Borderlands was shot with an R-rating in mind

Borderlands stunt coordinator Jimmy O’Dee says the video-game adaptation was originally shot with an R-rating in mind.

Eli Roth’s long-awaited Borderlands movie has finally hit theaters, but unfortunately, it isn’t off to a great start. The project started production in 2021, and according to stunt coordinator Jimmy O’Dee, they were told that Borderlands would shoot with the assumption that it would be R-rated.

“We were shooting an R-rated movie when we did it. We always knew that we were going to go either 15 or R rating, it’s 15 in UK, for a slightly mature audience,” O’Dee told ScreenRant. “So, we were blowing people’s heads off. And we were cutting feet off. We were doing all of that. But then, you know, a lot happens. We shot that nearly three years ago, or we just finished it. So, I guess a lot happens in post, and they see where it’s going to go and what market they’re aiming for. But literally the idea and the brief was carnage, head cutting off, feet cutting off. Go for it and then we’ll sort it out in post. It was that kind of thing.“

Given Roth’s history in the horror genre, it’s no surprise that he would want to bring a little of that to Borderlands. “He loves horror,” O’Dee said. “It was funny, he was on the second unit, he came over, and he was like, “Uh… just cut the ankles off. Yeah, get the knife and cut the ankles and we will leave these stubs.” It was kind of like there wasn’t enough gore for him sometimes. Eli was all over that kind of stuff. He was great to work with. It was such a fun time with him.” The film ultimately received a PG-13 rating for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material.

Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Borderlands stars Cate Blanchett as Lillith, an infamous outlaw who returns to the place where she grew up and forms an alliance with a team of misfits to find the missing daughter of the most powerful man in the universe. The ensemble cast also includes Kevin Hart as Roland, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Patricia Tannis, and Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap.

Our own Chris Bumbray called the film a “disaster” that desperately wants to be the next Guardians of the Galaxy but lacks the charm or vision to do so. Bumbray added that it was “one of the worst big-budget movies I’ve seen in a while” and will likely be forgotten entirely in just a few weeks. Yikes. You can check out the rest of his review right here.

Could Borderlands have been saved (or at least helped) by an R-rating? Based on the many negative reviews (the film currently sits at 7% on Rotten Tomatoes), its problems run more profound than a little more blood and gore.