Attention gamers: Pandora’s box is about to open, unleashing starry live-action versions of Borderlands‘ quirky Vault Hunter characters. Whether you can’t wait to see Cate Blanchett in a video game movie or feel fiercely protective of the Gearbox Software franchise’s lore, here’s everything you need to know before takeoff.
When is Borderlands being released in New Zealand?
Borderlands is screening in New Zealand cinemas on August 8.
Borderlands
What is Borderlands about?
Dragging the loot-hunting RPG action of the Borderlands games onto a bigger screen, the film follows four humanoid misfits (and one yappy robot) onto the “worst planet ever”—Pandora, where the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful man might be found. (Yeah it’s the same name as the planet from James Cameron’s own space opera series—let’s not dwell on that.)
Alien monsters and violent bandits will get in the gang’s way, with our heroine Lillith’s memories of her home planet acting as another obstacle.
The cast of Borderlands
Cate Blanchett dons a bright red cosplay wig as mysterious outlaw Lillith; Kevin Hart is the mercenary Roland; Ariana Greenblatt plays pint-sized demolitions expert Tiny Tina; boxer Florian Munteanu is the masked and musclebound Krieg; Jamie Lee Curtis plays cracked scientist Tannis; and Jack Black lends his vocals to annoying robot Claptrap.
The rest of the cast is pretty damn stacked, too, with Edgar Ramírez as domineering Atlas and Gina Gershon as a character named Mad Moxxi. There’s a slew of familiar comic faces as space freaks and geeks, including magician Penn Jillette who voiced a character in Borderlands 3.
Borderlands trailer
Why we’re excited about Borderlands
Video game adaptations have been getting stronger and stronger lately, with The Last of Us and Fallout both impressing us via the small screen; while the open-world wackiness of the Borderlands games could’ve been expanded into a more sprawling series, director Eli Roth will hopefully be able to contain its wild worldbuilding into a solid feature. We’re crossing our fingers for a space opera version of the recent Dungeons & Dragons movie—but we also have a feeling nothing might satisfy the die-hard fans of the game series.
