I watch popcorn movies, but the movie Borderlands isn’t even fun

VINCE Vaughn recently went viral after his steamy interview with Sean Evans on YouTube’s Hot Ones show.

Vaughn pointed out something that all viewers already knew: that Hollywood is more focused on games based on popular IPs than creating something original.

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He said: “Those in charge don’t want to be fired any more than they want to do something big.”

Vaughn’s career is marked by comedies such as The Wedding Crashers and The Break Up, films that are not currently made despite their moderate success.

Now, films need to be tied to an already popular intellectual property in order to get made, which is why we’re seeing a rise in superhero storytelling.

That’s not to say these films are bad; Movies and TV shows based on video game IP vary in quality, but reach the heights of The Last of Us and Fallout, or can be categorized as “dumb fun” like The Super Mario Bros.

Yet we are now sorely devoid of mid-budget films that simply say something about life, be it a comedy, romance or horror, that sheds light on the human condition.

In exchange for these fun films, we received soulless action films based on popular IPs where none of those involved seemed passionate about the project.

Which brings us to Borderlands, a recently released film based on the popular game series from Gearbox Software.

Borderlands, as a video game series, is popular for its stylized look and offbeat humor, though its edgy nature hasn’t aged well in the 15 years since the original game’s release.

The film doesn’t know who it’s for and it doesn’t care either. The cast is full of highly talented actors and yet we’ve never had a more boring 102 minutes.

Cate Blanchett gave one of the best performances of 2022 in Todd Field’s TÁR, but there was nothing she could do with the bizarre mix of unnatural dialogue and stiff poses that director Eli Roth inflicted on her.

Jack Black captures exactly how hateable Claptrap is in the games, but it doesn’t make for a fun viewing experience.

All the talent in the world couldn’t avoid the massive amount of unnecessary exposition and obviously signaled humor.

Borderlands has no life, and no amount of half-baked action sequences, manufactured unearned thrills, and cringe-worthy attempts at witty jokes can revive it.

Towards the end, it almost begs the audience to forgive how relentless and monotonous it is, but it’s too late.

If this movie doesn’t stop studio executives from salivating at the sight of every IP that hits their desks, nothing will.

We all need to vote with our wallets and start saying no to films that disrespect our intelligence and waste our time.

If you want to read about a successful video game adaptation, check out our review of the Fallout TV show.