Firing on all cylinders right out of the gate by delivering the same sort of wild motley crew antics seen in Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, and accented with loud bursts of intense color and a rebellious attitude, a new trailer for Lionsgate’s live-action video game-based “Borderlands” film has finally arrived.
This flashy first look makes no apologies in its obvious comparison to James Gunn’s unruly space fantasy trilogy and even channels another Electric Light Orchestra song for its theme tune to kickstart the intergalactic madness that might make you actually believe it’s a deliberate parody teaser.
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“Borderlands” is directed by horror-master Eli Roth (“Hostel,” “Cabin Fever”) and stars a jumbled mishmash of talent including Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart as space pirates tracking down a fabled treasure from a secret vault on the “weirdest, most dangerous, dumpster-fire of a world in the universe.”
Rounding out the ensemble cast are Jack Black, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home, Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Ramírez), the universe’s most powerful S.O.B.
“Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits – Roland (Hart), a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis (Curtis), the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap (Black), a wiseass robot. Together, these unlikely heroes must battle an alien species and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.”
Gearbox Software and 2K’s post-apocalyptic first-person looter shooter originally tumbled onto the video game marketplace back in 2009 where it was an impressive seller for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. The “Borderlands” franchise has gone on to include multiple sequels and spinoff titles over the years that have sold over 75 million copies.
Roth completed this raucous sci-fi movie in 2021, then brought in “Deadpool’s” Tim Miller last year for several required reshoots. Produced by Avi Arad and Ari Arad’s Arad Productions alongside Erik Feig and Picturestart, “Borderlands” crashes into theaters starting on Aug. 9, 2024.
