You might not be aware, but Eli Roth directed a Borderlands movie based on the popular video game franchise and it comes out this week. The official review embargo lifts on August 8, however, social impressions were free to run wild and they are not the best.
The film doesn’t adapt any specific Borderlands story but takes place in the world of Pandora and within the lore of the land. A major recognizable element is Jack Black as Claptrap, the game’s robotic guide, and your character’s sidekick. The main observation seems to be the comparison between that and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which was a reinvention of the team from the comics.
Not everything was bleak for the would-be-tentpole, end-of-summer feature. There were some actual positive impressions. Fans praised Jack Black and Cate Blanchett’s performances and fans of the franchise will love the Easter eggs.
Last year’s trend of successful video game adaptations might hit a few road bumps with the Borderlands film, but we’ll see soon enough.
Borderlands stars Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis, and hits theaters August 9.