The Borderlands movie tried to split the difference between a PG-13 rating and original story appealing to a more general audience. But they were not interested
If they wanted to make this movie a success they should have had ONE PERSON from the writing, directing and (most importantly) casting team sit down and play the games.
And funny fucking Deadpool is kicking its ass with an R rated movie. When these assholes going to learn. Mostly adults go to movies and we are fucking adults we don’t want pg13 bullshit. If I am going go to a 30 dollar movie better be damn good. Save your piss ass movies for direct to streaming. I’m sure Netflix or someone would of gave them 10 million for exclusive rights. That made them extra 2 million not counting all the marketing and cost of distribution.
I’d argue it’s not the rating but the writing.
Sure, it’s easier to write a good story when only the overtly “gross” is off limits, but there are plenty of great stories where all the horror of its setting or events are only implied. It’s all about how the story is told.
Hollywood does have a very full history of dumbing things down to the point of boredom even outaide of ratings, so I’m not surprised what so ever that this movie flopped.
It would’ve either took excellent writing exploring the story the games present further than the games ever did, or an R rating so the spectacle could be, “Mad Max with scifi”.
Hollywood had no chance of either with a pg-13, though that’s because bean counters HATE paying for good story tellers.
I usually try to remind people that The Dark Knight is PG-13 and it’s arguably a pretty great action movie that doesn’t feel like the violence is toned down.
I mean the Joker stabs a guy in the skull with a pencil. It’s fast and brutal but it doesn’t need a lot of blood or gore to sell the moment.
Moneyschmucks: We got the IP! That’s literally all that matters! Fuckos will eat this up because of the name! Brands! Oh my brands! The textbook says everyone blindly follows the brand!
… These people are the disease affecting all “major” media. Video games or otherwise. It’s why indie devs are making way better games than the “AAA” Arrogant Abusive Asshole dev corporations.
The second I saw Kevin Hart, I was done. I’m just not a fan.
I don’t dislike Kevin Hart when he’s appropriate for the role. But Roland is not a role that Kevin Hart should play. Unless he was going to perform differently than every other role I’ve seen him in, he’s not the right fit.
He did perform it differently and it lacks everything that makes Kevin Hart a decent watch.
But, honestly, not the worst part of the movie.
Man, no. They cut out Brick and Mordecai! The Rock was born to play Brick! You mostly just yell angrily and be big!
It was obvious from the casting and trailer that they were more interested in ticking boxes than actually making a good movie
I was talking to my mom about that last night. She’s never played the games, but I showed her a couple of pictures of Roland and Lilith and then told her who they cast and even she said, “what the fuck?” Kevin Hart is terrible in pretty much everything, but casting him as Roland made it immediately clear that no one involved in this movie cared at all about the games. And I love Cate Blanchett but she’s also about 20 years too old to play Lilith.
I just can’t figure out why they thought anyone who didn’t love the games would care about the movie, but that seemed to be the audience they tried to attract.
It’s also just sad. Roles like these could mean a lot to actors in earlier stages of their career, who might actually fit the roles they are supposed to be playing. Instead it ends up being an embarrassing footnote in the careers of established Hollywood millionaires because the soulless producers wanted to create a cash grab.
I’m happy I don’t care about this IP. It must suck for those who do.
a movie for everyone is a movie for no one. tell a story and don’t apologize.
They shouldn’t wait for 10+ years to do a movie based on a game.
and maybe don’t butcher every shot of the movie thats based on a franchise known for somewhat krass humour and mowing through countless hordes of enemies by trying to make it pg-13.
Pg13 Doom movie
I also just learnt that there was a Doom movie in 2005 starring The Rock?!
I don’t think that’s the problem, though. It was just made by people who clearly don’t give a shit and were just trying to cash in on the fact that there are actually some not terrible movie and TV show adaptations of games being made lately.
The Last of Us came out 11 years ago and became a critically-acclaimed TV show. And Sonic and Mario are ancient by video game standards yet made some good movies. Those IPs are still getting new installments which keep them relevant, but so is Borderlands, with Borderlands 3 only turning 5 next month.
But I think the other part of it too, is that Borderlands basically stopped being relevant years ago. It’s built on some “you had to be there” Millennial humor that people don’t really find funny or original anymore. It’s a series that peaked in high school and thought it was too cool to care about long-term goals. When it turns into a movie and tries to stand on story alone, without the unique art style or passable gunplay that serve as the games’ few remaining charms, what substance is there?
For borderlands though I’d say it was at its peak popularity with borderlands 2. None of the games after that really made a mark. And the characters are using is directly lifted from that game. And the gameplay loop is basically just a looter shooter with humor. Any serviceable story. In the very least handsome Jack was done well. Using this much of borderlands 2, would have been better when borderlands 2 was still a bigger game. Or just putting in a borderlands setting but with all new characters. And I still need better casting and better writing.
Sonic has been around forever, has had numerous games, TV shows, various other media (toys, shirts, etc.). And the movie used some elements from the games but then hard code itself to the game.
And last of us, is a heavily story-based game. The story that pulls elements that have existed and pop culture for a long time. I mean to be blunt it’s just another zombie story.
It’s not even timing issue, they can’t even tell the story faithfully or have accurate detail. Reading the plot makes me scratch my head. Why is Tina’s parent someone from Atlas? Why is Krieg even here? Where’s Mordecai and Brick? It’s a horrible fanfic, that’s why it failed.
