The first trailer for the upcoming Borderlands movie adaptation has landed, revealing more about the direction of the adventure. As it turns out, Guardians of the Galaxy appears to be a primary inspiration, with the film appearing to share the same tongue-in-cheek, ‘family road trip’ vibes of Marvel’s sci-fi hit.
The action is loud, colourful, over-the-top, and a bit ridiculous – which works fairly well in the world of Borderlands. The game franchise is known for its irreverent humour, and this trailer reveals plenty of that in spades. While sustaining that tone across an hour-plus story is an entirely different matter, for now, there’s reason to hope that Borderlands is the fun, silly journey it should be.
At the very least, it does appear the film has taken direct inspiration from its video game origins, with character counterparts being distinctly recognisable. In the trailer, those familiar will be able to spot fan-favourite NPCs including Mad Moxxi and Marcus Kincaid, who’ll likely aid the main cast in their trip through Pandora.
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Most of the main cast get their chance to shine here, with their own hero moments and biting dialogue to chew through. Claptrap appears as annoying as ever (by design), Tiny Tina is strange and adorable, Tannis’ anxieties are on full show, and Cate Blanchett as Lilith gets plenty of gun-toting and smirking in.
All told, it’s not a bad showing for the upcoming film. It certainly still has plenty left to prove, but there is now a brighter spot of hope that it can live up to the Borderlands name.
We’ll find out more about the upcoming film in the lead up to its August 2024 release.
