Borderlands Review
The Plot
A mismatched team of outlaws and fugitives are forced to search together for a mythical alien treasure on the most dangerous planet in the Galaxy. They have to battle through all manner of monsters, private armies and hordes of barbaric psychos in order to survive and unlock the true mysteries of Pandora.
The Good
Fans of the bestselling video game series will be relieved that this long in development big screen outing finally made it to cinemas. As whatever its flaws this film is likely to be the only crossover media experience gamers get to enjoy for the franchise. To that end it at least manages to introduce the series to some new fans and pay knowing homage to some of the familiar and clearly beloved characters. Hopefully this also helps push the games series forward and encourages renewed efforts to ensure further instalments in the now long running series are crowd pleasing hits.
While it’s impossible to ignore the film’s obvious flaws it is fair to say that certain characters from the game series survive the transfer to the big screen better than others. Comedic robot sidekick Claptrap, voiced enthusiastically by Jack Black, is one such highlight. His antics provide the film with rare moments approaching genuine humour, standing out amidst an otherwise drab sea of miscasting and failed flat delivery.
The Bad
The biggest mystery of Borderlands is not what hidden alien treasures lie buried in the mythical vault, but why Oscar winner Cate Blanchett ever accepted the thankless task of playing the lead role in such an obviously ill-fated video game adaptation.
The 55 year old screen icon looks instantly badly misplaced in neon red hair and a costume seemingly borrowed from a low budget 90s kid’s Saturday morning sci-fi show. Perhaps director Eli Roth and the producers mistakenly hoped that shoehorning an A list dramatic actress into the role of gun toting intergalactic bounty hunter Lilith would lend the production some much needed credibility and distinguish it from other lacklustre big screen video game adaptations.
Unfortunately in reality this decision tragically backfires on the film as luring in household name stars like Blanchett and Kevin Hart only serves to emphasise their obvious miscasting and the missed opportunity to allow fresh faces to provide these popular video characters with more authentic personality.
Audiences are growing more adept at quickly sensing cash grab insincerity and sadly for Borderlands it felt painfully obvious from the first look trailer that this was a film awkwardly assembled by a marketing committee with the embarrassing goal of luring audiences into a disappointing experience. Plagiarising very obviously from James Gunn’s Guardians of The Galaxy, Borderlands tries to recreate the appealing intergalactic magic of catchy classic rock songs and wry wisecracks, but it just feels instantly inferior and joyless.
Almost every aspect of Borderlands feels borrowed and unoriginal, simply a shameless regurgitation of supposedly popular genre tropes wrapped in bad costumes and disappointing CGI. The film somehow manages to look both obviously ill-advisedly expensive and awkwardly ‘cheap’ at the same time. The planet of Pandora is a desert like wilderness strewn with literal trash piles and quite clearly cobbled together through a tragic mix of sound stages and horribly ineffective CGI.
Set against this drab backdrop of failed production value it’s impossible for even household name stars like Blanchett, Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis to invest audiences in proceedings. A threadbare script lacking in ideas, laughs or subtle plot twists also dooms the cast to total failure.
A special mention sadly also must go to young Disney starlet Arianna Greenblatt, her performance as brattish bunny ears wearing bomb enthusiast Tiny Tina is painfully obnoxious and helps push the film even closer to the brink of being truly unwatchable. The fact the much of the film’s plot requires her to be the damsel in distress the misfit band of space antiheroes must rally around to protect makes her chronic unlikability even more unfortunate.
The Ugly Truth
Borderlands is destined to be one of this year’s biggest box office misfires but deservedly so. Miscast star names an awful script and low quality production value throughout makes this a truly joyless space romp that squanders any potential the genuinely fun video game franchise might have had. It feels tragic that studios are still making these sort of embarrassingly costly mistakes in 2024. This feels like the kind of paint by numbers atrocious video game adaptations that would have been greeted with dismay decades ago. It’s a badge of shame for all involved that this film exists as such a disappointing reminder that sometimes Hollywood truly never learns.
Cate Blanchett Receives TIFF 2024 Award
Australian actor and producer Cate Blanchett will be honoured with the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival.
Its proceeds will be donated to TIFF’s Every Story Fund, which champions diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in film, reported Deadline. The TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award is given to a leading woman in the motion picture industry who has championed the careers of others and paved the way for the next generation.
Blanchett, 55, will also participate in an In Conversation With… event looking back on her career. “Cate Blanchett is a marvel. One of the finest actors in film history, she has consistently shown range, depth and audacity on screen. Off screen, she has been a tireless champion of increased equity and justice in many sectors.
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said
“Cate’s passion for the transformative power of storytelling, and her commitment to breaking down barriers for women, align with the goals of our Share Her Journey initiative. We’re honoured to present Cate Blanchett with this year’s Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, and can’t wait to welcome her back to Toronto”
Blitz Opens London Film Festival 2024
The opening night gala of the London Film Festival has been announced with Oscar and BAFTA award winning writer-director
Steve McQueen’s Apple Original WWII drama Blitz securing the coveted festival spot. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, and nine-year-old newcomer Elliott Heffernan.
Having opened LFF twice before first with 2018′s Widows and then again in 2020 with Small Axe anthology feature Mangrove, McQueen is no stranger to the festival and the premiere venue Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Many of McQueen’s other films such as Hunger and 12 Years a Slave have also been part of the BFI London Film Festival, making him something of a firm fixture during the past 16 years.
In recent years, that coveted opening slot at the festival has been taken by films such as Saltburn, Matilda The Musical, and The Harder They Fall.
Official Synopsis below for Blitz:
Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, ensues on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.
This year the 68th BFI London Film Festival — which will run from Wednesday 9 October to Sunday 20 October. Sat tuned for more exciting festival coverage.
Inside Out 2 Hits Billion Dollar Box Office
Pixar sequel Inside Out 2 had a record breaking $295 million opening weekend. Since then the emotion packed animated film has continued to dominate global box offices and has now in only it’s third week since release, pushed past the much coveted $1 billion milestone.
Not only does this achievement mark it out as the first bllion dollar success of 2024, but it also sees Inside Out 2 surpass Frozen 2 as the fastest animated film to accomplish this feat. Inside Out 2 reached the impressive box office haul in just 19 days, comparing favourably to the 25 days Frozen took to join the billionaire film club.
The stunning success for Inside Out 2 stands in very stark contrast to the commercial failure of other supposed early summer blockbusters like Furiosa and The Fall Guy.
Forthcoming releases for Despicable Me 4, Twisters and Marvel effort Deadpool & Wolverine will be hoping to follow suit in winning back cinema crowds this summer.
Highlander Reboot Sets 2025 Shoot Date
Chad Stahelski’s much anticipated Highlander reboot staring Henry Cavil is set to commence filming in January 2025, as confirmed by the director himself during a recent appearance at the Malta Mediterranean Film Festival this past weekend.
Speaking during an interview with Collider the director said
“We start shooting in January, I go to Scotland on Monday to do the final location scout… We have the right people, we have the right cast, we have the right trainers, so it’s more about how do you bring it all together and make it something [new]. It’s not Princess Bride , it’s not Crouching Tiger, it’s not Master & Commander, it’s not Zorro. What’s this new look of action or sword fighting that people could be excited about? That keeps me up at night.”
The confirmation of a firm filming date will put an end to years of development hell that have seen the proposed reboot of the classic 80s franchise stalled repeatedly since 2008. Stars such as Tom Cruise and Ryan Reynolds are amongst those who were previously linked to the project at various times only for plans and directors to regularly change.
Given The Witcher stars Henry Cavill’s devoted fanbase and his proven gifts for supernatural sword fighting excitement and the latest director seem set to finally bring the tale of duelling immortals back to the big screen.