Borderlands Movie Took A Wrong Turn Than Expected

The well-known and popular video game Borderlands has been reinvented as a film and
released in early August of 2024. People were already slightly skeptical of how it would go
considering the casting of characters were unexpected and didn’t exactly match the style within
the games. However, the film had well over a $100 million budget, yet only made $4 million in
the box office, making this film on track to be the biggest bomb in cinematic history.

The film was directed by Eli Roth, who is known for twisted films and excessive use of gore.
Not only did the film receive a PG-13 rating, which is out of the norm for Eli Roth, but the
director himself has never played the games himself. The lack of gore and dark comedy that
was a huge focus on the games was a huge reason why this film flopped, and it surprised many
fans considering Roth is known for violence and brutal gore in his films.

Another reason this film spiraled downward was because of the casting. Many of the actors,
especially Kevin Hart’s role, did not fit the characters portrayed in the games. People have
mentioned that Hart should have been played by someone “more threatening” or known for
violent roles. Two characters, Brick and Mordecai, were absent from the film and the young
gunslinger in the games, Lilith, was played by 55-year-old Cate Blanchett. Many question the
acting choices, and it was one of the biggest complaints by viewers.

Should this popular video game have been turned into a film? While it works for some, it doesn’t quite work for others.