What Went Wrong with the Borderlands Movie?

Lionsgate Films’ Borderlands was finally released on August 9th after what seems like forever since its announcement. You could be forgiven for not knowing about it – many were probably blissfully unaware of its existence until the latest slate of trailers showcased what a trainwreck it would be. With a budget of $110-120 million, it earned roughly $8.8 million in its opening weekend – an utter disaster. If this were the next game in the franchise, Gearbox would probably have to lay off employees or shut down entirely.

The critical response hasn’t been any better. Out of 99 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, nine percent – yes, nine – are positive. On Metacritic, Borderlands has an average Metascore of 27 from 31 critical reviews. There have been criticisms over its pacing, dialogue, and horrendous humor, but others point out how predictable it is.

Some have noted that the film doesn’t lean enough into the insanity or gore of the games, which is funny considering Mad Max is an inspiration for Borderlands. My favorite is probably from PC Gamer, who cited that even if this was to be some grand “righting of the scale” for movie adaptations, Borderlands isn’t even as interesting as the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie.

What happened? Honestly, it’s easier to say what didn’t. Announced in 2015, the Borderlands movie has seen numerous changes and production delays. Shifting screenwriters, script rewrites, reshoots – even the composer was replaced. Though it’s not unheard of for such things to happen in Hollywood, it’s still a coinflip as to whether the project is worth watching, if released at all (see Warner Bros. and Coyote vs. Acme or Batgirl).

In the case of long production cycles, it’s not uncommon for studios to release a long-delayed film to see some returns, quality be damned (which didn’t work out for Borderlands). Some may not even know it’s been in the works for so long. After all, the franchise was arguably at its peak with Borderlands 2 in 2012. Borderlands 3 did well enough financially but earned significant ire from fans and critics for its terrible dialogue, story-telling, plotholes and stilted characterization when it launched in 2019.

If you watch the film, much less its trailers, or know anything about its plot, it’s clear that those in charge aren’t necessarily trying to adapt any single story from the games. It instead takes the characters, setting, identifiable weapons and vehicles, and tosses them into this mess of a storyline that only vaguely follows the first game. And that’s only the beginning of all the problems.

To start with, the cast comprises Roland, Tiny Tina, Krieg and Lilith. Now stop there for a second and ask when this could be set. Then consider that Lilith is a bounty hunter hired by the Atlas corporation to rescue Tina. Why? Because she’s the daughter of Atlas. Also, Lilith is native to Pandora and hasn’t been to the planet since childhood. No, you’re not misremembering the original game’s events – the film is just that bad.

Things only worsen when it’s revealed that Tina is supposedly created from the Eridians’ genetic material. The only reason Atlas wants her is to open the Vault on Pandora. There’s some hint of the Destroyer inside by the end, and oh, Tannis is Lilith’s foster mother. I won’t spoil the grand “twist” but suffice it to say that the handling of the Eridians and the Sirens is bizarre.

Besides the horrendous story and how it leverages concepts and plotlines from the series willy-nilly without any regard, the casting is simply not it. Cate Blanchett is talented, and somehow manages to lend a bit of class to what’s essentially a rundown production, but only highlights just how horrendous everything else is in comparison.

I can appreciate Kevin Hart for taking Roland’s role seriously, but once again, he’s far from the first choice when you consider Roland’s character. Jamie Lee Curtis is wasted in such a restricted role and not even Jack Black as Claptrap feels right. These are all big names on paper, but as films like Dolittle and The Suicide Squad have showcased over the years, they won’t guarantee success, especially when misused like in Borderlands.

Then there’s the humor. Maybe it’s because I’ve become desensitized to the series, but even going by the trailers thus far, I’m indifferent to the comedy. It should come off as insane and off the wall, like a crude, discount Suicide Squad or Guardians of the Galaxy. Instead, it feels sterilized, dull, and insignificant. At the end of it all, I can’t help but ask, “Why?” Then again, given some of the slop Hollywood has released throughout the decades, it’s not unexpected.

When you look back on the original Borderlands, it doesn’t necessarily strike you with its incredible story-telling or characterization. Besides the Vault Hunters, noteworthy characters include gun vendor Marcus, Dr. Zed and the Psychos roaming Pandora. The dialogue and delivery are nowhere near the caliber of the second game, though they’re plenty serviceable.

Yet there was an atmosphere to it all – dark humor pervading the cartoonish facade and elements of humanity that made it feel alive. It also didn’t hurt that the looting and shooting were pretty fun, and there was genuine intrigue and mystery surrounding the Vault. Sure, the cliffhanger ending annoyed many (though it set up the sequel well enough), but Gearbox didn’t overplay its hand when unraveling the deeper lore of Pandora.

Translating all that to a movie is difficult because you’re not the Vault Hunter who’s partaking in the madness alongside Pandora’s denizens. You’re along for the ride, and that ride happens to be utterly awful when it’s not surprisingly boring. It doesn’t offer any revelations or even attempt to wrap the audience in some of the series’ more compelling elements and lore.

It also doesn’t cater to those who like the games. With everything that happened in Borderlands 3 and how disappointing the story was for many, can you imagine if Lionsgate opted to make an animated film based on the first game and leaned into the carnage? If handled well, it could have reminded fans why they loved the series in the first place. Tie it into whatever Borderlands 4 ends up being, and you have a venerable marketing tool.

Of course, the keywords are “If handled well.” Borderlands isn’t a failure only because of its production troubles, miscasting, terrible script, lack of understanding of the franchise, unclear vision, and whatnot. It’s an abject failure because it’s simply borrowing elements from the games and wrapping them in a formulaic Hollywood blockbuster that does nothing to capture that signature feel.

Maybe it’s harsh judging it by the standards of critically acclaimed video game adaptations like HBO’s The Last of Us or Amazon’s Fallout. Production kicked off in 2015 – how could Lionsgate have known that it wouldn’t have nearly as much awful company when it launched?

Nevertheless, expecting anyone to pay to watch it in any year is unreasonable. At the end of the day, it serves as a reminder that companies can take an adaptation – even one that should be as straightforward as Borderlands – and, one way or another, ruin it beyond repair.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.