Borderlands Movie Suffers from Critical and Beyond

The Borderlands movie is facing a double whammy: scathing reviews and a crediting controversy. Its premiere week has been turbulent, marked by overwhelmingly negative critical reception. Rotten Tomatoes currently shows a dismal 6% rating from 49 critics, with prominent reviewers like Donald Clarke (Irish Times) and Amy Nicholson (New York Times) delivering harsh critiques. While some design aspects garnered praise, the humor largely missed the mark, leaving the film feeling "lifeless" and "uninspired" according to early viewer feedback. Despite this, a segment of fans appreciate the movie's action and crude humor, resulting in a more favorable 49% audience score.

However, the negative press is compounded by a recent controversy surrounding uncredited work. Robbie Reid, a freelance rigger who worked on the Claptrap character, publicly revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that neither he nor the modeler received screen credit. Reid expressed disappointment, particularly given his consistent crediting on previous projects. He attributes the omission to leaving his studio in 2021, highlighting a broader industry problem of inconsistent artist crediting. While acknowledging the prevalence of such oversights, Reid expressed hope that this situation might contribute to positive change within the industry. The film's poor critical reception, coupled with this crediting dispute, paints a picture of a troubled release.