The Borderlands movie, currently in its premiere week, is facing a storm of negative criticism from major film critics, and now a crediting controversy has emerged.
Borderlands: A Rough Premiere
Uncredited Staff Member Speaks Out
Eli Roth's Borderlands film adaptation is experiencing a difficult launch, with overwhelmingly negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes currently shows a dismal 6% critic rating based on 49 reviews. Prominent critics haven't held back, with comments ranging from Donald Clarke of the Irish Times suggesting viewers might want to "imagine hitting an X button" to escape the film's perceived flaws, to Amy Nicholson of the New York Times acknowledging some positive design aspects but criticizing the humor's overall failure.
Early reactions from viewers and critics, once the social media embargo lifted, echoed the negative sentiment, describing the film as "lifeless," "terrible," and "uninspired." However, a segment of Borderlands fans and moviegoers seem to appreciate the film's action-packed nature and crude humor. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at a more favorable 49%. One user commented, "I went in with low expectations, but I truly loved it," while another praised the action but noted that "some lore changes could leave people puzzled."
Beyond the critical maelstrom, a production staff member, freelance rigger Robbie Reid, who worked on the Claptrap character, recently voiced his disappointment on Twitter (X) about not receiving screen credit, nor did the character modeler.
Reid, who previously received credit on every film he'd worked on, expressed his frustration, highlighting the significance of his contribution to the Claptrap character. He speculated that the omission might stem from him and the artist leaving their studio in 2021, acknowledging that such oversights are sadly common in the industry. He concluded by expressing hope that the situation might inspire industry-wide change regarding artist crediting.
