would normally appeal to me; as the object is less about getting to the game’s end than it is about finding better equipment and grinding up levels. It was the well integrated cooperative play, the generally unique design and the quirky tone that drew me in. Although the sequel Borderlands 2 is usually considered the better game, I didn’t do more than play through the story and I can’t recall many details about that game off the top of my head. I have barely even looked at the series since — with the sole exception of Tales from the Borderlands, an episodic adventure game from the now defunct Telltale Games released in 2014.
Borderlands was a surprise hit for Gearbox Studios who had previously been known for the two expansion packs for the original Half-Life, some notable PC ports and the Brothers in Arms series. Borderlands was so successful that it has become the main series the studio is known for— even though it came ten years after the studio was founded. A film has long been a possibility and so it is not surprising it finally got one.
From the moment the first trailer released things were not looking good for the film and it was released to both scathing reviews and a very poor box office performance. The latter is probably why I was able to see it so soon as it has quickly become available for streaming and without the usual rental period many films go through. I didn’t expect to enjoy it but I was curious enough to watch it; given I do have some knowledge and appreciation for the game series and it cost me nothing but time.
Was it good? No.
Was it bad? No.
Borderlands is just a very generic and predictable action/adventure flick. There are multiple action sequences but none are particularly memorable. It comes in under two hours and the structure and pacing is very much as you would expect. There are a few silly dramatic contrivances including one towards the end where the audience would be expected to think a main character would die while knowing full-well they won’t. The tone is quite close to that of the game in this respect where dying just means respawning with a minor penalty. Though this can’t happen in the film, the audience isn’t positioned at any point to think anything can really go wrong for the protagonists which considerably lessens any tension in the narrative.
The only aspect of the film that I think was genuinely bad is the casting. Two of the four playable characters from the original game form part of the cast with Cate Blanchett playing Lilith and Kevin Hart playing Roland. In the game, they were more player classes than genuine characters and had very little to say so there was room to develop both of them. This is mainly done with Blanchett’s character and Kevin Hart just plays himself. Neither Blanchett or Hart are bad at what they do but they are expensive casting choices and only Hart really works in this genre. Blanchett is in her fifties and better known for more dramatic roles making her completely miscast for the role.
The cast is not all bad though. The actor who played the bus driver on Pandora is perfect and just like the one in the game. Claptrap, the irritating robot that runs players through the initial tutorial (among other things), is played by the similarly irritating Jack Black. Another supporting character Mad Moxxi, a busty bar owner that is implied to be an old whore and brothel madam, is played by Gina Gershon. On the subject of old whores, Jamie Lee Curtis also appears as Dr. Patricia Tannis who is an important non-playable character in the original game and I believe appears in the second. She is out of place as one of the major characters and like Blanchett, would have added millions to the budget with no pay off. There is also Krieg, one of the masked “Psycho Bandit” characters who has been somewhat tamed. A Psycho appears on the front cover of all the mainline games and they appear everywhere as enemies. They decided to have one “good” one in this which is defensible given how closely associated with the series they are.
The final major character is Tiny Tina who is played by Ariana Greenblatt. a young actress and by far the youngest in the film. Tiny Tina first appeared in Borderlands 2 as an unhinged little girl who loves explosive that gives a number of quests to the players in the main quest line as well as appearing in her own DLC. She was voiced by Ashly Burch who is the sister of the lead writer Anthony Burch. She has been elevated from a side-character to one that brings Lilith, Roland and the other characters together. The mysterious vault of the game remains the ultimate goal but is lessened in importance as the characters are not initially seeking the vault. Tina also quickly regains her sanity when brought in with the group which is jarring given how insane she behaves when Lilith first encounters her.
The one thing I believe the movie does very well is in capturing the aesthetic of the games. Both the visuals and costume design are excellent and come very close to what I would have imagined. Blanchett is dressed almost exactly like Lilith, Krieg looks exactly like a Psycho Bandit and Hart, though bearded and a little short, does resemble Roland. I was surprised how closely they stuck to the aesthetic while being so willing to abandon other more important aspects of the game.
The one that will disappoint many and is surprising given it is directed by Eli Roth — is the toned down violence. The Borderlands series is full of comically gratuitous violence at a level that one would expect a director known mostly for horror films, would have taken full advantage of. The game was also known for the truly astonishing variety of weapons that could be found with literally thousands of variations of small and heavy arms. It seems these aspects of the game were toned down or removed to keep a PG-13 rating. Decisions like this have frequently been made in the hopes of increasing box office success and have just as often done the opposite by keeping genuine fans away.
But all the guns and gratuitous violence in the world wouldn’t have saved the film though as there is really nothing special about it at its core. If it had been me making decisions, I would have had a younger cast, included the other two playable characters from the game and simply had them have an adventure hunting for the vault as in the game. The advantage a film always had was it could add layers to the characters that weren’t really present in the game. What would have made the film interesting would have been all the odd characters that helped or hampered them along the way such as Tiny Tina and Mad Moxxi. These aspects worked well in the game and could have been done just as well in a film adaptation. Given how badly this film bombed, it is unlikely the series will see another adaptation. Mad Max 2 remains the best film about eccentric and violent characters in a desert wasteland which is where Borderlands drew much of its inspiration anyway.