But as the marketing continued on and production issues arose, concerns about the overall quality started to mount.
It didn’t help that Lionsgate held back reviews until hours before audienceswatchedBorderlandsin theaters.
David Rooney fromThe Hollywood Reporterrepeatedly calls out this failure in his review.
He notes that"the characters remain one-dimensional not much more than cartoonish gamer avatars.
“The poor characterization of Lilith continues across the board, with all the other characters lacking true substance.
Taylor Gates' review forCollideralso notes how poorly conceived the characters are.
Custom Image by Yailin Chacon
That is clearly somethingBorderlandswants to achieve by bringing its ragtag Vault Hunters together to save Pandora.
The issue is that the movie never fully delivers on this idea.
Multiple reviews call out howBorderlands' team dynamic does not work and their bond is not believable.
William Bibbiani fromThe Wrapperfectly summarized the issue in his review.
“Without audiences and critics buying into the team’s care for each other, the narrative falls apart.
The movie is weighed down by lore, unfunny attempts at comedy, and much more.
Peter Howell’sBorderlandsreview forToronto Startakes great issue with the final script.
“Similar sentiments can be found in other reviews too.
Bob Strauss' review forSan Francisco Chroniclemakes a good point about why the movie’s action does not deliver.
Maybe Roth thought this approach would evoke claustrophobic aspects of playing a combat game (it doesnt).
The biggest annoyance when it comes toBorderlands' comedy is Claptrap based on the reviews.
The criticisms ofBorderlands' PG-13 rating continue with other reviews, such as Alison Foreman’s forIndieWire.
AndBorderlandsstood no chance in that comparison.
Dan Jolin’s review forEmpirerepeatedly comparesBorderlands' faults againstGuardians of the Galaxy’s strengths.
“Kevin Maher’s review forThe Timessimilarly refers toBorderlandsas"Guardians of the Galaxy without any self-deprecating wit.
“It was impossible to escape these comparisons, and the movie can’t live up to them either.
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