In a galaxy far away, Lilith, a fearsome bounty hunter, likes to work alone. But after a contract to retrieve the kidnapped daughter of an interstellar tycoon proves more complicated than expected, Lilith, along with the kidnapped daughter and a motley assortment of teammates, are all set on a quest to find a mysterious relic. The ultimate destination? A legendary portal with an unknown location that is said to provide access to the advanced knowledge of an extinct species. Loosely based on the popular video game of the same name, Borderlands (VF) stars Cate Blanchett. Director Eli Roth talks to us exclusively about the adventure.
For the record, Eli Roth made his name mainly in horror cinema, with a satirical tendency, with Cabin Fever (Black fever), Hostel (The Inn), or the recent surprise success Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving), an expansion of its fake trailer seen in the pastiche Grindhouse (Grindhouse in double bill), co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Except that Roth also went for a more family-friendly style with The House with a Clock in its Walls (The Halloween Clock), which starred… Cate Blanchett.
“I always dreamed of making a big science fiction popcorn movie, with humor, The Fifth Element [Le cinquième élément]by Luc Besson, or Escape from New York [New York 1997]by John Carpenter. It must be from when I saw Star Wars [La guerre des étoiles]as a child, Eli Roth confides, reached by videoconference. Every now and then, a science fiction film comes on and sets my brain in a frenzy. The Fifth ElementI remember thinking that I had never seen design of this order, whether it was the sets, the costumes or the creatures. The game Borderlands and its sequels have a really trippy visual, influenced among other things by the universe Mad Max. I knew there was potential for a cool, fun movie there.”
Launched in 2009, the video game Borderlands immediately attracted the attention of movie studios. Lionsgate began developing a film project as early as 2011. A clean slate was made in 2020 with the arrival of Eli Roth as director and co-writer (with newcomer Joe Crombie, preceded by veteran Craig Mazin, from the series Chernobylwho had her name removed from the project). Cate Blanchett signed on to play Lilith shortly after.
“Seeing Cate Blanchett kick ass is a big part of the fun of the movie,” Roth continues. “It’s a Snake Plissken type of role. [Kurt Russell dans Escape from New York] that she had not played before. We can easily imagine her wielding a conductor’s baton [dans Tár]but not a flamethrower, let’s say. Cate can do anything, but she’d never done that before. So to see her as a gruff bounty hunter, in this outrageous environment, with an insufferable little robot… I found it just irresistible. There’s something deeply satisfying, for me, about dragging a two-time Oscar winner into such a frenzy. And Cate was completely open and willing.”
Pure pleasure
Borderlands has another Oscar winner in its credits: Jamie Lee Curtis, for Everything Everywhere All At Once (Everything everywhere all at once). The star of the saga Halloweenwhose John Carpenter original (well, well) is one of Eli Roth’s bedside films, plays a scientist with limited social skills. Filming with her was also the realization of a dream for the filmmaker.
“Cate and Jamie Lee are two legends. They had never met, but as soon as they were introduced, they instantly became inseparable, like two sisters. The energy and the fun, the pure fun, that these two women brought to the production, you have no idea. You have to know that we shot during the pandemic lockdown, in Budapest, with the very strict health measures in place at the time. Under the circumstances, having this much fun was unexpected, but Cate and Jamie made sure we had fun. Jamie Lee, in particular, she is like everyone’s mom on set, as anyone who has worked with her will tell you. I remember, when I approached her to be in the film, I was about to start telling her the story, when she stopped me and said, ‘You had me at ‘Cate Blanchett.'”
A good portion of the public is likely to say the same thing.