Spoiler alert: This column contains mild spoilers for the film and game series “Borderlands”.
Borderlands movie is terrible
On paper, the wildly popular “Borderlands” game series seems like perfect fodder for the big screen: A motley crew of space outlaws? Check. Potty humor to punctuate the intense action? Check. An endearing (and slightly annoying) robot sidekick? Check!
How could Lionsgate's film adaptation, directed by Eli Roth, be such a failure?
It's a lousy movie no matter how you slice it: "Borderlands" has a meager 5% fresh rating from critics on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, while Variety's chief film critic criticized the predictable plot, writing, "As the film progresses, it becomes increasingly clear where it's going. By the time 'Borderlands' opens its vault, even its characters don't seem to care about what's inside."