‘Borderlands’ Review – This Video Game Adaptation Is a Fun But Bumpy Claptrap

The Big Picture

• Some standout performances by Ariana Greenblatt, Jack Black, and Jamie Lee Curtis elevate
  Borderlands
  , but the ensemble is far too bloated.
• Strong fight choreography and vivid settings provide solid action and adventure scenes.
• Rushed plotlines and lack of character development weaken the film’s potential.

Video game adaptations have had a rocky history, with everything from Assassin’s Creed to Rampage getting less-than-stellar reviews. The past few years, however, have seen that this doesn’t have to be the case, as The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Five Nights at Freddy’s have proven to be box office smashes, and shows like The Last of Us and Fallout have become Emmys darlings. Can Borderlands follow that trend, or is it going to be game over as soon as it hits theaters?

What Is ‘Borderlands’ About?

Borderlands is based on the role-playing first-person shooter game that first came out in 2009 and spawned several sequels, prequels, and spinoffs. The film hones in on one character of the possible four to play: Lilith (Cate Blanchett), a rough-around-the-edges bounty hunter. Lilith is a lone wolf and likes it that way. Still, when she gets roped into finding the powerful Atlas’ (Edgar Ramírez) feral daughter, Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), she’s forced to team up with an unexpected ragtag team that includes an elite mercenary named Roland (Kevin Hart), a masked psycho named Krieg (Florian Munteanu), an obnoxious robot named Claptrap (Jack Black), and a brilliant, yet socially awkward scientist from her past named Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis).

This dysfunctional group must travel across Lilith’s home planet of Pandora (a place she absolutely despises), collecting keys to open up a mysterious vault (a mission she despises even more) — all while trying not to be killed by power-hungry bandits and menacing alien creatures. Throughout the increasingly whacky and dangerous treasure-hunt-slash-wild-goose-chase, the group discovers surprising secrets about their pasts, destinies, and each other.

‘Borderlands’ Cluttered Cast Detracts From Its Strongest Element

The cast of Borderlands is an embarrassment of riches — there’s no question about that. It includes some of the most bankable talent in Hollywood, not to mention several Oscar winners. Unfortunately, this mostly works to the film’s detriment rather than contributes to its success, as it’s simply too cramped for any one character to get the time and development they need to be wholly compelling. Gina Gershon and Janina Gavankar, for example, are clearly having a lot of fun in their roles as tough bar owner Moxxi and Commander Knoxx, but Moxxi is given very little to do, and Commander Knoxx’s plotline is rushed and confusing, culminating in a bizarre twist that feels like it was haphazardly thrown in last minute.

Despite its crowded ensemble, however, the heart of the film emerges early in the form of the relationship between Lilith and Tina. Girl dads have been discussed a lot in recent years, with dynamics like Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in Stranger Things and Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) from The Last of Us capturing hearts everywhere, and it’s refreshing to see a twist on this trope with a woman at the helm. The film allows Lilith to be rather cold and not particularly maternal, and seeing the unique bond she forms with the fiercely independent and rageful Tina is far and away the most intriguing thing going on. It’s just a pity the film forgoes focusing more on it to instead include more half-baked plots for the peripheral characters.

And that’s not the only relationship that suffers. Tina and Roland’s dynamic is another central part of the story, but we rarely see them interact apart from an opening scene, and Roland, in particular, feels woefully underdeveloped. Tannis and Lilith have a juicy, complicated history, but instead of being delved into, it’s grossly oversimplified and glossed over. The two’s traumatic past with one another could be a chance for delicious character work — the kind Curtis and Blanchett have proven time and time again they shine with — but instead, it’s wasted, utilized only to drive the similarly simplified plot along.

The Performances in ‘Borderlands’ Are a Mixed Bag

It makes sense, then, that Blanchett struggles a bit with her character at the beginning of the film, her sarcastic delivery oddly stilted. The movie seemingly can’t decide whether it’s going fully comedic or embracing gritty darkness, and her deadpan delivery hovers between the two, not knowing which way to fully commit. When she is allowed to dig deeper and play more dramatic emotional moments, she delivers the way we know she can, but it begs the question of whether it was an example of incorrect casting or simply a weak script.

Funnily enough, it’s the young Greenblatt who steals the show and gives the most interesting performance. She has a grasp on Tina from the beginning, gleefully skipping around and blowing things up with her explosives-ridden bunny stuffed animals. She nails the comedy, infusing Tina with a cocky confidence that’s a figurative and literal blast, but she’s also given the chance to show off her dramatic chops, which she excels at in equal measure.

Black and Curtis are similarly solid choices for their roles, each understanding the assignment. Claptrap is persistently annoying, but he’s supposed to be, and Black knows how to sell it so he’s comedic relief for the audience while being a nuisance to the characters around him. It’s especially impressive considering some of the cringe-worthy lines he has to say — ones that would emit groans in less capable hands. Curtis goes all-in on her anxious genius character, bringing an endearing quality to the mad scientist. Not to mention it’s pretty damn cool to see a canon autistic female character over 60 solving problems and kicking ass.

‘Borderlands’ Is a Fun But Bumpy Ride

Borderlands is an action-adventure movie at its core, and it undoubtedly delivers on that front. The action — especially the hand-to-hand combat and more acrobatic fight choreography — is a blast, particularly against the acid-wash steampunk aesthetic. A few of the settings, including Tina’s hideout place and Moxxi’s bar, are especially immersive and fun, and utilized well. It’s when the film begins relying on more CGI that things start to fall apart a bit. I admittedly know very little about special effects in that regard, but even I felt the climactic battle looked rather cheap and dated — not a great sign.

The film suffers when it comes to pacing, too. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have a movie sit well under two hours — something the majority of films these days don’t seem to do — but the speed at which plotlines get resolved feels rushed instead of efficient, the breakneck pace sacrificing clarity and much-needed tension and stakes. There are a few effective twists and surprises, but a great number of plotlines can be seen coming from a mile away, whether you’re familiar with the game or not. This isn’t an inherently bad thing, but this film’s very theme is that it’s about the journey and not the destination, and Borderlands doesn’t give you nearly enough time to settle in and enjoy the ride.

Borderlands is ultimately a fun if flawed and rather unmemorable summer blockbuster. It’s just disappointing that the source material has so much more to offer in terms of its layered characters and complicated themes of trauma and survival that the film seems either uninterested in or incapable of tapping into.

Borderlands comes to theaters in the U.S. starting August 9. Click below for showtimes near you.

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