Summary
Despite the fact that 2024’sBorderlandsis an adaptation of a wildly popular video game franchise, the new movie has been a major flop, and there are a few reasons behind its poor performance. Initially,Borderlandshad everything going for it. For years, gamers had been waiting for theBorderlandsmovie adaptation, making it a highly anticipated release. Aesthetically, the movie looked intriguing both to previous fans and newcomers. Plus,theBorderlandscastwas brimming with stars ranging from Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Yet, the movie has done nothing but fail since its premiere.
Borderlands’failure can easily be summed up by two things: its box office performance and its critical reactions. After coming out on August 9th, both of these metrics are looking less than stellar. So far,Borderlandshas made approximately $1.3 millionat the box office in its opening days. This is a dismal failure considering the movie’s significant $110-120 million budget. While there is definitely still time forBorderlandsto make more money, this is not a very auspicious start. Furthermore,Borderlands’box officemay not improve by very much considering that reviews forBorderlandshave been shockingly bad.
Borderlands: 15 Easter Eggs, Video Game References, & Secret Details
The Borderlands film features plenty of visual references, sly easter eggs, and hidden recrations of elements and characters from the game series.
Borderlands' Reviews Are Overwhelmingly Negative
Borderlands' 10% On Rotten Tomatoes Explained
At the moment,Borderlands’critical and audience reviews are quite bad. On Rotten Tomatoes, the action movie has earned 10% from critics and 51% from audiences. From the critics' perspective,Borderlandsfailed in many different areas. However, one of the main complaints was the story. According to reviewers,Borderlandsnot only feels generic, but it also lacks any character developmentor big plot moments. There is no reason for an audience member to stay invested beyond loving the original video game. Additionally, critics felt thatBorderlandshad no definitive tone, making it feel messy and confusing.
The audience reaction was not much better. While viewers also picked up onBorderlands’stagnant plot, they were especially peeved with the movie’s casting. Although the A-list actors seemingly tried their best to make the story come to life, audiences felt that most of the cast did not fit their characters. Some even felt that, on-screen, the actors seemed as if they didn’t want to be there. On the other hand,some reviewers enjoyedBorderlandsfor its unique visualsand action sequences. However, for the most part, it has gone down as a poor representation of the beloved game.
The Movie Doesn’t Embrace The Best Aspects Of The Borderlands Games
How Borderlands Changes The Video Games
A big reason whyBorderlandshas done so poorly is that it has lost the integrity of the original games.Borderlandsmade so many changesthat it no longer feels synonymous with the video game. Once again, the main perpetrator is the story. Rather than following the plot of the firstBorderlandsgame from 2009, the movie includes a strange mix of different plots from different games. This is especially obvious when looking at the movie’s characters. Where someoriginalBorderlandscharacters were cut, other characters who weren’t in the first game were brought in i.e. Tiny Tina.
Borderlandsdid not include major characters from the firstBorderlandsgame including Mordecai and Handsome Jack.
Beyond that,Borderlandssimply wasn’t able to capture the magicof the video games. One of the best parts of theBorderlandsvideo games is the franchise’s dark comedy. Unfortunately, many reviewers found the film’s humor to be cliché and overdone. It also didn’t help that the movie’s cast were so different from their characters. Lilith is 22 in theBorderlandsgames, yet Cate Blanchett is 55. The same goes for Tannis, who is in her 30s in the games but is played by 63-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis. These changes may seem small, but affect the movie considerably.
Borderlands' PG-13 Rating Doesn’t Work For The Movie Adaptation
Borderlands Needs The Original Gore
Another huge misstep forBorderlandswas its PG-13 rating. A PG-13 rating can be a good thing for a movie because it does not restrict the audience in the same way an R-rating does. However, forBorderlands,the lowered rating only made the film worse. This is becausea big part of theBorderlandsvideo games is the gore. Gamers love the violence ofBorderlands.For them, it is exciting to have the ability to use unique weapons to take out bad guys in the vibrant dystopian setting. That is what makesBorderlandsso enjoyable and distinct from other games.
Ultimately,Borderlands’PG-13 rating meant that the movie lacked a lot of the intense gorethat audiences might have expected from the adaptation. This ended up making the film feel lukewarm and unexciting. This change is especially disappointing considering recent comments fromBorderlands’stunt coordinator, Jimmy O’Dee. In an interview withScreen Rant,O’Dee revealed that they hadshotBorderlandsas if it was going to berated R, but these moments were eventually cut in post-production. In particular, O’Dee mentioned that “literally the idea and the brief was carnage, head cutting off, feet cutting off.”
How Borderlands' Production Delays & Story Changes Hurt The Movie
Borderlands Strayed Too Far From Its Source
An aspect ofBorderlandsthat could have had an effect on its success was its complicated development. The movie was released in 2024, but it was originally announced almost a decade ago, in 2015. In that time,Borderlandswent through various different hands, especially in terms of screenwriters. All in all,Borderlandshad about seven different screenwriters over the course of its development. Ultimately, that lack of stability could have been the reason whyBorderlandsfelt so lifeless once it hit the big screen. After going through so many iterations, the story had the life sucked out of it.
IfBorderlandswas intended to be the first in a film franchise, there wasn’t much reason to stuff in as much of the various video games as possible.
Another problem is the overabundance of story thatBorderlandshas. IfBorderlandswas intended to be the first in a film franchise, there wasn’t much reason to stuff in as much of the various video games as possible. There would have been time to get to those parts. However, director Eli Roth toldDexerto,“It was hard to streamline it, you know, I’m trying to throw in absolutely everything I can into the movie.” It seems as though this only served to hurt the movie, as audiences are most concerned with accuracy when it comes to adaptations.
Recent Video Game Adaptations Make Borderlands Look Even Worse
How Other Video Game Adaptations Have Succeeded
Borderlands’failure is a disappointing blow, but it is only made worse by other recent video game adaptations that have done incredibly well. In 2023, HBO’sThe Last of Usadaptation became a huge television hit, praised for its dark atmosphere and amazing acting performances. More recently, Prime Video’sFalloutadaptation has received similar acclaim. In the face of this success,Borderlands’problems become more obvious. Instead of prioritizing accuracy, the movie was more concerned with having big stars in a big story. This oversight is the biggest reason whyBorderlandshas done so poorly.
In the end, this is a tough situation forBorderlandsfans. The franchise had the potential to be something great, but after so many delays and development changes, the movie ended up taking a turn for the worse. Perhaps if the project had fallen into different hands, it would have been better. Maybe there is a chance that this could happen someday in the form of a reboot television series. However, for now,Borderlandshas given everything it has and must suffer the consequences.
Borderlands
Cast
Based on the video game franchise, Borderlands is a sci-fi action-comedy film that follows Cate Blanchett as Lilith, a treasure hunter who returns to her home planet, Pandora, to find a tycoon’s missing daughter. Together with a group of unlikely allies, such as a soldier, a teenaged demolitions expert, a wise-cracking robot, and an eccentric scientist, the group will work together to save the girl - all while learning to deal with each other’s unyielding quirks.
