'Borderlands' Review: DOA Blockbuster Filmmaking
Yet another video game adaptation has made its way to the big screen with borderlands, a lifeless and joyless affair that wastes its talent and potential in equal measure.
Borderlands follows a bounty hunter named Lilith (Cate Blanchett) who is tasked with retrieving and returning the daughter of a powerful man named Atlas (Edgar Ramirez). Along the way she not only encounters his daughter but an array of other colorful characters in the post-apocalyptic landscape of the planet called Pandora. Joining Blanchett in this impressive cast is Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jack Black who voices a robot named Claptrap.
The film is helmed by director Eli Roth, most known for the Hostel franchise, though his filmography has proven to be quite eclectic over the past several years, vacillating from hard-R horror like Thanksgiving to family adventure films like The House With A Clock In Its Walls. Unfortunately, Roth’s sensibilities aren’t a match for this material, the director unable to grasp a firm tone or the action sequences. It’s clear from the outset that something just isn’t working. It becomes clear very quickly that it’s the pairing of Roth’s bland direction and script, which he also co-wrote.
The only saving graces of the film are the stellar production design, crafting a wholly unique, tactile world for the audience to engage with, and Blanchett’s game, lively performance. Blanchett can simply elevate any film she’s in with her considerable talents and this film is no exception. She seems as if she’s the only one attempting to have any fun with the material, relishing every outfit and action sequence she can despite her extremely underwritten character. Blanchett deserved a far better film and sandbox to play in, as did the rest of this talented cast.
A subpar script could’ve been mitigated by some above average action sequences, but unfortunately the set pieces in the film are not only very forgettable, but sluggish, awkward, and uninspired. It’s clear as day that this film yearns to echo the tone and fun of similar films like Guardians of the Galaxy or more recently Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but it fails miserably to capture the energy or propulsion of those two films. Roth seems out of his depth in those sequences, each action set piece failing to excite or impress, a true disappointment considering all the toys at his disposal.
However, the film’s biggest failures lie within its character development and attempts at humor. The main cast mainly come across as two-dimensional caricatures, never learning much about them throughout the story. While the script aims to flesh out Blanchett’s character, it’s done so in such a rushed, flippant manner that any emotion that could’ve been wrought out of the material is completely absent. As for the humor, it’s embarassing how unfunny this film is. There are plenty of jokes throughout the film’s runtime, but not a single one lands, cringey jokes flying at the audience in droves. The writing feels notably lazy and cliche, even failing to utilize the comedic talents of Black and Hart, who are given truly awful material to work with.
The story is also a glaring issue in the film. While the film had plenty of mythology and lore from the video games to take inspiration from and expand upon, it fails to bring anything new or refreshing to the table. As a result, the film feels like grab bag of ideas, characters, and story cues from other far better films. In other hands, this could’ve been a far more fun and inventive action adventure that could’ve laid the groundwork for a franchise brimming with potential.
Borderlands is a complete misfire across the board, failing to capitalize on its talent in the front of the camera and the boundless potential of its source material. What could’ve been a highly entertaining, sprawling cosmic adventure instead comes across as a joyless, inert piece of blockbuster filmmaking. This cast deserves better and more importantly so do the fans of the revered video game franchise.