Knives are out for Borderlands… very low critic scores, pretty low (so far) LB ratings, based on a video game, delayed for a long, long time, and a pretty iffy trailer. So color me surprised when I had a blast with this big, dumb, LOUD pulpy sci-fi action/adventure film.
The flick is about a junkyard world that has a mysterious vault containing something hand-waving that all sorts of crazies are trying to find. Cate Blanchett is a space bounty hunter trying to track down a missing kid marooned on this world… and she falls in among a bunch of weirdos to help her.
Borderlands does what it sets out to do… to be a fun piece of nonsense cinema that’s about as low-brow as you can get. It isn’t out here trying to change the world or offer up a heartbreaking examination of the human condition. There are plenty of movies like that… this one’s dumb with a capital um.
It reminded me of an 80’s throwback sci-fi action adventure in its basic purity and tone. It specifically reminded me of Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone… only with, you know, a budget and an irrationally good cast. Saying anything reminds me of Spacehunter wouldn’t normally be a positive, but there’s something straight-forward sci-fi pulp about this flick. And I enjoy my sci-fi pulp… just ask Rebel Moon.
Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Gina Gershon are somehow all in this movie. They are joined by some up-an-comers and “hey it’s that guy” actors like Ariana Greenblatt, Haley Bennett, Janina Gavankar, and others. Some of these make sense, others don’t, but they mostly all make their limited characters work.
Mostly… Kevin Hart really doesn’t belong in this movie as his character only exists to fill the video game bill. Jack Black’s voice over work isn’t great either… he plays the fan favorite junkyard robot Claptrap but he brings the wrong energy. Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina also doesn’t fit the video game bill… but that would have been a bad thing if she did (game Tiny Tina would be insufferable in a movie). Greenblatt is actually quite solid as her version of the character.
The action and special effects are all very good… I was having a blast with most of the noisy gunfights and loud crashing noises. Until perhaps the final act which was a little much… way too busy and visually noisy to be a satisfying conclusion.
This flick is just a big noisy sci-fi explosion fest with minimal characterization from maximal actors. I’m sure it’s going to annoy a lot of people and the ratings will be low, but I love this kind of pulp when its done well. And I say it’s done well.
Score: 84