The Borderlands movie has been struggling during its premiere week, not only due to overwhelmingly negative reviews but also due to a controversy involving uncredited work from a staff member.

Borderlands Movie Faces Rocky Premiere Week

Film Staff Says He Wasn't Credited

Directed by Eli Roth, the Borderlands movie adaptation has encountered significant challenges during its premiere week. The film has garnered a dismal 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 49 critic reviews. Top critics have been particularly harsh, with Donald Clarke of the Irish Times suggesting that fans might want to "hammer an imagined X button" to escape the film's "wacko BS." Similarly, Amy Nicholson from the New York Times, while acknowledging some commendable design elements, criticized the film's humor for falling flat.

Following the lifting of the social media embargo earlier this week, early viewers and critics have echoed these negative sentiments, describing the film as "lifeless," "terrible," and "uninspired." Despite the critical backlash, a portion of Borderlands fans and movie-goers have shown a more favorable response, with the film currently holding a 49% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. One viewer admitted, "Not gonna lie, I was a hater when I saw the cast. I went into it with low expectations, but I truly loved it." Another fan appreciated the film's explosive action and crude humor but noted that "some of the lore changes could leave people puzzled. Personally, I didn't mind too much as it made for a more compelling storyline for the film."

However, the film's troubles extend beyond poor reviews. A controversy has emerged involving Robbie Reid, a freelance rigger who worked on the character "Claptrap." Reid took to Twitter (X) to reveal that neither he nor the artist who modeled the character received credit in the film. Reid expressed his disappointment, stating, "Up until this point, I've been exceptionally lucky to have received a credit for every film I've worked on. It just stings that the one to finally break the streak was the last film I worked on at a studio. And for such a significant character too." He suggested that the omission might be due to their departure from the studio in 2021 and lamented that such oversights are common in the industry.

"My disappointment lies with the general industry and how it treats/credits artists. It's a long on-going problem, and I'm sad to see it's still widespread based on replies. But I'm heartened by the support shown, and I hope it can lead to change for our industry," Reid concluded.