Borderlands (2024) - "Borderlands is a Boring Land"

Director: Eli Roth
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Edgar Ramírez, Janina Gavankar
Producers: Randy Pitchford, Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Erik Feig
Production House: Lionsgate, Gearbox
Music Director: Nathan Barr
Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers
Editor: Evan Henke
Language: English
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Comedy
Runtime: 114 minutes

Plot:

Lilith (Cate Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Edgar Ramírez), the universe's most powerful SOB. She forms an unexpected alliance with a team of misfits - Roland (Kevin Hart), Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), and Claptrap (Jack Black). 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.

Performances:

• Cate Blanchett: Delivers a visibly bored, hammy take on Lilith.
• Kevin Hart: Miscast as the originally stoic mercenary Roland, delivering a performance that feels out of place.
• Jack Black: Clearly enjoys voicing the iconic robot Claptrap, adding a touch of delight to his character.
• Jamie Lee Curtis: Also delivers a hammy performance, fully aware of the film's shortcomings.
• Ariana Greenblatt: Attempts to give Tiny Tina something meaty but ends up delivering half-baked jokes and tired banter.
• Florian Munteanu: Provides a one-note performance as Krieg, based on minimal character development.
• Edgar Ramírez: Stuck in a generic villain role with no defining traits, failing to bring any excitement to the mix.
• Janina Gavankar: Tries to bring some bite to Commander Knoxx but is hindered by poor editing.

Technical Aspects:

• Direction: Eli Roth struggles to bring the action sequences to life, resulting in constrained and awkward scenes that lack creativity.
• Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers fails to make the film feel large and vibrant, often resulting in flat and lifeless visuals.
• Music: Nathan Barr provides a soundtrack that doesn't particularly stand out or elevate the film.
• Editing: Evan Henke's editing leaves much to be desired, with many scenes feeling choppy and poorly paced.
• Production Design: The film looks like Borderlands at first glance, with love evident in the design, props, and costumes, but fails to maintain this throughout.

Strengths:

• Some moments visually resemble the games.
• Jack Black's performance as Claptrap.

Negatives:

• Lack of creative action and thrilling gunfights.
• Weak script that fails to give characters meaningful roles.
• Overall flat and lifeless execution.

My Personal Take on Cinema:

"Borderlands" fails as an adaptation by stripping down the source material to a forgettable sci-fi romp lacking any unique identity. Its attempts at action and comedy fall flat, leaving the audience feeling nothing rather than a healthy level of anger. The film's inability to capture the absurdist fun and humor of the games results in a sad affair that makes viewers wish for a better use of their time. Despite some visually appealing moments and Jack Black's enjoyable performance, the film is ultimately a painful disappointment.

Rating: 2/5