Summary
Cate Blanchett starred in what may very well be the worst blockbuster of 2024 inBorderlands, but her next project is about as different from the video game adaptation as can be, and should be a lock for critical acclaim.Borderlandsearned a dismal Rotten Tomatoes scorewhile bombing at the box office, and while it’s impossible to blame Cate Blanchett for a movie absolutely rife with issues, it was jarring to see such an accomplished actress star in such a bad movie. Blanchett’s legendary filmography speaks for itself, butBorderlandswill forever be a black mark on her resume.
Fortunately for the two-time Academy Award winner,the stink ofBorderlands' reviewsshould be washed away by her very next movie. While the versatile actress has never shied away from off-the-wall projects likeBorderlandsor the critically-acclaimed Marvel Cinematic Universe movieThor: Ragnarok, her greatest work as an actress tends to be of a more dramatic nature. Her next movie, which releases in March 2025, will see her turn back to more serious fare, and as a result, likely more critical acclaim.
Lilith’s Siren Powers In Borderland Explained: How She Gets Them & Video Game History
Lilith’s Siren powers in Borderlands give her an edge in a crucial portion of the film, and reflects her abilities from the original video game series
Cate Blanchett’s Black Bag Movie Sounds Considerably Better Than Borderlands
The Steven Soderbergh film has far more promise
Up next for Cate Blanchett isBlack Bag, a spy thrillerfrom Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh, written by veteran action screenwriter David Koepp. There is very little information available in regard to the movie’s plot, setting, or tone, but with Soderbergh at the helm, all of those elements will certainly blend into something worthy of applause. Koepp’s track record is almost as impressive as Soderbergh’s, as he was a co-writer on some of the best action movies of the last 30 years, includingMission Impossible,Jurassic Park,Spider-Man(2002), andWar of the Worlds.
Steven Soderbergh became the first director to helm two separate films that won Academy Awards in the same year in 2000 withErin BrockovichandTraffic.
Blanchett will be headlining an impressive cast, which should further elevate expectations of the movie’s quality. In addition to Blanchett,Black Bagwill feature Michael Fassbender (The Killer), Naomie Harris (Skyfall), Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton), and even a former James Bond in Pierce Brosnan. With this assortment of dramatic talent combined with an award-winning team behind-the-scenes,Black Bagis a near-lock for quality.
Is Borderlands The Biggest Disappointment Of Cate Blanchett’s Career?
It was a ratings and box office bomb
Cate Blanchett’s movie career is loaded with high-caliber dramatic performances, and she’s starred in some of the most highly-celebrated movies of the last 30 years. With that said, she has a number of duds in her filmography, just as any movie star with a lengthy career does. Ironically enough, one of her lowest-rated movies is a past collaboration with Steven Soderbergh: 2006’sThe Good German. She also starred in the lackluster Russell Crowe-led revisionist take onRobin Hoodfrom Ridley Scott in 2010, but neither film comes close toBorderlands.
2024
10%
2014
31%
2001
33%
2006
34%
2007
35%
2000
Video game movie adaptations have a brutal track record, but even among those movies,Borderlandsis a colossal failure. It carries the lowestRotten TomatoesTomatometer score of Blanchett’s career by a good margin, as it still sits at 10% two weeks after its release. Combine that with the abysmal box office return (just $24.2 million as of this writing on a budget of $100 million) andBorderlandsis pretty clearly the biggest disappointment of Blanchett’s career.
Borderlands
Cast
Based on the video game franchise, Borderlands is a sci-fi action-comedy film that follows Cate Blanchett as Lilith, a treasure hunter who returns to her home planet, Pandora, to find a tycoon’s missing daughter. Together with a group of unlikely allies, such as a soldier, a teenaged demolitions expert, a wise-cracking robot, and an eccentric scientist, the group will work together to save the girl - all while learning to deal with each other’s unyielding quirks.
