‘Borderlands’ movie review: Barren, boring and unwatchable

A scene from ‘Borderlands’ | Photo Credit: YouTube/Lionsgate Movies

It’s an all too familiar story in cinema history: the curse of video game adaptations. Once a cautionary tale of disasters, the genre has recently found a ray of hope with successes like HBO’s The Amazing Spider-Man. The Last of Us And recently with Prime Video ControversyYet it seems we are inevitably drawn back into the cursed abyss. LimitA film so miscalculated that it deserves its place in videogame hell.

Directed by Eli Roth, best known for his contributions to horror cult classics, Hostel And cabin FeverThis latest outing feels like a painful, ill-conceived detour from Roth’s usual terrain. Adapted from Gearbox Software’s eponymous game franchise, Limit It’s a discordant cacophony of ineptitude, a spectacle so dull it almost makes one want to walk out in despair.

The plot is a tired rehash of every sci-fi tale imaginable. There are magical artifacts, a prophecy, a group of incompatible people who must work together to save the day – if it all sounds familiar, that’s because it is. But it lacks originality Limit This is startling, as it shamelessly mixes together elements from other, far better, films and games. Roth and his co-writer Joe Crombie seem more than content to produce clichéd jokes and uninspiring set pieces, hoping that the sheer volume of noise compensates for their lack of creativity.

The film stars Cate Blanchett, whose Academy Award-winning presence can deceptively convey an air of seriousness, but her performance as bounty hunter Lilith is marred by a listless atmosphere bordering on indifference. Watching her wander through this wreckage, you can almost see the regret in her eyes. Her performance is devoid of Lilith’s endearing spark of intelligence, but instead screams contractual obligation, and honestly, who can blame her? According to Blanchett, it was either sign up for this or end her post-Wire COVID-19 has sparked a frenzy to find new objects to cut down with a chainsaw.

Cate Blanchett in a scene from ‘Borderlands’ | Photo Credit: YouTube/Lionsgate Movies

This weariness is matched only by Kevin Hart’s Roland, a character so lifeless that even Hart’s usual comedy seems bland and irrelevant. In a film that’s supposedly an action-comedy, it’s almost impressive how completely the film feels. Limit fails on both counts. The jokes are lame, the action is uninspiring, and the whole enterprise is laden with a sense of grim helplessness, as if everyone involved realized too late that they had signed up for a huge mistake. Hart’s usually sharp wit takes on a blunt edge here, his talents buried under a script that refuses to let him do anything interesting.

The supporting cast fares no better. Jamie Lee Curtis is reduced to a forgettable explanatory NPC by a script that seems determined to ruin every shred of her screen charisma. Jack Black’s Claptrap, the beloved comic relief from the game, is nothing but a snarky annoyance; an amalgamation of every annoying trope from the iconic Star Wars Presenting droids as an indestructible helper.

Meanwhile, Ariana Greenblatt’s portrayal of Tiny Tina – a delightful bundle of chaotic energy in the games – is made nearly unbearable in the film’s insistence on turning her into a no-nonsense MacGuffin. Edgar Ramirez’s Atlas is a villain so ridiculously one-dimensional it’s almost insulting, and Florian Munteanu’s Craig is, well, just there… another hunk to fill out the group with no apparent purpose other than to utter vague growls.

Visually, Limit is an assault on the senses. Pandora’s CGI landscapes look like the digital waste of a thousand abandoned projects. The special effects are so shoddy that at times it seems the characters are interacting with non-existent objects and it’s almost a relief when the film resorts to practical effects, which are unfortunately too few and far between.

A scene from ‘Borderlands’ | Photo Credit: YouTube/Lionsgate Movies

Its dusty wasteland is ruthlessly uprooted mad MaxWhile the vault-hunting plot is a clumsy echo Fallout Rich, apocalyptic lore. Ragtag misfits attempt friendship Guardians of the Galaxybut instead serves up lifeless humor like Claptrap’s recycled Rocket Raccoon shtick.

At the end, Limit This is simply a cautionary tale: it’s a reminder that not every game IP needs to become a movie, and sometimes, it’s better to leave it as is. For those who still hold out hope for a good video game adaptation, this film is a bitter pill to swallow and will likely go down as one of the most unbearable experiences to hit the big screen this year. For those who are prepared to face disappointment, Limit Nothing stirs me other than the urge to rush out.

Borderlands is playing in theaters now