Moviegoers Blast 'Borderlands'

The Borderlands movie, currently in its premiere week, is facing a barrage of negative reviews from prominent critics, and now a crediting controversy has emerged.

Borderlands Movie Premiere Week: A Rough Start

Uncredited Film Crew Member Speaks Out

Eli Roth's Borderlands film adaptation is experiencing a difficult premiere, plagued by overwhelmingly negative critical reception. Rotten Tomatoes currently shows a dismal 6% rating from 49 critics. Reviews have been scathing, with Donald Clarke of the Irish Times suggesting viewers might want to "imagine hitting an X button" to escape the film's perceived flaws, while Amy Nicholson of the New York Times praised some design aspects but found the humor lacking.

Social media reactions following the embargo lift echo the critical consensus, describing the film as "lifeless," "terrible," and "uninspired." However, a segment of Borderlands fans and moviegoers seem to appreciate the film's action and over-the-top style. Rotten Tomatoes' audience score is currently a slightly more positive 49%. One user admitted initial skepticism based on the cast but ultimately enjoyed the film, while another praised the action and humor, albeit noting some potentially confusing lore changes.

Beyond the critical panning, a crediting dispute has added to the film's woes. Freelance rigger Robbie Reid, who worked on the character Claptrap, publicly revealed on Twitter (X) that neither he nor the character's modeler received screen credit. Reid expressed disappointment, highlighting that this is the first time he's been uncredited for his work and that the omission is particularly disheartening given Claptrap's importance. He speculated the omission may be due to him and the artist leaving their studio in 2021, acknowledging that such oversights are unfortunately common in the industry. He concluded by expressing hope that the situation might spur positive change regarding the treatment and crediting of artists.