Sitting at a whopping 3% at Rotten Tomatoes, it's clear to see that nobody likes the Borderlands movie. Anybody who saw the any of the pre-release trailers more than likely saw this coming from a mile away.
That 3% from Rotten Tomatoes includes 0 Fresh scores from top critics and just 1 Fresh score from all critics. It seems the only positive review came from someone that is a big fan of Cate Blanchett, citing the actor as the only reason they enjoyed the movie at all.
Likewise, Metacritic's average score sits at just 31% based on 21 critic reviews. Amusingly, Metacritic also lists just one moderately positive review. Though it's from a different reviewer and outlet compared to the single positive review at Rotten Tomatoes, this review also praises Cate Blanchett and how "she seems to be having the time of her life" in the role.
Based off of the Rotten Tomatoes averages, there are only three major films based off of video games that have reviewed worse than Borderlands. They include the 2009 direct-to-video Tekken, as well as two Uwe Boll films: Alone in the Dark (2005) and House of the Dead (2003). This order may change slightly as more reviews are added to Rotten Tomatoes.
If you, for some reason, do want to go see this film, it should be hitting your local theaters on Friday, August 9. It stars Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Jack Black as Claptrap, and several other notable actors.
Borderlands was directed by Eli Roth. Ari Arad is a producer. The list of executive producers include Gearbox's Randy Pitchford and Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick. The film was initially shot with Roth in mid-2021, and reshoots with Tim Miller happened in January 2023. In June 2023, Craig Mazin (writer on The Last of Us, Chernobyl) removed his name from the film, stating that he "cannot claim any kind of authorship of 'Borderlands', much less 'co-writing.'"
A selection of review excerpts can be seen below.
And yes, that image is indeed ClapTrap violently crapping out a pile of bullets/casings, as taken from the latest trailer.
Hollywood Reporter - 30/100
It’s conceivable that longtime fans of the video game might get more out of Borderlands, but I wouldn’t count on it. At one point, Claptrap returns to operational mode after a heavy-weaponry assault and says, “I blacked out. Did something important happen?” Not in this movie.
SlashFilm - 4/10
Borderlands makes a point of not being different enough to upset the fanbase, but it's also not unique enough to win over new audiences, either. It's a movie for everyone and no one, a film so unwilling to make a splash that it barely makes a peep.
IGN - 3/10
Borderlands is a catastrophic disappointment that plays like hacked-to-pieces studio slop, betraying everything fans adore about Gearbox Software’s franchise in derivative, regrettable taste.
Rolling Stone
Borderlands Is an Insult to Gamers, Movie Lovers and Carbon-Based Lifeforms. We'd say it's the worst video game movie ever — but that's way too limiting
GameSpot - 2/10
Borderlands comes in at a very brief 102 minutes in length, which you might be tempted to reflexively celebrate in our current landscape of hella long movies. But there's a reason longer movies are en vogue--more time allows for more depth, and depth is what Borderlands is missing the most. But that's what happens sometimes when a movie spends four years in post-production being repeatedly reworked--over time, everything gets sanded down into nothingness.
IndieWire - C-
The definitive worst film of Roth’s career and another strike against AAA games brought to the big screen.
It’s conceivable that longtime fans of the video game might get more out of Borderlands, but I wouldn’t count on it. At one point, Claptrap returns to operational mode after a heavy-weaponry assault and says, “I blacked out. Did something important happen?” Not in this movie.
SlashFilm - 4/10
Borderlands makes a point of not being different enough to upset the fanbase, but it's also not unique enough to win over new audiences, either. It's a movie for everyone and no one, a film so unwilling to make a splash that it barely makes a peep.
IGN - 3/10
Borderlands is a catastrophic disappointment that plays like hacked-to-pieces studio slop, betraying everything fans adore about Gearbox Software’s franchise in derivative, regrettable taste.
Rolling Stone
Borderlands Is an Insult to Gamers, Movie Lovers and Carbon-Based Lifeforms. We'd say it's the worst video game movie ever — but that's way too limiting
GameSpot - 2/10
Borderlands comes in at a very brief 102 minutes in length, which you might be tempted to reflexively celebrate in our current landscape of hella long movies. But there's a reason longer movies are en vogue--more time allows for more depth, and depth is what Borderlands is missing the most. But that's what happens sometimes when a movie spends four years in post-production being repeatedly reworked--over time, everything gets sanded down into nothingness.
IndieWire - C-
The definitive worst film of Roth’s career and another strike against AAA games brought to the big screen.
