Film Review – Borderlands (2024)

 

After a decidedly wobbly start, adaptations of video games have been on the up, both in of quality and popularity. Big screen hits like Sonic The Hedgehog – its third instalment is due at the end of the year – and streaming successes like The Last Of Us and, more recently, Fallout, have helped give their tarnished reputation a touch of polish. But there’s a long way to go before they have the kind of credibility they need and Eli Roth’s version of the space western fantasy, Borderlands, isn’t going to help their cause.

The plot, such as it is, centres on bounty hunter Lilith (Cate Blanchett) who finds herself mixed up in a battle for control of the galaxy, including her home planet Pandora (where have we heard that name before?). Her latest contract takes her back there, and it’s a job she’s reluctant to take on: tracking down Tiny Tina (Jack Black).

We’re instantly on familiar territory – so familiar that it soon descends into cliché, with originality in short supply – and as the narrative lumbers on, it become increasingly like a second-rate Guardians Of The Galaxy. A much loved MCU movie and for good reason, but it was released ten years ago, times and the cinema have moved on since then yet, for some reason, Roth has decided to ignore that and simply plough on. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but that’s not the case here and his horror movie output is thrown out of the window instead of being used to give the film some edge. The result, even with his involvement in the script, is messy, incoherent and will test the patience of fans of the original game.

It’s never a good sign when continuity gaffes become more interesting than the film itself. She’s a class act, but even Blanchett can only do so much with a one note role and the ever-changing highlights in her hair soon take on an interest all of their own. Greenblatt tries to inject Tiny Tina with some energy but, as the film progresses and she is constantly on the receiving end of all manner of substances, both liquid and solid, you notice that the plaster on her nose remains untouched. Does it peel off or discolour? Hell, no! Little things, ittedly, but they point to a real lack of attention to detail as well as clearly being the result of numerous re-shoots.

Blanchett reportedly said that one of her reasons for deciding to play Lilith was boredom during COVID. You can understand the attraction. But it’s harder to get to grips with Borderlands – or should we say Boringlands? – being such an uninspired experience. One that was watched in near-total stony silence by the audience.

★

In UK cinemas from 9 August / Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Edgar Ramirez, Ariana Greenblatt, Haley Bennett and the voice of Jack Black / Dir: Eli Roth / Lionsgate / 12A