Lilith, an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home, Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas, the universe’s most powerful SOB. Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with Roland, a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina, a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg, Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis, the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap, a wiseass robot. Together, this ragtag team goes on a mission to save Tiny Tina, battle alien species, and discover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands — but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, welcome to Borderlands.

For in-depth thoughts on Borderlands, please see my colleague Liselotte Vanophem’s review from its original theatrical debut here.

Video Quality

Borderlands arrives with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation in 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc that is quite incredible. We love seeing how the implementation of Dolby Vision bolsters the visual spectacle. Hues look more natural in this presentation with moments of fiery explosions coupled with the colorful production design emanating off the screen with force. Color highlights are an area of substantial improvement in comparison to the Blu-Ray.

This presentation excels with black levels that are deep and detailed with digital noise absent from the screen. None of the numerous shadowy shots show signs of crush. Brighter scenes during the day wow with intense clarity and a strong handle of highlights that show no evidence of blooming. Skin tones look very consistent throughout and show a great amount of facial detail including scars and makeup. The uptick in detail in the textures of the locales, costumes, and production design is quite a sight. The 4K presentation provides a depth of field that cannot be replicated as well with the accompanying Blu-Ray. This transfer unlocks an impressive amount of detail in even the smallest facets of the vessels and articles of clothing. This is an excellent 4K UHD presentation that represents the film quite well.

Audio Quality

This disc comes equipped with a monster Dolby Atmos presentation that fully transports you into this world. Dialogue is presented clearly without ever being overshadowed by any of the competing sonic elements. The track is truly enveloping with sounds of explosions and ships that barrel through in a way that dominates the height channels. Sounds are deftly rendered with pinpoint directionality from the more chaotic scenes to the dialogue-driven expository moments.

The score conjures the appropriate tone that amps up the emotional stakes. The low end is engaged exceptionally well during the action onslaughts. The sound design of this film is quite dynamic, and the implementation of environmental sounds is executed very effectively. The mix here is very well done with top-tier engagement of all the channels, so those with a good system should be pleased. Optional English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Borderlands – From Game To Screen: A five-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the process of trying to bring the world of the video game to the big screen, the arc of the story, and more.

Meet The Team: A five-minute piece that takes a look at the ragtag group and the people who play them.

All Aboard The Death Choochoo: A five-minute examination of the action set pieces, the training undertaken by the cast, the practical in-camera effects, and more.

Bringing Borderlands To The Screen: A nearly six-minute piece that takes a look at the direction of Eli Roth and the qualities he brought to this production.

Badonkadonk Time: A five-minute exploration of the weapons created for the movie inspired by the game.

Fashion and Action on Pandora: A nearly eight-minute breakdown of the costumes and world-building developed for the film.

High-Tech Hellscapes: A nearly ten-minute featurette that looks at the visual effects of the film, how they worked with the practical elements, and more.

Final Thoughts

Borderlands is a bit like shaking keys in front of a baby – it is a decent distraction while it is happening, but there is not much to it. As someone who has never played the video games nor knows a single thing about this world, there was enough to offer a baseline of entertainment to get through it but not enough to retain it very long after it ended. The cast does what they can to elevate things, but there is no doubt their talent is wasted. As much as we like Eli Roth, he seems like the wrong fit for this franchise, and one longs to know what the original script that got the attention of Cate Blanchett would have looked like if it made it to the screen. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports a phenomenal A/V presentation and some nifty special features.

Borderlands is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. There are 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBooks available exclusively at Amazon and Wal-Mart.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.