Borderlands movie director, Eli Roth, admits in an interview that he had always wanted to world build interesting visual movie films. Read on to find out which films he took inspiration from and see insights from fans of the game.
Borderlands Director Eli Roth’s Inspiration
Borderlands movie director Eli Roth spoke at CinemaCon last Thursday, sharing that his inspiration behind the film adaptation came from movies such as Barbarella, Fifth Element and Star Wars. All of these are sci-fi fantasy movies with striking visuals, implying that Roth may have opted for a similar feel for Borderlands.
Roth further mentioned that the budget for Borderlands is higher than the $15M budget of his previous project, Thanksgiving. Though he doesn’t specify by how much, it was apparently enough for him to create something that is "wild and visual and just fun," allowing him to achieve the level of world building he wanted to bring for the movie.
In a separate interview with Variety during the CinemaCon, Roth says that he "loved the game" and wanted to create a movie that had fun and magic. He continues on to say that he loves big popcorn sci-fi movies, films that serve only as enjoyable entertainment and do not carry weighty messages or much intellectual depth as defined by yourdictionary.com.
While a director’s vision isn’t always in the final product, Roth happily stated that he is confident that he achieved his vision for the movie and that it all worked out in the end.
Borderlands Fans’ Mixed Reception
*[1] Image taken from reddit
Despite the anticipation surrounding Borderlands’ cinematic adaptation, it’s worth noting that not all fans of the game are equally thrilled with the upcoming film. While some are eagerly waiting, several others are still questioning casting choices. Especially of note is Cate Blanchett as Lilith, as her real life age is more than double the game character’s canon age.
One reddit user chimed in, saying "I was excited for this movie until I recently played the games. Now I’m iffy on it. I’m hoping for the best. What I’ve seen looks decent but (to beat the metaphorical dead horse) the casting choices are questionable."
In the same Variety interview, Roth shared that Blanchett accepted the role because she loved the classic B-movie "Escape From New York." He remarked that Blanchett’s character as a musical conductor in the film Tár was well received, so why not "put a flamethrower in her hand?"
Whether it proves to be a faithful adaptation of the game or a departure from established lore, the Borderlands movie’s journey to the big screen promises to be an intriguing one, sparking discussions and debates among fans and critics alike.
Source:
Borderlands Director Interview with Fandango Page
Borderlands Director Variety Interview
*1 Borderlands Fans on Reddit
Pop-Corn Movies Definition
Stoaty, you are much more optimistic than me. really don't know what they were thinkin with the casting
This is so exiting! Definitely checking this out when it comes out. Hope the adaptation is good.