4K UHD/Blu-ray Review: BORDERLANDS

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Oct 23 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Bounty Hunter Lilith (Cate Blanchett) left her home planet of Pandora when she was just a child, and hasn’t been back in 36 years. In that time, Pandora has become a toxic waste dump overrun with Psychos, murderous gangs, and opportunistic vault hunters looking for the secret lost vault of the Eridians. An alien race called the Eridians once ruled over the galaxy but disappeared ages ago. It is rumored that they left behind their greatest secrets, weapons and technological advancements locked away in a hidden vault on Pandora. A prophecy states that one day, a daughter of Eriadia would open the vault and restore order to the broken planet.

Deukalian Atlas (Edgar Ramirez) President of the Atlas Corporation, believes that his daughter, Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt) is the chosen one who will find/open the vault, and he wants all of its treasures for himself. However, Tina has been kidnapped by Roland Greaves (Kevin Hart), a former solider from Atlas’ private army, Crimson Lance, who had gone rogue. Lilith reluctantly agrees to return to Pandora to locate the girl for Atlas, but soon finds herself teaming up with Roland, Tina, a Psycho named Krieg (Florian Munteanu), talkative metal robot Claptrap (Jack Black), and xeno-archaeologist Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), as they try to find and open the vault first, before its contents can fall into the wrong hands. However, they find themselves pursued by Commander Knoxx (Janina Gavankar) and the Crimson Lance army, and facing off against dangerous creatures, a gang of Bloodshots—the Psychos other Psychos are afraid of—and more.

I’ve never seen or played a Borderlands game, so I had no expectations or preconceptions going into this film. I had heard that some fans of the games had an issue with the casting, or that it wasn’t more bloody and R-rated. However, I quite enjoyed the movie as someone who was unfamiliar with the franchise. I found it to be a fun blend of action, humor and adventure, and a bit of a Guardians of the Galaxy-meets-Mad Max. With its detailed and creative sets, props, weapons and costumes, and seamless use of special effects, you are instantly transported into this unique post-apocalyptic like world, and going on a fun adventure with these characters.

Cate Blanchett is great as this hard, sarcastic bounty hunter who holds a bit of a grudge from her past. Jack Black is hilarious as the voice of her chatty metal (and seemingly bulletproof) robot companion Claptrap, who seems to never stop singing, and isn’t shy about expressing his complete disdain and hatred for the other humans, especially Lilith. The rest of the ensemble are also a quite entertaining—from Ariana Greenblatt as the bunny-eared, explosive-loving teenager Tiny Tina, to the muscular boxer Florian Munteanu showing off his fighting skills as the masked Psycho Krieg, to the always-funny Kevin Hart who also gets to show off his action hero skills as Roland, and the talented Jamie Lee Curtis as the always-awkward scientist Tannis.

I was surprised to see that the film was directed by Eli Roth, as his is not the first name that would come to mind for a sci-fi action/comedy/adventure movie. However, there is one excellent scene where the group is in an underground cavern and comes under attack by the Bloodshots, and here you can really see that horror vibe/influence. As for the PG-13 rating, this didn’t bother me at all—it never felt like the film was being tamed down or neutered in any way to reach a broader audience.

Lionsgate has released Borderlands on 4K UHD, Blu-ray & DVD, and has also given the film Amazon- and Walmart-exclusive SteelBook releases. We were sent the general 4K release for review, which looks and sounds amazing, with a crisp, pristine picture throughout. There is an excellent level of detail, especially in faces and textures, both during the brighter daytime scenes, and during the darks scenes at night or in the underground caverns. Colors look rich and beautiful, with flames or other glowing effects blending in seamlessly and not looking overexposed. The action sequences are also captured beautifully. The audio track is quite impressive, providing a fully-immersive experience especially as Tina is throwing around her explosives, or as the group gets attacked by the Psychos. Add to that the rock-filled soundtrack, and you can really feel the excitement throughout the film.

The general 4K release includes both a 4K and Blu-ray disc, which are placed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase, with a rounded corner slipcover. An insert provides redemption instructions for a 4K digital copy of the film, which can be redeemed via Fandango at Home (it is not Movies Anywhere compatible). The supplemental material, which can be found on both discs, consist of about 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:40:43)

4K UHD:

Dolby Vision / HDR10
2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 10/22/2025):

4K Digital Copy redeemable via Fandango at Home (not Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
The same features can be found on both the 4K and the Blu-ray disc.

Borderlands: From Game to Screen (5:20)
The cast/crew discuss the challenges of honoring the legacy of the video games while also making a 2-hour film/story that will appeal to both fans of the games and new viewers, filming in Budapest, bringing the game to the real world, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Eli Roth, executive producer Randy Pitchford, VFX producer Deven Letendre, production designer Andrew Menzies, props master Andrew Wert, and stars Jamie Lee Curtis (“Dr. Tannis”) & Cate Blanchett (“Lilith”).
Meet the Team (4:49)
The cast/crew discuss the characters and the actors playing them. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Eli Roth, and stars Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt (“Tiny Tina”), Florian Munteanu (“Krieg”), Kevin Hart (“Roland”) & Jack Black (“Claptrap”).
All Aboard the Death Choo Choo (5:10)
A look at filming the stunts and the training involved for the actors. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Eli Roth, executive producer Emmy Yu, second unit director/supervising stunt coordinator Jimmy O’Dee, producer Erik Feig, executive producer Randy Pitchford, and stars Ariana Greenblatt, Kevin Hart, Cate Blanchett, Florian Munteanu & Jamie Lee Curtis.
Bringing Borderlands to the Screen (5:29)
The cast and crew discuss working with director Eli Roth, and his vision for the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Ari Arad, director/co-writer Eli Roth, producer Erik Feig, executive producer Randy Pitchford, production designer Andrew Menzies, executive producer Emmy Yu, and stars Cate Blanchett, Ariana Greenblatt, Edgar Ramírez (“Atlas”), Jamie Lee Curtis, Gina Gershon (“Moxxi”) & Kevin Hart.
Badonkadonk Time (5:11)
The cast and crew discuss the weapons in the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Eli Roth, executive producer Ethan Smith, executive producer Randy Pitchford, props master Andrew Wert, producer Erik Feig, costume designer Daniel Orlandi, production designer Andrew Menzies, and stars Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu & Edgar Ramírez.
Fashion and Action on Pandora (7:37)
The cast and crew discuss the costumes and look of the characters. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with costume designer Daniel Orlandi, executive producer Randy Pitchford, director/co-writer Eli Roth, and stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Cate Blanchett, Gina Gershon, Florian Munteanu, Edgar Ramírez, Janina Gavankar (“Knoxx”) & Olivier Richters (“Krom”).
High Tech Hellscapes (9:17)
A look at the film’s visual effects, the locations, sets, props, filming in Hungary, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, examples of scenes with and without the effects, and interviews with director/co-writer Eli Roth, VFX producer Deven Letendre, production designer Andrew Menzies, executive producer Emmy Yu, executive producer Ethan Smith, props master Andrew Wert, executive producer Randy Pitchford, and stars Cate Blanchett, Ariana Greenblatt, Kevin Hart & Jamie Lee Curtis.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

As someone with zero experience with the Borderlands video games, I really enjoyed this version of the franchise/characters. It features a wonderful cast playing this rag-tag team of misfits as they try to save the galaxy in a futuristic/post-apocalyptic world. The film is a wonderful blend of action, adventure and humor, and I would certainly welcome another visit to this world. Lionsgate’s 4K release looks and sounds great, and includes some entertaining bonus bonus. This is an easy recommendation for fans of films in the vein of Guardians of the Galaxy. For fans of the video games, go in with an open mind, and don’t expect an exact adaptation, and you will likely enjoy it a lot more.

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