Borderlands (2024)
Directed by: Eli Roth
Premise: Based on the videogame. The planet of Pandora is a wasteland of murderers and bandits searching for a vault that contains the secrets of the universe. A group of misfits team up to prevent the vault from falling into the hands of an evil corporation.
What Works: Much of Borderlands looks good. The film is set in a futuristic world populated by all sorts of characters and the set design and costuming are quite detailed. Spaces such as Tina’s home on Pandora have a lot of quirky details. The costuming of each of the lead characters is distinct; everyone has a specific look that is relevant to the background and demeanor of their character. The special effects, while not groundbreaking, are generally well rendered and the picture marries the visuals of first-person shooter videogames with the aesthetics of contemporary sci-fi action filmmaking.
What Doesn’t: Borderlands is intended to be a popcorn action picture. The story assembles a ragtag group of heroes who must get a McGuffin before it falls into the wrong hands, a premise we’ve seen in the original Star Wars, The Fifth Element, and Guardians of the Galaxy. The conceit is not done well at all in Borderlands. It’s a movie that looks and sounds like a fun sci-fi action spectacle but fails in virtually every respect. These kinds of stories are about a group of strangers with unique skills who overcome their differences and come together as a team. These people are not interesting, partly because no one in Borderlands has depth of character. Their costumes give them a distinct look but that’s as far as the film goes with characterization. They also lack any compelling reason to team up. The film opens with Roland (Kevin Hart) rescuing Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt) from prison. He’s betraying the military to save her but it’s never clear why he’s doing that or what his relationship is to her. The characters are flung together by circumstance but there is no common goal binding them together. That speaks to Borderland’s narrative problems. This is a quest movie with no sense of direction. It’s not clear what the characters are fighting for and there are a bunch of other groups including a professional army and bands of marauders but it’s unclear who these people are and why it matters that the contents of the vault not end up in their hands. There are no stakes to the story which makes the film really boring. It doesn’t help that the action is often badly staged. The fights and shootouts are a collage of images but they lack style and the action isn’t presented in a way that makes sense.
Bottom Line: Borderlands plays as a 102-minute trailer. It superficially looks and sounds like a Hollywood sci-fi spectacle but is has none of what actually makes those movies successful or enjoyable. Despite its steady action and violence, Borderlands is exceptionally boring.
Episode: #1009 (August 18, 2024)