10 More Action Adventure Movies
Based on the best-selling video game of the same name, Borderlands is a futuristic action-adventure movie about a ragtag team of misfits, led by an infamous bounty hunter named Lillith (Cate Blanchett), who set off on a mission to locate a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.
If you’ve finished watching this one and are looking for similar movies, we’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing.
As always let us know your favourites in the comments and which of these you’ve watched.
Monster Hunter (2020)
Like Borderlands, Monster Hunter is a video game adaptation with a strong female lead and a large desert world where unimaginable terrors lie in wait.
The movie follows Cpl. Artemis (Milla Jovovich) who is forced into a battle for survival after she is transported to a strange world populated by fearsome monsters of all shapes and sizes.
Monster Hunter isn’t the best video game adaptation ever made but if you’re looking for the crazy over-the-top action that is prevalent in Borderlands, you might enjoy this one.
The Book of Eli (2010)
If you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic world with similar environments to those in Borderlands, look no further than The Book of Eli, which stars Denzel Washington as a lone wanderer who fights his way through futuristic America while protecting a sacred book.
Borderlands is comically violent and so too is The Book of Eli, so this is the perfect next choice for movie night if you enjoyed the cartoonish action of the former.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
This second instalment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune saga is more engaging than the first, thanks to a less convoluted story and a more exciting telling of Frank Herbert’s classic story.
In terms of tone, Dune: Part Two (and its predecessor) is probably as far removed from Borderlands as you can get due to it’s serious and sombre sensibilities. But as it’s set in the future in a mostly desert setting with lots of unsavoury characters, there are still some similarities.
Check out our Review of Dune: Part Two
Escape From New York (1981)
This John Carpenter classic stars Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, a one-eyed lone warrior who journies across a future-set America to rescue the US President.
Like Borderlands, this is a thrilling blend of dystopian drama and sci-fi action with an anti-hero protagonist who is tasked with a high stakes mission that takes him into dangerous territory.
Doom (2005)
Here’s another movie based on an iconic video game franchise that, like Borderlands, is renowned for its violent, first-person shooter action.
The movie’s cast includes Dwayne Johnson and Karl Urban as two of the Space Marines who find themselves at the mercy of genetically enhanced monstrosities while investigating strange goings-on at a research facility on Mars.
Doom is far from being the best movie on this list but if you’re looking for another video game movie with fast and frenetic action, you might get a kick out of this one.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (2023)
The third instalment in the Guardians of the Galaxy series is possibly the best of the trilogy due to the emotional story running beneath the wacky humour and bonkers action sequences that the saga is known for.
Like Borderlands, this movie (and its predecessors) features a madcap group of unlikely heroes that you can’t help but root for as they carry out their mission. Admittedly, Borderlands doesn’t have a talking raccoon and a petulant tree but it does feature a sassy robot and a wise-cracking mercenary among the misfit crew.
Check out our Review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Tank Girl (1995)
Tank Girl stars Lori Petty as the titular character, a brave and talented young heroine who undertakes a series of missions across the desert wasteland of a post-apocalyptic Earth.
Like Borderlands, this movie features a kick-ass lead character, a vast barren world, and an anarchic, crazy tone befitting of its comic book roots. While Tank Girl isn’t a movie classic, it has gained a cult following, largely thanks to its smartass punk lead and the massive tank that is her preferred mode of travel.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Here’s another movie that, like Borderlands, features a line-up of unlikely adventurers who embark on a quest to find something that has gone missing. In this movie’s case, it’s a lost relic rather than a human being but forget about the MacGuffin. What’s more important is the comical cast and the imaginatively created world they travel through than the mission they have been handed.
This is a great adaptation of the original tabletop role-playing game that still has a huge following today. Lots of video games have been based on this fantasy world-builder which gives us further reason to include the movie in this list.
Check out our Review of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this adaptation of the 2003 video game of the same name. He plays a young prince named Dastan who teams up with a princess to safeguard an ancient dagger that gives its holder the power to alter time.
Middling box office performance and disappointing reviews scuppered any hopes the studio had of a potential franchise. This is a shame as the movie isn’t that bad, thanks to it’s fun, swashbuckling action and charming lead character. It’s worth another look, especially if you’re looking for another action-packed video game movie with a sandy setting.
Furiosa: A Max Max Saga (2024)
Furiosa isn’t quite as good as Mad Max: Fury Road but it’s still an entertaining thrill ride with lots of transport-based mayhem and a rich sprawling world that is populated with characters that are as wacky and strange as those seen in Borderlands.
Unlike that latter movie, there’s no team-up of heroes in Miller’s action epic but it does feature a strong female lead who is as badass as Cate Blanchett’s bounty hunter character.
As Furiosa, Anya Taylor-Joy gives a mostly non-verbal performance but as you’ll know if you are a fan of this franchise, the Mad Max movies show little regard for stop-and-chat conversations. It’s the balls-to-the-wall action we come for and there’s plenty of that in this movie.
Check out our Review of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
So there we have it, our 10 movie picks to keep you busy after watching Borderlands.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!