Based on the popular looter shooters developed by Gearbox and published by 2K Games, Borderlands was first announced all the way back in 2020. The movie is being directed by Eli Roth and has been in production hell for years now. But finally, our long national nightmare is almost over as Borderlands arrives in theaters on August 9. Sadly, I’m not sure its going to be worth the wait based on a scene released earlier today during IGN Live’s Day 1 showcase.

In the new scene, we see Roland (Kevin Hart), Lilith (Cate Blanchett), Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), Kireg (Florian Munteanu), and Claptrap (voice by Jack Black) in a dark underground facility filled with boxes and not many lights. It’s hard to see what’s happening.

This is supposed to be an action-packed sequence from a major motion picture, but it feels more like a pre-recorded skit from a so-so episode of Saturday Night Live. Enemies get shot and just fall down with no blood or gore, characters move around slowly even though this is meant to be a fast-paced sequence, and all of this is done to generic music that you’ll forget about the moment the scene ends.

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I just don’t understand why this is even being made. Borderlands is definitely nowhere on my list of games I want adapted. I understand I am not the arbiter of what gets made into movies, but it definitely feels like a shared sentiment among the general gaming population lol just feels like a bizarre choice

[–] acosmichippo 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

they’re about 10 years too late on this. can’t even blame the pandemic.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago

Yeah no one has been excited for it in years. It peaked a long time ago. Pre-sequel was a disaster, 3 landed with a mediocre thud, tales has a following but it’s modest. This is not going to go well.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

It's being made because there is a successful franchise to be exploited to death for the sake of earning a few more pennies for shareholders.

You aren't looking at the creative human spirit here. You are looking at a stupid money printing machine banking purely on the inertia of fans hoping for more of what made the original work of art magical.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I get that normally but my point is…can borderlands still be considered a successful franchise in 2024?

BL2 was 13 years old and it’s never hit those heights since. Each mainline release has performed poorly or mediocre and TFTB has been pretty well received but they weren’t huge releases like the main games. They’ve been sort of irrelevant for almost a decade, limping along to middling applause lol

BL3 did well financially for the most part but that was what? 5 years ago? And critically it did poorly/had no staying power. It died pretty quickly.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The first Tales was well received, but it was made by Telltale and much closer to the Borderlands 2 era. Gearbox made another one recently that was terrible and panned.

I think you're right in saying the franchise is just dead. As someone who played actually thousands of hours of BL2 in my youth, I have zero interest in the rumored Borderlands 4. I think I own all the DLC for 3 and just never bothered to play through all of it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

TWAU2 when telltale :(

[–] HappycamperNZ 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You could easily exploit borderlands- but live action? Its like a live action Kerby.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

That would be an awesome horror flick.