Director Eli Roth (“The House with a Clock in its Walls”) has been set to helm a movie based off of the “Borderlands” video game series by Gearbox Software. The combination seems like a match made in heaven, as Roth is known for strong violence and gratuitous gore, while “Borderlands” most noticeable feature is its high-speed gameplay where players tend to tear enemies limb from limb with a variety of colorful weapons.
The games follow bounty hunters that venture to a planet known as Pandora in search of “The Vault,” usually racking a high body count of bandits, wildlife and toilet humor. It heavily relies on its four-player co-operative factor, often inviting people to play with a group of friends. This would allow the games to carry a jovial energy and tongue-in-cheek-style of humor that would carry some fairly ineffectual storytelling.
It’s unsure if this movie would follow the same set up. However, the “treasure hunt” is a central theme for the series and it’s hard to imagine the games without it. Though it’s also up in the air as to if this film would be an adaptation of one of the games or a new story on its own. With the “Tales from the Borderlands” being seen favorably by fans, it’s possible that we might see into another part of the lore. But with Roth manning the ship, this is unlikely.
Despite Roths pedigree, it’s dubious as to how the “Borderlands” story will translate into movie form. With a heavy focus on bombastic, sarcastic action and a fourth-wall-breaking narrative, “Borderlands” was never what one would describe as clean or safely marketable. Thankfully this genre is Roth’s specialty, as his signature stamp is to apply a strong amount of stylized gore and violence. Though that doesn’t mean it’s set for any kind of success or acclaim.
While the story is known for some great character writing, many find the overarching plot to be a bit of a slog. This could be made even worse in film form, as viewers aren’t able to engage in Pandora’s violence themselves, leaving the writers to carry Pandora’s smaller moments without any support.
Video game films have a bad history; they often rest in the uncanny valley and tend to flop commercially. This could be for a variety of reasons, such as poor project management, inability to appeal to both fans and newcomers or just simple bad film direction. One does not need to look far past the pandemonium caused by the reoccurring failure to kick start an “Uncharted” movie.
The film could work in simple terms of fan-service, giving screen time to fan favorites such as series villain Handsome Jack (Dameon Clark, “Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot”). It could also simply dedicate itself to strong aesthetic action, which could be well implemented through “Borderlands’” signature cell-shaded graphics, complimented by a wide array of explosions.
Though chances are likely the film will never make it past the planning phase, as is the way with many movies with the same modus operandi, chances are good that Roth will leave at some point, causing a chaotic shift in management before getting killed by Hollywood. Granted, the recent critical and commercial success of “Sonic The Hedgehog” could imply a reversal of fortunes for the dreaded video game movie genre.
Image from Gearbox Software via YouTube
