Borderlands Trailer Debut Pits Cate Blanchett's Lilith With Chaotic Company
The first trailer for "Borderlands" is here, and we're diving into its loot.
Directed and co-written by Eli Roth, the space-western-action-comedy is the latest video game franchise to receive a movie adaptation. Thanks to the series' high stakes and romping quests, Borderlands is a series that could work well on the big screen. From what we've seen here, these Vault Hunters look like they're in for plenty of explosions and even some slapstick comedy thrown in for good measure. So far, it's looking like Roth's gun-toting hunters resemble the kind of off-the-wall antics we saw in James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad."
Based on the series' first game, "Borderland" centers around various characters called Vault Hunters, who go treasure-hunting on an alien planet named Pandora. As in the game, these hunters battle humans and alien creatures alike — all in search of the mythical Vault's bounty. "Borderlands" has an almost "Mad Max" aesthetic with a lot more sci-fi elements incorporated.
While game fans have good reason to be excited, Hollywood's track record with video game adaptations isn't exactly stellar. While it's debatable what the worst video game movie adaptation is, most do not do well with general audiences. Perhaps "Borderlands" will buck that trend?
Borderlands looks like a promising adventure on Pandora
While the history of video game films may be fraught with failures, "Borderlands" has all the ingredients to succeed. This starts with what is undeniably an A-list cast. Cate Blanchett will step into the role of Lilith, one of six Sirens in the universe of "Borderlands." Kevin Hart will play Roland, who was in the main soldier class in the first game. Jack Black will portray Claptrap, a loud and energetic robot that guides players throughout all three games. Filling out the rest of the cast is Jamie Lee Curtis as Patricia Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, and Édgar Ramírez as Atlas.
However, it's worth noting that Roth comes from a horror background so while this trailer might look like fun n' games, there's a likely chance that this adaptation will ratchet up its gore levels. Whatever else can be said about the film, "Borderlands" is going all out with its extensive cast of well-known actors. Whether or not that translates to a movie that both fans and general audiences turn out for remains to be seen, but hopefully, this can be the video game adaptation to break the curse.