The First Borderlands Trailer Looks Like Mad Max Meets Guardians Of The Galaxy

At long last, the first trailer for the "Borderlands" movie has arrived. Directed by Eli Roth ("Hostel," "Death Wish"), this is the long-awaited adaptation of the very popular series of video games from Gearbox and 2K. Lionsgate has been getting the film ready behind the scenes for several years, and with the release date set for this summer, the studio has finally decided to show us what they've cooked up. Check it out for yourself above.

There is much to discuss here. For anyone who has played the games, Roth and the filmmakers certainly nailed a lot of the look. Claptrap (the robot character voiced by Jack Black) looks like himself. The world looks like the world of the games. It feels right in that sense. It also feels, cinematically, like a mix between Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" films and "Mad Max." Whether or not it's anywhere near as good as those franchises remains to be seen; admittedly, those are high bars to clear. Perhaps it's not fair to place the burden of expectations on this movie with those comparisons, but it's hard not to draw them when the trailer so clearly wants you to.

The movie boasts an A-list cast led by Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett ("Thor: Ragnarok") as Lilith. The core ensemble also includes Kevin Hart ("Central Intelligence") as Roland, Jack Black ("The Super Mario Bros. Movie") as Claptrap, Jamie Lee Curtis ("Halloween") as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt ("Barbie") as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu ("Creed II") as Krieg, and Edgar Ramirez ("Yes Day") as Atlas.

Roth is credited as co-writing the screenplay alongside Joe Crombie. However, Craig Mazin, of "The Last of Us" and "Chernobyl" fame, originally was credited as one of the writers. He ultimately fought to have his name removed from the project, which raised some eyebrows at the time.

This movie has had a long, seemingly troubled road. Filming originally wrapped way back in June of 2021 nearly three years ago. It's not often a great sign when a studio holds onto a completed blockbuster that is meant to be a potential franchise starter for three years. Last year, "Deadpool" director Tim Miller was brought on to handle reshoots while Roth was busy making his slasher film "Thanksgiving." It's been a journey.

Did it all just come down to scheduling? Was Lionsgate trying to avoid the film getting buried as theaters recovered from the pandemic? Were they able to address concerns during the reshoots? Right now, we have more questions than answers, but either way, it will be interesting to see how it turns out when all's said and done. The official synopsis for the film reads as follows:

Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe's most powerful S.O.B., Atlas (Ramirez). Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland (Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina's musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they'll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on the game from Gearbox and 2K, one of the bestselling videogame franchises of all time, welcome to Borderlands.

"Borderlands" is set to hit theaters on August 9, 2024.