Despite having plenty of successful video game releases behind it, the upcomingBorderlandslive-action movie has achieved quite an infamous reputation, as its lore and casting have challenged the lofty expectations of the franchise’s most loyal fans. Nevertheless, theBorderlandsfilm is, at the end of the day, an entirely different medium and therefore requires a different approach. It is the first visual medium that Gearbox has explored beyond the video game space, and the studio hopes it won’t be the last.
Whetherthe plot and lore of theBorderlandsmovieultimately follow the games doesn’t necessarily need to be the question, as adaptations seldom copy and paste their source material anyway. In addition to that, it’s nearly impossible to please loyal fans of a well-established franchise with an adaptation, so that adaptation might as well go “off script,” so to speak, and craft an original experience that still finds its roots in its source material. Game Rant had the opportunity to interview the CEO and president of the Gearbox Entertainment Company Randy Pitchford,about the upcomingBorderlandslive-action film and how it manages to live up to the true meaning of its name and franchise.
How the Borderlands Movie Lives Up to the True Meaning of Its Name
Fans have long discussed the meaning of the name “Borderlands,” with some claiming the name refers to those who live on the border of society, beyond the reach of the law. Others have suggested it could be referring to the fact that Pandora lies on the edge of the world, thus being a borderland in and of itself. However, while those are all understandable theories, none understand the meaning quite like the creator himself, Randy Pitchford. When asked what he hoped the main takeaway for moviegoers would be after they seetheBorderlandsmovie, Pitchford replied,
I don’t know what the main takeaway is going to be, but I have this weird hope that people might figure out whatBorderlandseven means because, for me, the name has been about taking things that don’t belong together and living in the space between them. You know, the borderland between role-playing game and shooter, the borderland between science fiction and western, the borderland between comedy and drama, and the borderland between who characters think they are, who they wish they are, and who they actually are: living in that weird, uncomfortable space between two things that don’t go together.
Pitchford’s take on the name “Borderlands” is found in the middle of two different things that have come together for an uncommon companionship. In a way, this confirmspopularBorderlandstheoriesabout the meaning of the name, as drama, for instance, lies beyond the borders of comedy. This is how theBorderlandsfilm ultimately lives up to its name, even if it has taken creative liberties that may rub fans the wrong way. Closing out his thoughts, Pitchford added,
Because it’s a video game adaptation, we get to live in a new borderland between video game and film, and I love that. It’s part of the whole journey of whatBorderlandsis to me — finding that weird spot between things that don’t go together and having fun there, and I think this movie succeeds at that.
Whereas the games live within that borderland between role-playing game and shooter orscience fiction and Western, theBorderlandsfilm creates a new space for the franchise where two different universes can coexist, potentially feeding off one another when necessary and perhaps even inspiring one another as they are developed further. The title of theBorderlandsfilm therefore holds a double meaning, being named after the franchise it is based on and represented by a new world beyond the games' borders.
Borderlandswill premiere in theaters August 9.
Borderlands
Borderlands is an action RPG first-person shooter created by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. The series is commonly called a looter shooter set in a space Western style, where players can select from multiple classes that can level up and acquire new skills. The franchise has quickly become one of the best-selling franchises and produced spin-offs like Tales from the Borderlands as well as a film adaptation being developed by Lionsgate.
