bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

James Mottram

2/5 stars
After sophisticated video game adaptations like HBO’s The Last of Us, we go back to basics with Borderlands.
Based on the console series from Gearbox Software, Eli Roth’s ensemble is a messy sci-fi shoot-’em-up that is unlikely to thrill either devotees of the game or newbies to this fantasy world that rips off Mad Max, Avatar and Star Wars.
Australian actress Cate Blanchett, reuniting with Roth after 2018’s children’s fantasy The House with a Clock in Its Walls, plays Lilith, a hard-bitten bounty hunter with mommy issues.


In the midst of her latest job, she receives an offer she can’t refuse from the mysterious Atlas (Édgar Ramírez). He wants her to find his missing daughter Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), who has been kidnapped by one of his own soldiers, Roland (Kevin Hart).
His urgency to retrieve Tina is not out of fatherly concern, but from the belief she is the daughter of Eridian, meaning she has special powers to open something known as The Vault.
Before that, there are three keys to collect when Lilith arrives on the hellscape that is Pandora, “the worst planet in the galaxy” as Atlas puts it.

Coming along for the ride is Claptrap (voiced by Jack Black), a robot character that has been dormant for years but is programmed to help Lilith on her return to this world she once knew.
With his squeaky voice and endless stream of consciousness, he will surely go down in the annals of most annoying movie characters ever.
There’s also a thankless role for Jamie Lee Curtis, as a woman with connections to Lilith’s backstory, but at least Roth gets a handle on capturing the vibe of the game.
The rocky outcrop that is Pandora, a planet-wide scrapheap painted in mustard yellows and sickly greens, is neatly put together by the art department and the VFX team.

It’s also pleasing to see Blanchett, sporting a bright red crop of hair, in a rare blockbuster outing.
An actress who can pretty much do anything, she evens bring a two-dimensional video game heroine to life. And there is something quite pleasing about watching her brandishing a flame-thrower and burning through foes.
It is a shame, then, that the plot peters out, straining for any kind of emotion (and failing) in the final third. The whole treasure hunt for The Vault really is nothing short of a quest for fool’s gold, while a narrative twist in the tale barely raises an eyebrow.
By the end, it really is game over.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


Who are Chris Evans’ sisters, Shanna and Carly? The ‘all singing, all dancing’ siblings grew up with the Marvel star and their other actor brother, Scott Evans, and have attended their Oscar parties

Meet Blake Lively’s ‘angel’ niece, Kate Johnson: Robyn Lively and Bart Johnson’s teenager attends college in New York, and went to Pharrell Williams’ Tiffany event and Ryan Reynolds’ Marvel premiere

Hollywood is ‘really exhausting’ for young women, Florence Pugh says

Who is Connie Angland, Billy Bob Thornton’s 6th wife? Angelina Jolie’s ex, who stars in Taylor Sheridan’s Landman, was hesitant to remarry, but his special FX artist partner might just be for keeps …

American cinema

Borderlands movie review: not even Cate Blanchett can save this video game adaptation

Cate Blanchett (left) as Lilith and Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina in a still from Borderlands. Photo: Lionsgate

Cate Blanchett as Lilith in a still from Borderlands (category IIA), directed by Eli Roth. Kevin Hart and Edgar Ramírez co-star. Photo: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate

Kevin Hart as Roland in a still from Borderlands. Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate

(From left) Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, and Cate Blanchett as Lilith in a still from Borderlands. Photo: Lionsgate

Deadpool & Wolverine movie review: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman bring the MCU back to life

Ryan Reynolds (left) as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in a still from Deadpool & Wolverine. Photo: Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios and Marvel

Hugh Jackman (left) as Wolverine/Logan and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson in a still from Deadpool & Wolverine (category: III), directed by Shawn Levy. Photo: Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios and Marvel

Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova in a still from Deadpool & Wolverine. Photo: 20th Century Studios and Marvel

Hugh Jackman (left) as Wolverine/Logan and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson in a still from Deadpool & Wolverine. Photo: Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios and Marvel

Twisters movie review: Twister repackaged with better visual effects – and Glen Powell

(From left) Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Glen Powell in a still from Twisters (category IIA), directed by Lee Isaac Chung. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon

Daisy Edgar-Jones in a still from Twisters. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon

A still from Twisters, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.

Fly Me to the Moon movie review: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum lead space race romcom

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in a still from Fly Me to the Moon.

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in a still from Fly Me to the Moon (category: IIA), co-starring Woody Harrelson and directed by Greg Berlanti.

(From left) Channing Tatum as launch director Cole Davis, Woody Harrelson as government operative Moe Berkus and Scarlett Johansson as advertising executive Kelly Jones in a still from Fly Me to the Moon.

Channing Tatum as Cole Davis and Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Jones in a still from Fly Me to the Moon.

Inside Out 2 movie review: Pixar adds new teenage emotions to coming-of-age sequel

A still from Inside Out 2. Photo: Disney/Pixar

Inside Out 2 follows the emotions of 13-year-old Riley. This time the original emotions (left of screen, clockwise from left: Fear, Sadness, Joy, Disgust and Anger) are joined by Anxiety (right), Envy, Embarrassment and others. Image: Disney/Pixar

Netflix movie review – Ultraman: Rising is a wholesome take on the Japanese superhero

A still from Ultraman: Rising. Photo: Netflix

A still from Ultraman: Rising, directed by Shannon Tindle and voiced by Christopher Sean and Gedde Watanabe. Photo: Netflix

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

This video game adaptation fails to push the right buttons, despite Cate Blanchett’s best efforts, although it does capture the game’s feel


Cate Blanchett shines in this video game adaptation, but the sci-fi shoot-’em-up is let down by a faltering plot, some annoying characters and a lack of emotion.


Film reviews

Cinema

Fame and celebrity

Hollywood

What to do in Hong Kong

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | Borderlands movie review: not even Cate Blanchett can save this video game adaptation

This video game adaptation fails to push the right buttons, despite Cate Blanchett’s best efforts, although it does capture the game’s feel