The next video game movie is called Borderlands and will be released in theaters tomorrow, August 9th. Reviews of the film have already appeared online, painting a picture of the critical reception of the film.

Here at GameSpot, our Borderlands movie review gave the film a 2/10. Critic Phil Owen called it “generic” and “disposable.” On GameSpot’s sister site Metacritic, the film has an overall score of 33. Scroll down to see more reviews and excerpts from various sources around the web.

Borderlands was directed by Eli Roth (Hostel), with reshoots by Deadpool director Tim Miller, and features a large cast of big names, including Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap, and Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina.

Roth previously directed Blanchett and Black in 2018’s “House with a Clock in Its Head,” and Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford cites that relationship as the main reason Blanchett signed on. Blanchett herself said she agreed to star in the film due to the “COVID madness” and a desire to get out of the house, among other reasons.

The Borderlands movie exists in its own universe, so what happens in the movie doesn’t affect the games and vice versa. “We stay true to the characters, tone and style, but allow for independent storylines. The mediums are not the same, so the content shouldn’t be bound by the same rules,” Pitchford said.

As for the Borderlands game series, many believe that Gearbox is working on Borderlands 4 and might announce it soon.

Borderland

• Director: Eli Roth (re-shoots by Tim Miller)
• Written by: Eli Roth
• Cast: Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, Cate Blanchett, Ariana Greenblatt, Kevin Hart
• Premiere date: August 9
• Age rating: PG-13
• Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

GameSpot – 2/10

“For long stretches, Borderlands is simply unspectacular, the kind of thing you forget so quickly that it’s actually difficult not to like it with any real intensity. Except for Jack Black’s disturbing new take on Claptrap, that is.” — Phil Owen (Full review)

ScreenRant – 3.3/5

“The overall experience is still an entertaining one and I for one would be happy to have another cinema trip to Pandora.” – Tatiana Hueller (Full review)

The Hollywood Reporter – No rating

“It’s conceivable that longtime fans of the video game will get more out of Borderlands, but I wouldn’t count on it. At one point, Claptrap returns to action mode after a heavy weapon attack and says, ‘I passed out. Did something important happen?’ Not in this movie.” – David Rooney (Full review)

Diversity — No rating

“The Oscar winner (Cate Blanchett) is joined by Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jack Black in a generic game adaptation that deprives audiences of its source material’s most valuable ingredient: surprise.” – Peter Debruge (Full review)

IGN – 3/10

“Borderlands is a miserable waste of a beloved franchise, taking a crazed band of murderous misfits and sucking the life out of their first adventure together. Eli Roth is no James Gunn, and this film has none of the lovable weirdos, awe-inspiring sci-fi imagery, and otherworldly storytelling of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The hyper-stylized flair of the Borderlands games is replicated on only the most superficial level, and with a PG-13 rating, all the body-part-shredding gore, filthy humor, and uniquely wacky themes are replaced with recycled, mass-marketability-focused tedium. It’s the worst-case scenario Borderlands movie that goes against everything Borderlands stands for as a series — an abysmal failure.” — Matt Donato (Full review)

GamesRadar – 2/5

“No wonder it feels so chaotic, and the cheap-looking special effects and dodgy matting make it even worse. ‘Applaud,’ Hart quips at one point after driving an APC through the skull of a giant tentacled monster. Sorry, Kevin, but the only applause Borderlands deserves is a slow, disdainful hand clap.” — Neil Smith (Full review)