“Borderlands,” Lionsgate’s big-screen adaptation of Gearbox’s iconic looter shooter, is now screening nationwide. Combining elements from the first two “Borderlands” games, the film sees mercenary turned interplanetary sorceress Lilith (Cate Blanchett) team up with Roland (Kevin Hart), Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), Krieg (Florian Munteanu) and Claptrap (Jack Black) to take on an evil weapons manufacturer lead by megalomaniac CEO Atlas (Édgar Ramírez). The movie has gotten mostly negative reviews, calling it a misstep in video game adaptations in the wake of major hits like HBO’s “The Last of Us” TV series and the popular “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies.
Variety ‘s film critic Peter Debruge wrote, “Look to Blanchett for a master class in making even the most ridiculous character sound convincing. Fans already know what to expect from Lilith, whose destiny is meant to serve as a surprise in Roth’s retelling, but she plays the flamboyant vigilante without slipping into camp (the way she did in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’). Even so, it’s hard to overlook the irony, two years after ‘Tár,’ of seeing the star embody a video game character, considering where that film’s whomp-whomp ending left her (at rock bottom, conducting video game music for a cosplay crowd).
Since gamers no doubt have their favorites from among this crew, the movie tries to give each of the leads a heroic battle against a more powerful adversary — or i.
