‘Borderlands’ Review: After ‘Tár,’ It’s Strange to See Cate Blanchett Slumming in a Middling Video Game Movie
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film Critic Different as they may be in all other respects, Hollywood studios and die-hard “Borderlands” fans have one thing in common: They’re both in it for the loot.
You see, “Borderlands” is what’s called a “looter shooter,” meaning that players blast their way through exotic worlds (in this case, the heavily guarded and treasure-rich planet of Pandora) hoping to pick up goodies that will make their characters more powerful.
Unlike movies, you can play and replay the same game infinite times, and it’s never the same experience — which helps to explain why “Borderlands 2,” which came out in 2011, still has many people hooked all these years later.
Psychologically speaking, it’s the same principle — a variable feedback loop — that keeps little old ladies feeding coins into slot machines, young ones swiping right on Tinder and laboratory mice pushing a button that might produce a reward.
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