'Borderlands'-An Impressive Space Western

'Borderlands' movie poster. Taken by William Beavers. Courtesy of Lions Gate Ent., Inc.

In one of the newest video game-to-screen adaptations, Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart led a quirky Guardians of the Galaxy tribute in Lionsgate’s Borderlands, directed by Eli Roth. Blanchett was Lilith, a bitter bounty hunter in a Blade Runner-esque planet who gets called to rescue a titan’s daughter, Tina, played by Ariana Greenblatt. But just because she’s a youth, doesn’t mean Tina’s to be trifled with. Wait till you see her unleash her exploding bunnies. She's like Louise Belcher from Bob's Burgers with a face that resembles a young Zendaya. Tina's first protector was Roland, played by Hart, who showed more action initiative than his prior character in Central Intelligence. Adding to this unlikely band of merry heroes were the seldom speaking yet ready-to-rumble Drax knockoff Krieg, played by Florian Munteanu from Creed II, C-3PO/R2-D2/Wall-E wisecracking Claptrap, voiced by Jack Black, and mother hen and girl-in-the chair Tannis, played by Jamie Lee Curtis.

Contrary to other critics, I really liked the movie. Watching Blanchett was like watching her return as Hela from Thor: Ragnarok with more of a funny side and a bit of Charlize Theron from Atomic Blonde and Han Solo from A New Hope. It was funny when she managed to turn the tables on some toxic male bounty hunters. The next thing I knew, she went to a planet with areas similar to Rango, The Fall Guy, and Mos Eisley’s cantina from A New Hope, playing a reluctant yet capable protagonist. Black brought some Kung Fu Panda back into his work, along with his talkative servant attitude, then some awkward cussing and fighting energy when it came to psychotic mercenary shootouts. 

Hart also brought the thunder when defending Tina and the team, even when he got caught in gruesome alien encounters. I thought Munteanu didn’t get much to say, but he still acted like the life of the party on the battlefield. It took a minute to see what Curtis could bring if not a huge fighter, but I did appreciate how she reminded Lilith not to be a loner anymore, regardless of some childhood traumas that still haunt her. While she was in horror work and Everything Everywhere All at Once, I felt like this was a game-changer for Curtis, like a first time into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Part of the filming was done in Canada and on green screens, but the props and action made it look like Mad Max: Fury Road and other adventurous filming places. Good work for the VFX and cinematography team! And because it didn’t have the same Hans Zimmer sort of sounds I heard in Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, I mistook composer Steve Jablonsky for Junkie XL, often credited by his birth name Tom Holkenborg, because of all the heavy guitar music. Nevertheless, there was still great scoring. And great use of the Black Keys in the end credits.

I give the movie an 8/10 for cool thrills, laughs, and acting. Feel free to tell me what you think for those of you who actually played the video games.