Borderlands Movie Faces Hurdles Beyond Negative Reviews

Borderlands Movie Faces Tumultuous Premiere WeekFilm Staff Alleges Uncredited Work

The Borderlands movie adaptation directed by Eli Roth has continued to face a rocky premiere week, with initial reviews being overwhelmingly negative. On Rotten Tomatoes, a prominent film review site that compiles critics' reviews, the movie currently holds a 6% rating based on 49 critic reviews. Top critics have not been kind, with Donald Clarke from the Irish Times remarking that fans might wish to "hammer an imagined X button" to escape the film’s "wacko BS," while Amy Nicholson from the New York Times noted that although some design elements are commendable, the humor mostly falls flat.

When the social media embargo lifted earlier this week, early viewers and critics also shared largely negative impressions, noting that the film felt "lifeless," "terrible," and "uninspired." Despite the harsh criticism, a subset of Borderlands fans and movie-goers seemed to appreciate the movie's loud, action-packed style. Currently, the film has a somewhat more favorable audience score of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. "Not gonna lie, I was a hater when I saw the cast. I went into it with low expectations, but I truly loved it," one user noted. Another fan also expressed their taste for the film’s explosive action and crude humor, but noted that "some of the lore changes could leave people puzzled. Personally, I didnt mind too much as it made for a more compelling storyline for the film."

However, it seems that the Borderlands movie's troubles don't end with poor reviews. Recently, a controversy arose involving a member of the film’s production staff. Robbie Reid, a freelance rigger who worked on the character "Claptrap," recently revealed on Twitter (X) that neither he nor the artist who modeled the character received film credit.

"Up until this point I've been exceptionally lucky to have received a credit for every film I've worked on." Reid then expressed disappointment, saying, "It just stings that the one to finally break the streak was the last film I worked on at a studio. And for such a significant character too." He noted that the omission of the credits might be due to him and the artist leaving their studio in 2021, and added that this type of oversight is unfortunately common in the industry.

"My disappointment lies with the general industry and how it treats/credits artists. It's a long on-going problem, and I'm sad to see it's still widespread based on replies. But I'm heartened by the support shown, and I hope it can lead to change for our industry," Reid concluded.