The recently released “Borderlands” movie was met with little enthusiasm by fans and critics alike. A major criticism is that the PG-13 film lacks the bloody and violent elements present in the M-rated games. In fact, things could have turned out very differently.
“Borderlands” has reached US cinemas. While audiences in Germany still have to wait, the first reviews make it clear that the film will not go down as a highlight in the history of video game-based adaptations. The Rotten Tomatoes score was at 0 percent at times.
During the premiere, further background information on “Borderlands” was revealed. In an interview with Screen Rant Jimmy O’Dee, the stunt coordinator behind the production, emphasized that the film could have been much bloodier and was shot that way.
Flying heads and severed feet
Jimmy O’Dee said: “We were making an R-rated film at the time. We always knew we were going to aim for either a 15 or R rating. In the UK it’s a 15 rating, for a slightly more mature audience. So we blew heads off. We chopped off feet. We did all that.”
The fact that filming was completed almost three years ago underlines the amount of time and effort that went into the post-production process. O’Dee said: “I guess a lot happens in post-production. They see where it’s going to go and what market they’re targeting.”
But the basic idea and brief for “Borderlands” was: “Destruction, cutting off heads, cutting off feet. Go to the extreme and we’ll sort it out in post-production.” That was the way it was done.
This is what it was like working with Eli Roth
Another interesting detail from the interview is the collaboration with the famous horror director Eli Roth.
“And of course Eli loves horror. He loves horror. It was funny, he was in second unit, came over and said, uh… just cut the knuckles off. Yeah, get the knife and cut the knuckles off, and we’ll leave these stumps behind.”
Sometimes it wasn’t bloody enough for Roth and he was “fully into” things like that, the stunt coordinator recalls. “It was great working with him. It was such a fun time with him,” O’Dee continued.
During post-production of “Borderlands,” however, little of the violence remained. The PG-13 rating was intended to appeal to a larger audience, which made it necessary to reduce the violence depicted. The video games, on the other hand, received an “M” (ESRB) for players aged 17 and over.
The Motion Picture Association’s American age ratings for films:
G (General Audiences): No age restriction. Suitable for all ages. PG (Parental Guidance Suggested): Some content may be unsuitable for children. Parents are advised to watch first. PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned): Some material may be unsuitable for children under 13. Strong parental caution is advised. R (Restricted): Viewers under 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Contains content not suitable for younger viewers. NC-17 (Adults only): No viewers under 17 permitted. Contains material intended for adults only.
Further news about “Borderlands” on PLAY3.DE:
In this country, fans of the “Borderlands” series will have to wait another week and a half. It will be released in German cinemas on August 22, 2024. The later version can also be pre-ordered on DVD and Blu-ray.
More news about Borderlands.
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