The First Reactions To Eli Roth's Borderlands Movie Are All Saying The Same Thing

What makes the "Borderlands" video game franchise so enduring? For starters, it is a classic looter-shooter that combines the best elements of an open-world map and smooth first-person combat with a narrative embroiled in a singular sense of quirkiness that is difficult to replicate. Set in a dystopian world overrun by hypercapitalism, "Borderlands" effortlessly mixes near-future sociopolitical concerns with humanity's attempts to covet alien architecture, where every playable character emerges as distinct and fleshed-out. It is an experience that demands immersion and replay, as the franchise's roleplay elements feel fresh and audacious with every entry. "Borderlands" succeeds in balancing its brash humor with its more brutal, violent flashpoints, paving the path for a measured narrative that goes hand in hand with the thrill of player versus player (PvP) matches.

Adapting such a distinct video game franchise is a daunting task, but not wholly impossible. Prime Video's recent "Fallout" series is emblematic of that; it lovingly retains the core identity of the games while inventing a riveting tale with established in-game worldbuilding and lore. Eli Roth's rendition of "Borderlands" ... manages to do none of that, at least according to the first reactions after its world premiere on August 6, as most responses to the film describe it as "uninspired" or "a disaster." This does not appear to be a case where Roth's adaptation is merely flawed, as everything from the film's tone to its performances is being firmly criticized.

To set the mood, let's look at critic Matthew Simpson's tweet, which describes the film as "really bad." Simpson added: "I really wanted to like it, but an uninspired plot + several phoned-in performances + being stuck in a weird place where it looks both expensive and cheap at the same time make it a huge misfire."

Okay, let's dive into this.

The jump from one medium to another can be rough, especially when it comes to video games being adapted to the big screen, as the former's brand of immersion demands hands-on involvement. However, when an adaptation is completely devoid of the juice that sustained its source material, its soullessness becomes apparent. Film critic Adriano Caporusso condemned this inherent drabness in his reaction tweet, stating that "this film swaps the mayhem and imagination of the games for a lifeless, unfunny, and visually repulsive dud with annoying characters and a cast with not one ounce of chemistry."

Loud and Clear Reviews' Edgar Ortega also echoed this sentiment by stating that Roth's adaptation "feels like what an out of touch executive thinks the 'cool kids' find appealing," where there is a dearth of earnestness in favor of ham-fisted humor that does not stick the landing. Meanwhile, Movie Scene Canada's Darren Zakus tweeted a lengthy reaction criticizing the film's screenplay, CGI, and humor, calling the movie "a baffling video game adaptation" that is "not bad, but utterly forgettable."

For some reason, "Borderlands" is specifically prompting unfavorable comparisons to "Guardians of the Galaxy." Maybe it is the ensemble cast and whiffs of a bizzaro space adventure, but the influence, whether deliberate or accidental, does not bode well in this instance. Case in point: Journalist Shakyl Lambert described "Borderlands" as "easily one of the worst movies of the year," stating that it completely misses the mark in reframing legacy characters to the degree that even casual audiences will scratch their heads at this "half-baked GOTG ripoff."

There's more. Editor/film writer Barry Hertz tweeted a scathing reaction, calling it an "abysmally boring IP strip-mining," while critic Sean Patrick Kelly praised the film's "exceptional level of detail" but worried that the unfavorable "Guardians" comparisons are inevitable.

The video game to feature film pipeline has proven to be unpredictable for the most part, with failed adaptations having been labeled as such for their inability to lift said adaptation "curse," for better or worse. For example, the "Resident Evil" movies function well enough as pure entertainment vehicles but fail to capture the essence of the games, and it has been proven time and again that the sheer dread and anxiety of playing through a "Resident Evil" narrative remains inimitable in the feature film format. Moreover, some video game experiences are valuable because of player autonomy that affects the choices in the narrative; think of "Disco Elysium" and "Thief: The Dark Project," which defy the limits of a visual adaptation due to their player-dependent structure that is integral to their core value.

"Borderlands," although primarily a first-person shooter, can break away from these limitations as its canonical lore can be rebranded into an engrossing, irreverent sci-fi adventure with characters available to draw from. While live-action can do the story justice in the right hands, it is better suited for an animated adaptation, which is also closest to the games' flashy art style with jarring line-art and hyperrealistic caricatures. Crass humor works well within the animated medium without overriding the emotional aspects of such a gripping tale and allows more space for characters to root themselves in a world that is supposed to be both fresh and familiar.

Roth's adaptation seems to be leaning heavily into the crass aspects without understanding the context that makes it work. The irreverent tone of the "Borderlands" games work due to the series' strong socio-political setting, where every larger-than-life character harbors motivations that run deeper than their superficial eccentricities.

"Borderlands" will open in theaters on August 9, 2024.