Borderlandthe latest from director Eli Roth, is an aggressively grating, hackneyed take on his pixelated self.
Slowly but surely, video game adaptations are developing. We have seen films like Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Detective Pikachuand last year’s Gran Turismoinspire more trust than open contempt. In addition, HBO’s The Last of UsNetflix Castlevania, and Amazon Prime Stand out proved that not only is there hope for video game adaptations for the small screen, but that they can be just as good as anything else on the market. And they showed that maybe, just maybe, there is a future where we can get decent-to-okay movies about our favorite computer games.
Although it is not fair to say that expectations were high for Borderlandthere was a reluctant wish that maybe the powers that be would figure out how to bring this beloved space saga to the screen. Unfortunately, when it comes to progress, for every step forward there are always a few steps back. And boy, is Borderland a step back.
On the planet Pandora (no, not that Pandora), Lilith (Cate Blanchett) is a red-haired, steely-eyed bounty hunter tasked with a special mission. She must rescue Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), the kidnapped teenage daughter of corporate boss Atlas (Edgar Ramírez). It doesn’t take long for her to find the missing child, and even faster she realizes that this teenager has a mean streak, especially when it comes to throwing explosive stuffed animals. Although she doesn’t befriend this troubled youth, Lilith and Tiny Tina meet a few other loners in space. These loners include the cheeky robot Claptrap (voice of Jack Black, one of the film’s few highlights), the stuffy soldier Roland (Kevin Hart), the masked Krieg (Creed II’s Florian Munteanu) and later Lilith’s estranged foster mother and neurotic scientist Dr. Patricia Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Lost in space.
In a better film, you could see how well such acting heavyweights could play together. But in this poor film, almost everyone wanders around with such aimless fear and wayward looks that it’s hard to create an authentic sense of madness, let alone anything in the way of believable chemistry. To make up for the lack of camaraderie, Borderland is overburdened with irreverent remarks and desperate attempts at tongue-in-cheek humor, almost all of which fall flat – except when the sad lines in question come from Black’s mouth. Maybe it’s because he’s too talented as a voice actor to make mediocre material not work, or maybe it’s because he seems like one of those actors who really wants to be in the film. Black brings a strong personality and enthusiasm that you can feel in how much it stands out against the weightless atmosphere of such a failed attempt.
Don’t underestimate Greenblatt, because Tiny Tina is one of the few characters who seems inspired (and intentionally annoying). She presents it with an enthusiasm that is admirable, because it feels like she wants to be here, bringing this dead movie to life. Otherwise, Borderland has no star appeal. Blanchett feels completely out of place. While it’s appealing that both she and Hart are playing against type and trying to do something different from their screen personas, neither of them seems interested in what’s happening around them. There’s a dead stare mechanism to their work here. So much so that one has to wonder if this is a weird, meta attempt to seem like the one-and-zero versions of their video game characters. How else can one explain that such stars, who usually liven up the screen (at either their best or worst), can seem so utterly dreary?
A crew without a captain.
Aside from the terrible problems that can be seen on the screen, it also doesn’t help that Borderland there is obviously no clear vision behind the scenes. The film is attributed to Eli Roth (hostel), but with its watered-down PG-13 rating, hasty cuts and extensive reshoots of Dead PoolIt is difficult to say how much of the film can be considered his work at all. Although the director is known for producing more failures than successes, Roth proved himself to be a master of his craft with last year’s thanksgiving (which, conveniently or not, he was filming when it came to reshoots, hence Miller’s involvement) that he could bring his flippant style to the right project and achieve insane, petty success. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that luck here.
Where Guardians of the Galaxy was able to show James Gunn’s development from a cinematic joker of the Troma school to a real blockbuster filmmaker through a brave mixture of crazy humor and warm-hearted seriousness, Borderland is totally crass and classless. It is constantly searching for a desperate laugh or a pounding pulse, to the point where the film lacks time to breathe or a real sense of momentum. There are only quick cuts and rapid wordplay, none of which is particularly clever or entertaining. It is rare to see a summer film that leaves you wanting for the comparative tact of Deadpool and Wolverine (which, by the way, is 20 minutes longer.) And if you’re craving the subtlety of Deadpool, know that you’re in big, big, big trouble in space.
The end result.
Unfortunately, no matter how subdued the expectations one might have for this release from Gearbox Studios, Borderland succumbs to even deeper depths than you would initially expect. At a time when slight but firm progress has been made in the transition from video game advice to the big screen, Borderland feels even worse than some of the worst video game adaptations of the past. There was clearly potential to be had from such an inherent quality. Unfortunately, this wasteland saga is one big, galactic waste.
Borderland is now showing in cinemas everywhere. You can watch the trailer here.
Images courtesy of Lionsgate. Read more reviews by Will Ashton here.
