Borderlands Movie Struggles Beyond Bad Reviews

As the Borderlands movie embarks on its premiere week, it continues to face a barrage of negative feedback from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes, a leading film review platform. Additionally, a controversy has emerged as a staff member publicly stated he was not credited for his contributions to the film.

Borderlands Movie Faces Rocky Premiere Week

Film Staff Says He Wasn't Credited

The much-anticipated Borderlands movie, helmed by director Eli Roth, has encountered a challenging premiere week, marked by overwhelmingly negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has garnered a dismal 6% rating from 49 critic reviews. Esteemed critics have been particularly harsh; Donald Clarke of the Irish Times suggested that fans might want to "hammer an imagined X button" to escape the film's "wacko BS," while Amy Nicholson from the New York Times praised some design elements but criticized the humor as largely ineffective.

Following the lifting of the social media embargo earlier this week, early viewers and critics echoed these sentiments, describing the film as "lifeless," "terrible," and "uninspired." Despite the critical panning, a segment of Borderlands fans and general audiences have shown a more favorable response, with the film achieving a 49% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. One viewer admitted, "Not gonna lie, I was a hater when I saw the cast. I went into it with low expectations, but I truly loved it." Another fan appreciated the film's explosive action and crude humor, though they noted, "some of the lore changes could leave people puzzled. Personally, I didn't mind too much as it made for a more compelling storyline for the film."

However, the Borderlands movie's woes extend beyond its critical reception. A recent controversy involves Robbie Reid, a freelance rigger who worked on the character "Claptrap." Reid took to Twitter (X) to express his dismay at not receiving a credit for his work, alongside the artist who modeled the character.

"Up until this point, I've been exceptionally lucky to have received a credit for every film I've worked on," Reid shared. He expressed his disappointment, stating, "It just stings that the one to finally break the streak was the last film I worked on at a studio. And for such a significant character too." Reid speculated that the lack of credits might be due to him and the artist leaving their studio in 2021, and highlighted that such oversights are unfortunately common in the industry.

"My disappointment lies with the general industry and how it treats/credits artists. It's a long on-going problem, and I'm sad to see it's still widespread based on replies. But I'm heartened by the support shown, and I hope it can lead to change for our industry," Reid concluded, emphasizing the need for systemic change in how the film industry recognizes its contributors.