Summary
From the start, Eli Roth’sBorderlandsmovie leads viewers to wonder what, exactly, is in the Vault on Pandora. Based on Gearbox’s bestselling video game series of the same name, the action-comedy flick borrows fromBorderlands' eccentric cast of charactersand unique lore, but it doesn’t merely graft one of the source material’s stories onto the silver-screen experience. GivenBorderlands' dismal (and rare) Rotten Tomatoes score, the movie might have fared better had it stuck closer to the games' narrative and undeniable charm. However,the movie does retain one plot point: a cryptic Vaulton the planet Pandora.
Not only does theBorderlandsmovie invent new origin stories for Tiny Tina(Ariana Greenblatt ) and other beloved characters from the games, but it presents an entirely original spin on the series' core narrative. In the first game, Vault Hunters Lilith (Cate Blanchett), Roland (Kevin Hart), Brick, and Mordecai arrive on Pandora to search for its fabled Vault. In the movie, however, a corporate magnate named Atlas (Edgar Ramírez) hires Lilith, a bounty hunter with ties to Pandora, to locate his daughter, Tina. Eventually,Atlas reveals that Tina is the key to opening the mysterious Vault.
The Vault Contains Eridian Technology
The Eridians Were The Original Inhabitants Of Pandora
When Atlas tasks Lilith with recovering Tina from Pandora, the bounty hunter makes some crucial discoveries of her own. Tina, who’s under the protection of the mercenary Roland and the “psycho” bandit Krieg (Florian Munteanu), doesn’t want to be reunited with her father. Even though Atlas sends his private army after Lilith’s crew, they protect Tina at all costs. It’s made clear that theBorderlandsmovie’s Tina has a connection to Pandora’s Vault. Unlike her video game counterpart,the teenager was genetically engineered with biological material from the Eridians— the ancient species that once called Pandora home.
The Vault contains the lost civilization’s technology — something that could greatly benefit Atlas…
The power-hungryAtlas believes that Tina, with her biological ties to the Eridians, is the keyto opening Pandora’s Vault. Supposedly, the Vault contains the lost civilization’s technology — something that could greatly benefit Atlas' own corporation. Ultimately, Tiny Tina is unable to open the Vault, but another member of the crew holds the ability to do so: Lilith. Not only was the bounty hunter raised on Pandora, but she’s an Eridian herself — which explainsLilith’s Siren powers in theBorderlandsmovie. AlthoughBorderlandsboasts many differences from the games, the Vault’s value remains the same.
Seriously, What The Hell Went So Wrong With Borderlands To Earn The Movie 10% On Rotten Tomatoes?
Although Borderlands is an adaptation of a hugely popular video game, the 2024 movie is proving to be a major flop for a few big reasons.
The Destroyer Is The Monster In The Vault
The Borderlands Movie’s Vault Monster Is From The Video Game Series
While theBorderlandsmovie features references and Easter eggs, it also copies some elements pretty precisely from the video game series — including the monster in the Vault. When Atlas threatens to kill Tina, Lilith opens the Vault for him, but traps the corporate magnate inside the ancient bunker. In theBorderlandsmovie’s ending, a creature that dwells in the Vault drags Atlas away. In the firstBorderlandsgame, it’s revealed thatthe Destroyer was imprisoned in the Vault centuries earlier by the Eridiansin order to prevent the universe’s destruction — a twist that teases aBorderlandsmovie sequel.
TheBorderlandsmovie is now in theaters nationwide.
Borderlands
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.
