"Borderlands Movie Struggles Beyond Poor Reviews"

As the Borderlands movie rolls into its premiere week, the adaptation continues to face significant challenges, including overwhelmingly negative reviews from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a notable controversy involving uncredited work by a film staff member.

Borderlands Movie Faces Rocky Premiere Week

Film Staff Says He Wasn't Credited

Directed by Eli Roth, the Borderlands movie has encountered a turbulent premiere week, marked by harsh criticism from reviewers. On Rotten Tomatoes, a leading platform for film reviews, the movie currently stands at a dismal 6% approval rating from 49 critics. Top critics have been particularly scathing; Donald Clarke from the Irish Times suggested that fans might prefer to "hammer an imagined X button" to escape the film's "wacko BS." Similarly, Amy Nicholson from the New York Times praised some design aspects but criticized the humor as largely ineffective.

Following the lifting of the social media embargo, early viewers echoed the critics' sentiments, describing the film as "lifeless," "terrible," and "uninspired." However, the movie has found a niche audience, evidenced by a more favorable 49% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Some fans have embraced the film's loud, action-packed nature. One user admitted, "Not gonna lie, I was a hater when I saw the cast. I went into it with low expectations, but I truly loved it." Another fan enjoyed the explosive action and crude humor but acknowledged that "some of the lore changes could leave people puzzled. Personally, I didn't mind too much as it made for a more compelling storyline for the film."

Beyond the critical backlash, the Borderlands movie faces additional issues. Robbie Reid, a freelance rigger who contributed to the character "Claptrap," publicly stated on Twitter (X) that neither he nor the artist responsible for modeling the character received proper credit in the film.

"Up until this point, I've been exceptionally lucky to have received a credit for every film I've worked on," Reid shared. He expressed his disappointment, noting, "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." Reid speculated that the lack of credits might stem from their departure from the studio in 2021, highlighting a broader issue within 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, emphasizing the need for industry-wide improvements in recognizing the contributions of all film professionals.