Based on the game with the same name, Borderlands is coming to theaters with their iconic action and humor. There seems to be a curse when translating video games to live action. Film adaptations based on IP that originated from other forms of media is common, studios all throughout history try and fail but occasionally get it right without butchering the source material, like The Last of Us on HBO which was also critically acclaimed. However, this project may see the same level of success if executed right, but so far the filmmakers have nailed one thing.
Looks are everything and if the costume department and casting director worked symbiotically then the end product that fans will likely receive will be a one-of-one perfect adaptation. Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett stars as Lilith and upon a closer look of her character from the teaser trailer, it is safe to say she looks the part and hope her performance will deliver. Gearbox certainly has a level of commitment for the franchise when they began collaborating with Lionsgate and entrusted them in the hopes of doing justice.
Borderlands is borderline… visually accurate.
The cast is no strangers to the genre of video games being adapted to live action, Jack Black lent his voice and starred as Bowser in the animated film Super Mario Bros. last year from Nintendo and Illumination which was also a success and will play Claptrap.
The character designs were ripped directly out of the game and judging photo, these actors mean business. Veteran actress Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Tannis, comedy star Kevin Hart is Roland along with actress Arianna Greenblatt who is on a roll nowadays being part of other films and series such as Barbie, Ahsoka and Avengers: Infinity War will be playing Tiny Tina.
Overall it looks quite promising but if history has taught us anything when it comes to highly anticipated games being thrown at Hollywood is to keep expectations low and hope for the best. Sony has been firing on all cylinders with PlayStation Productions where their IPs are being worked on by various studios. As long as they can get the fans to accept this new version, then they are bulletproof from that and critics will be far more
Can the live-action curse end with Borderlands?
The reason behind certain franchises being adapted is for new fans to be welcomed, sometimes it is just plain corporate greed. Purists are vocal about what they are passionate about because to them it’ll hurt more than the studio’s reaction to critics and the box office. As long as they don’t deviate from the source and capture the core of the games then it may survive development hell.
There are people out there who will never hear of these titles because of the barrier set in between which is having to play rather than experience the story and that the games themselves are already cinematic masterpieces.
It is quite a struggle to adapt games into movies or a TV show that’ll generate sequels and spinoffs but realistically, filmmakers have a difficult task of capturing the same success that the source material delivered while bringing something fresh and new to keep up and attract new eyes.
