This movie was only an hour and 40 minutes of run time, but it felt like it took 3 hours of my life away. IF you are going to watch this movie, do not pay for it and wait for it to come to Paramount+ or wherever it is going to be streamed for free.
I will get straight to the point: I saw Borderlands so that you don’t have to. This movie was something I was excited for. With the success of The Last of Us and even The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I thought that this was a world that could translate well on the big screen.
Borderlands is an “action-packed”, sci-fi comedy film set on the planet Pandora, a lawless world filled with dangerous creatures, violent bandits, and hidden treasures. The story follows Lilith, a notorious outlaw with a mysterious past, who returns to Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful man, Atlas. To accomplish this, she teams up with an unexpected group of misfits, including Tiny Tina, Krieg, Tannis, and the quirky robot Claptrap.
But then I heard the cast, with Kevin Hart starring in it, and I went into this movie expecting him to ruin it for me. Surprisingly, it wasn’t him that ruined it. In fact, I thought his performance was well done and not the typical Kevin Hart character. The story created for the film was actually well-thought-out and carried a great premise, perfectly blending with the chaotic world of Pandora.
My issue was with the performance of everything else. The dialogue was rough, and the CGI swung wildly—from very strong in some scenes to Spy Kids 3D real fast, which was very frustrating. Claptrap, portrayed by Jack Black, was a bright spot with witty, strong comedy, but the rest of the humor seemed so forced. I love Cate Blanchett as an actress, but this was not the role for her. It felt like she was just wearing a skin, not fully embodying the character of Lilith. Pair that with the fact that you’re supposed to believe Jamie Lee Curtis is roughly 20-30 years older than her (she’s only 10 years older), and I had a big eye roll during this movie.
I was honestly close to leaving, but I thought to myself, could I take myself seriously if I couldn’t sit through the pain when I also sit through the enjoyment of other movies? This movie was rough, truly. There were some bright spots, but it really just destroyed any hope of a well-done Borderlands film. And that really sucks for me, because there are certain games that have incredible story writing, and the world deserves to see them on the big screen—Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghosts of Tsushima, and more. But if we continue to have films done like this, they may never see the light of day.
This movie is a hard 3, almost deserves less to be honest, but I give credit to Jack Black for making me giggle throughout, despite the mix of bad CGI and character arcs. This movie was only an hour and 40 minutes of run time, but it felt like it took 3 hours of my life away. IF you are going to watch this movie, do not pay for it and wait for it to come to Paramount+ or wherever it is going to be streamed for free.
