A first group of people have now seen the Borderlands movie and, after the social media embargo was lifted, have shared their opinion, which is mostly that it is pretty bad. Critics and early viewers of a fan event are very blunt and very open: they didn’t like it very much. We see words like “lifeless” and “unbearable” And “amazing.” Praise is rare among these initial reactions and, if there is any, it is weak – only a very few provide short, relatively positive summaries.
I hope that this reaction does not surprise anyone: it would mean that they have overlooked the numerous people who have seen this film after the FirstThen secondThen final Trailer released. A crazy big-budget adaptation of a video game series that is universally panned is almost a fait accompli – especially when it doesn’t have much to offer other than an all-star cast and budget.
“I really wanted to like it,” said Reporter Matthew Simpson (via GamesRadar), who further said that the film had an “unimaginative plot” and “several half-hearted performances”.
The film “Borderlands” is an action comedy directed by Eli Roth and stars the likes of Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Florian Munteanu and Cate Blanchett as the characters from the first game – Claptrap, Roland, Lilith and the others – who go on an adventure to, of course, rob an ancient and secret treasure trove of its numerous treasures.
Cate Blanchett, for example, said she was probably only in this film because “a touch of Covid madness” after being locked up at home for too long and unable to do anything but work in the garden.
Oh hey, I can tell you that I’ve now seen #BorderlandsMovie and it’s really bad. I really wanted to like it but an uninspired plot + several lame performances + being stuck in a weird place where it looks expensive and cheap at the same time make it a huge letdown. pic.twitter.com/nek6r0CuTm7 August 2024
Adriano Caporusso from Bitesize Break said that it “swaps the chaos and fantasy of the games for a lifeless, unfunny and visually repulsive flop.”
BORDERLANDS is a disaster. This film is chock full of every cliche imaginable, trading the chaos and fantasy of the games for a lifeless, unfunny and visually repulsive flop with annoying characters and a cast without an ounce of chemistry. Follow @bitesizebreak for more. pic.twitter.com/3iT70Kexgm7 August 2024
More positive opinions came from people who were clearly genre or game fans and liked Borderlands more for its origins than as a standalone film. They generally noted things like a “exceptional level of detail for those who have played the video games” or called the film a “Hellish film” as a “supplement to the Borderlands universe.”
This probably bodes well for people who are excited as Borderlands fans, but not for success with a wider audience. We’ll see how it goes when the film premieres in a few days, on August 9th. Until then, you can #BorderlandsFilm on Twitter if you want to find more reactions from the wild.
