First Borderlands Movie Images Confirm Fans' Worst Fears

Summary:

• The movie adaptation of the Borderlands video game franchise was announced back in 2015
• For almost a decade, the project has been stuck in development hell, plagued by all sorts of problems
• Now it is finally about to be released, but the first images suggest that fans should lower their expectations quite a bit

Over the past few years, movie and TV adaptations of iconic video games have taken a huge leap forward in quality, making it clear that filmmakers are beginning to understand how to get them right.

However, projects like Monster Hunter (2020) and the Halo TV series prove that there is still a long way to go for video game adaptations, and that it is too early for fans to let their guard down when it comes to such projects.

Unfortunately, it seems that the upcoming Borderlands movie has a pretty good chance of falling into the category of disappointing adaptations, as the first images from People Magazine's exclusive first look seem to be quite underwhelming.

Borderlands Seemed Like the Perfect Material to Adapt

The original space Western video games revolved around various groups of treasure hunters (as the cast of protagonists changed with each new installment) discovering the secrets of the alien world of Pandora.

The fun, cooperative gameplay, good humor, and instantly recognizable comic book-style visuals made the games hugely successful, and by this point Borderlands had become a huge franchise.

Given all that, the idea of bringing it to the big screen seemed pretty lucrative, and back in 2015 it was announced that a movie based on Borderlands was in the works, with Eli Roth at the helm.

Since then, the project has been stuck in development hell for more than five years, until filming began in 2021, but that didn't make things any easier, as the movie's release was delayed due to reshoots and other behind-the-scenes issues.

Choosing Live Action Was a Bad Decision

Now, almost a decade later, the movie is finally about to hit theaters, but fans don't seem to be thrilled with what they've seen.

They point out that making the movie live-action was a huge mistake, as without the signature visual style, the characters look incredibly silly and more like cosplayers than their in-game counterparts.

Although the movie has an impressive all-star cast, including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis, they don't really look like the Vault Hunters fans have come to know and love, making the casting choices rather questionable.

Of course, it is too early to draw any definitive conclusions, but many fans have lowered their expectations for the movie considerably.

Borderlands is set to premiere on August 9, 2024.

Source: People Magazine, Reddit