Spoilers are ahead for the Borderlands movie’s ending.
Summary
There’s no denying thattwo-time Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett is an asset to every film she’s part of, but, unfortunately, her character of Lilith began a chain reaction of problems for theBorderlandsmovie. An adaptation of Gearbox Software’s bestselling video game series of the same name,Borderlandslanded a dismal Rotten Tomatoes scoreright out of the gate. With terrible buzz from critics and audiences alike, director Eli Roth’sBorderlandsbecame a box office disappointment, garnering less than $10 million over its opening weekend — against a $120 million budget.
AlthoughBorderlands’cast of charactersincludes some of the games' most iconic personalities, the movie chooses not to adapt any of the preexisting narratives in a one-to-one way. By borrowing tidbits, theBorderlandsmovie is full of Easter eggs and references, but it’s also a complete narrative jumble that takes away from the franchise’s beloved and established stories and characters. For example, Ariana Greenblatt’sTiny Tina’s origins are different fromBorderlands 2— all because the story must serve Lilith’s (Blanchett) arc. It’s one of many reasonsLilith’s character doomed the movie before it even premiered.
Lilith Should Not Be The Borderlands Movie’s Main Character
Cate Blanchett’s Star Power Wasn’t Used Correctly By Borderlands
Turning Lilith into the movie’s main character was probablythe most massive mistake Eli Roth and co-writer Joe Crombie made withBorderlands. At the very least, it’s one of the biggest problems with theBorderlandsmovie, because a lot of the film’s subsequent issues stem from that early decision. Surely, landing Cate Blanchett, who has appeared in both pop-cultural hits likeThor: RagnarökandPeter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, as well as acclaimed dramas likeCarol, had something to do with Roth and Crombie’s decision-making process. It’s somewhat understandable, but also misguided.
[Lilith’s] story is given more weight from the start, which completely undermines the games' ensemble approach.
In the film, Lilith is a bounty hunter who originally hails from Pandora — the incredibly dangerous planet at the center of the franchise. Initially, she’s hired by the villainous corporate magnate, Atlas (Edgar Ramírez), for a seemingly understandable purpose: Atlas' daughter, Tina, needs to be rescued from Pandora. Even thoughLilith eventually joins forces with other misfitsfrom theBorderlandsgames, including the mercenary Roland (Kevin Hart) and Tina’s “psycho” protector Krieg (Florian Munteanu), her story is given more weight from the start, which completely undermines the games' ensemble approach.
Borderlands: What The Cast Look Like in The Film Vs The Game
The upcoming Borderlands movie is shaping up to have a stacked cast, but some of the casting choices seem to fit better than a few others.
Borderlands Doesn’t Need A Traditional Hero To Tell Its Ensemble-Based Stories
The Borderlands Characters Work Better As An Evenly-Weighted Team
In theBorderlandsvideo games, players select a Vault Hunter to control, with each character boasting a different skill tree and unique, class-based abilities. While Lilith is one of those playable Vault Hunters in the original game,Lilith isn’t necessarily more important than her comrades— Roland, Brick, and Mordecai, the latter of whom are bothcharacters who are missing from theBorderlandsmovie. Not to mention, the franchise is synonymous with co-op play, which allows players to join each other in the rollicking role-playing shooter’s adventure. Making Lilith the undeniable protagonist fundamentally changesBorderlands.
Borderlands Already Introduced The Final Boss For A Potential Sequel
Despite its awful reviews and box office failure, the Borderlands movie set up the final boss for its planned sequel—if the follow-up gets green lit.
Borderlands Changes Beloved Characters To Serve Lilith’s Story
Tiny Tina Is One Of Many Characters Who’s Altered Pretty Drastically
As mentioned, Tiny Tina is just one of themany characters who suffer from the movie’s insistence on making Lilith a chosen-one-style protagonist.Borderlandsmakes Tina the daughter of Atlas, as well as a child who was genetically engineered with biological material from the Eridians — Pandora’s ancient inhabitants. Until theBorderlandsmovie’s ending, Atlas believes Tina is the key to opening Pandora’s Eridian-made Vault, but that role ultimately goes to Lilith, who is seemingly the new incarnation of a protector deity called Firehawk. Needless to say, the characters are all written to serve Lilith’s arc.
Seriously, What The Hell Went So Wrong With Borderlands To Earn The Movie 10% On Rotten Tomatoes?
Although Borderlands is an adaptation of a hugely popular video game, the 2024 movie is proving to be a major flop for a few big reasons.
A True Ensemble Movie Would Have Been Better For The Planned Borderlands Cinematic Universe
The Future Of The Borderlands Movie Franchise Is Unclear
Clearly, transforming Lilith into a traditional hero who carries the bulk of the narrative is a disservice toBorderlands' colorful ensemble, but it’s also a huge detriment to the planned Borderlands cinematic universe. Evidently, creatives envisioned the first movie launching a whole franchise of films, which, given the source material’s approach, makes sense. In fact,the ensemble-driven games are perfect for spin-offs and sequelsbecause of all the great characters. While the future of this cinematic universe is unclear,Borderlands' biggest change from the gameshas done nothing to improve the slim odds of anotherBorderlandsouting.
Borderlandsis now in theaters worldwide.
Borderlands
Based on the video game franchise, Borderlands is a sci-fi action-comedy film that follows Cate Blanchett as Lilith, a treasure hunter who returns to her home planet, Pandora, to find a tycoon’s missing daughter. Together with a group of unlikely allies, such as a soldier, a teenaged demolitions expert, a wise-cracking robot, and an eccentric scientist, the group will work together to save the girl - all while learning to deal with each other’s unyielding quirks.
