The latest attempt from Hollywood to successfully adapt a video game into a film franchise, Borderlands, debuts in theatres this weekend. With a stacked cast and a rabid following for the source material, you wouldn’t be blamed for expecting something more than a basic action film. But the script and direction from veteran horror film director Eli Roth, directing only his 2nd non-horror title and biggest budgeted film by far, falls short of delivering the goods.

A bounty hunter of certain infamy, Lilith (Cate Blanchett) is recruited by the shady Atlas (Edgar Ramirez) to help track down his daughter. Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), dubbed ‘Tiny Tina’ by her abductor/rescuer Roland (Kevin Hart), is believed to be the key to finding a long-lost vault on the planet Pandora. A reluctant Lillith, Pandora is her home planet and she actively avoided it for decades, lands and is immediately approached by the overly excitable robot Claptrap (voiced by Jack Black). Lilith and Claptrap quickly catch up to Tina, Roland, and their compatriot the hulking Krieg (Florian Munteanu). However,Atlas’ guard/personal army and its leader Knoxx (Janina Gavavnkar) ambush them. Quickly realising they are now allies by having the same opposition, the group sets out after the vault with historian Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis) in tow, who has her own history with the group to sort out.

The film also features brief appearances from the likes of Bobby Lee and Gina Gershon in roles that seem to be here simply as fan service or perhaps characters that were meant to be more filled out if the film garners a sequel. But these little nods aren’t the only parts of the script that feel underwhelming as the film seems to be aiming directly for the generic wherever possible. 

Even those who have never played the game will have no problem seeing exactly where the story is going, with reveals that are so predictable that they can be deciphered in the first ten minutes. But the biggest issue that Borderlands has is a PG-13 rating. After the gloriousness of the massive box office smash Deadpool and Wolverine, and the pull-no-punches approach to the carnage in that film, Borderlands, a deliriously violent game, feels utterly neutered in this format. And perhaps the biggest area that affects it is the unfunny PG version of Claptrap.

I don’t blame Jack Black here for Claptrap’s failings, he’s doing exactly what he was hired to do, but it’s hard not to feel that his hands were literally tied behind his back in the recording booth. A fan favourite for many players, Claptrap has been dissolved into a pale imitation of their video game incarnation. This may also be the worst performance of Kevin Hart’s career. Those hoping for Hart’s Roland to be a comic relief will be sorely upset. It almost feels like Hart was determined to show he’s an action star now, without any wit attached, perhaps taking too much attitude and bravado from his buddy Dwayne Johnson. This is Hart’s Black Adam, and that’s not a comparison to shoot for. A lot of the rest of the cast is wasted here as Curtis is given nothing to do here at all, Ramirez phones in generic villain 101, and Munteanu wears a mask for the entire film, his performance relegated to assorted grunts and axe swings.

But not all is grim here as Ariana Greenblatt is having a blast (literally in most parts given her proclivity to blow shit up) in the flashy role of Tiny Tina. Inherently Tina is a very likeable character given her spunk and style from the games, and she’s the best characterization carried over from the game. Having proven herself in films like Barbie and Love and Monsters, Greenblatt delivers here as well. But perhaps the biggest reason for this film to earn a watch is the gloriously slumming Blanchett. Cate looks like she is having a blast. She knows the film she is in and how cliche everything is surrounding her but has a mischievous look in her eye that almost tells the audience “screw it, I’m having fun”. Days after the press screening for the film, I still think about how much fun she looks to have had and how it translates on screen.

Borderlands is the epitome of a “turn your brain off at the door” type film. Cliched, predictable, and severely hampered by a PG-13 rating, Borderlands still manages to “blow shit up real good”. Despite a lazy script and loose direction, Roth still manages to deliver a film that looks great and features a fun performance from Blanchett. Ultimately those looking for faithful adaptations are bound to be upset, but those who are just looking for an easily digestible, quickly forgotten time waster to escape the summer heat for a couple of hours, might just find what they need in Borderlands. Just know going in that Kevin Hart is terrible in this and you may just survive.