A review of the movie "Borderlands", a faded but not disastrous copy of "Guardians of the Galaxy"
The unsociable and moody mercenary Lilith (Cate Blanchett with perfect styling and red hair) agrees to a lucrative job - the daughter (Ariana Greenblatt) of intergalactic tycoon Atlas (Edgar Ramirez) must be returned. The problem is that the girl has been taken to Lilith's home planet of Pandora - a junkyard of universal proportions that constantly attracts con artists, hitmen and other not-so-honest adventurers. According to legend, somewhere in the wilds of the deserts and urine-filled swamps monsters hidden mysterious vault of the ancient race of Eridians. The kidnapped Tina is considered the chosen one, for it is she who is destined to find and open the coveted cache of technology, weapons and relics of a super-advanced civilization.
Over the past year and a half, a scary thing has happened - Hollywood has finally learned how to adapt video games for the big and small screens. Now the adaptations are grossing billions at the box office ("Super Mario Brothers at the Movies"), claiming major series awards ("One of Us"), and even becoming so successful that they're popularizing the sales of first-party games ("Fallout"). It's funny, but a couple of years ago it seemed that it was "Borderlands" that would break the curse of unsuccessful screen adaptations - by some miracle during the pandemic, screenwriter Craig Mazin ("Chernobyl") and actress Cate Blanchett joined not the most prestigious project. Then there was a ghostly chance that a series of bright and exuberant shooters with edgy humor will turn into a lucrative Hollywood franchise. Four and a half years later, Lionsgate Studios is preparing to count its losses.
Journalists, insiders and analysts will one day reveal to us exactly what went wrong, but for now, superficial knowledge will suffice. The movie sat on the shelf for a long time, went through a grueling reshoot with Tim Miller (reportedly redone 60% of the scenes), Mazin asked to remove his name from the credits and left to make "One of Us" with HBO, and Blanchett tactfully explained the decision to play in the blockbuster "covid madness". Simply put, the movie theaters are clearly not showing what was once originally planned, but is this toothless and as safe as possible Frankenstein's monster worthy of the spitting of haters and humiliatingly low percentages on Rotten Tomatoes? Probably not. Netflix puts out even more outrageous broadsides every month - and besides, the experience of "Madame Web" is still fresh in the memory.
Really - fiercely and mercilessly - to hit "Borderlands" can only loyal fans of the games of the same name, who will see on the big screen only twisted and simplified lore, a miscast of Hollywood stars, well, and a minimum of black humor and inventive violence, which once distinguished the franchise against the background of competitors. Most viewers will primarily compare the blockbuster to closely related films. The most obvious parallel is Guardians of the Galaxy. Not surprisingly, the Borderlands adaptation was first announced back in 2015 - just a year after the premiere of the first part of James Gunn's brainchild. Had "Borderlands" been released 10 years ago, the attitude to the blockbuster would have been much more sympathetic: yes, a pathetic copy - again a forced partnership of comic losers and an adventure that unites the team, but you can watch it.
After three parts of "Guardians of the Galaxy", in which Gunn explored tragic backstories, masterfully built the dynamics of relationships, made fun with sarcasm and witticisms, "Borderlands" looks offensively unmodern. Heroes do not talk on the heart and do not show vulnerability - it seems to unite them only two rather nasty and traumatizing (including for the audience) episodes: when the gang is doused with urine monsters and when the heroes watch as the annoying robot Claptrack defecates bullets. Gunn's action was no less responsible for building relationships - the heroes during fights, chases and shootouts realized that you can get away with it only if you join forces. In "Borderlands" there is no funny team building or creative action - it's a death sentence for a screen adaptation of a shooter.
Another eloquent comparison with Gunn's series is the choice of soundtrack: the creators of "Borderlands" preferred the classics of the 1980s and 1990s to the hits of the noughties - Muse, The Black Keys and The Heavy. Not the worst set of bands, but none of the hackneyed songs evoke even a fraction of the emotions that arose during Fleetwood Mac's The Chain niddlerdrop from Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Oddly enough, Cate Blanchett is one of the few stars who is genuinely enjoying herself in Life's Crazy Holiday. The actress plays the cushy role and rare dramatic episodes with zeal and commitment - like Lydia Thar surrounded by geeks and cosplayers in Todd Field's final movie. One must assume Blanchett just got into the role easily - her Lilith also agreed to a dubious venture for a handsome fee. Alas, but even a two-time Oscar winner is powerless before studio laziness and cowardice - in the final scene, the famous actress is replaced by a poorly drawn computer 3D-model, attach her wings and make her slay enemies in packs. It looks so sad that you can't help but wonder: what if video game adaptations really were a mistake? Maybe Hollywood shouldn't have taken away from interested fans who make the same thing, but at least they don't waste hundreds of millions of dollars and don't ruin the filmography of their favorite stars.
This article was sponsored by Bilal Aza’ar
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