BORDERLANDS

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

The film opens with the voice of bounty hunter Lilith (Cate Blanchett) narrating about the alien race known as the Eridians, whose technology surpassed that of most species. While the Eridians have since been long gone, a vault containing their secrets and potential treasures is said to be on the planet Pandora, and only a Daughter of Eridia can open the vault.

Inside a space prison is a young girl named Tiny Tina (Arianna Greenblatt). An ex-soldier, Roland (Kevin Hart), breaks Tina out of her cell and fights off members of the Crimson Lance squad, including his former commander/possible girlfriend Knoxx (Janina Gavankar). Roland and Tina are joined by Krieg (Florian Munteanu), a hulking “Psycho” prisoner who takes joy in destruction.

On the planet Promethea, Lilith has taken in a new bounty. She is antagonized by three goons, but she kills two and knocks out the third. Their boss, a powerful magnate named Atlas (Edgar Ramirez), then speaks to Lilith using the surviving goon, since he works for Atlas. He requests that Lilith go to Pandora and track down Tina, as she is Atlas’s daughter. Despite Lilith not wanting to go to Pandora, Atlas convinces her with a huge sum of money, plus he kills her current bounty to force her to go immediately.

Lilith describes Pandora as a “shithole” since is festering with monsters and other things that could kill you. It is also where Lilith used to live as a child. She is given a ride on a bus since she is believed to be hunting for the vault, and Lilith is left in the middle of nowhere. She encounters a little robot named Claptrap (Jack Black). He annoys Lilith, who shoots him for fun, until Claptrap says he can scan and locate people. Lilith gives him a picture of Tina that Atlas gave her, and Claptrap is able to track her down.

The next morning, Lilith kills some scavengers trying to kidnap kids, and then takes their vehicle to head to Tina’s location (with Claptrap locked up in the cage). They come upon a junkyard where the girl is hiding out. Lilith approaches Tina and says she will bring her back to her father, but Tina tricks Lilith and detonates one of her bunny bombs. Tina then sends Krieg after Lilith, though she holds her own against him. Moments later, Knoxx arrives with the rest of the Crimson Lance since they are owned by Atlas. They attempt to bring Tina in until Lilith convinces the girl to go with her.

Roland shows up and takes Lilith, Tina, and Krieg (and Claptrap after he gets left behind) as the Crimson Lance pursues them. They drive recklessly throughout the area until they get Knoxx and her goons off their tails. They end up driving through “Piss Wash Gulley” where they encounter a beast called a Thresher. Tina opens the window so everyone gets sprayed with piss and shit, but the Thresher begins to attack. Roland fires missiles into the Thresher’s mouth as they drive off a ramp and through the blown-out hole in its head, but they end up getting a flat tire.

While fixing the vehicle, Lilith learns that Tina is a Daughter of Eridia, and therefore the one needed to open the vault. Lilith reluctantly joins them since Atlas will go after all of them. They already have one piece necessary to open the vault, but Roland says they will speak to a friend that Lilith also knows.

The group goes to a bar owned by a woman named Mad Moxxi (Gina Gershon), who used to know Lilith’s mother. Moxxi gives Lilith the location of a scientist that she needs to speak to who will them find the next piece needed to open the vault. Roland is spotted by a Crimson Lance soldier, Larry (Bobby Lee), who attempts to bring Roland in since there is a bounty on his head, along with Tina and Krieg. Moxxi knocks Larry out and gives the group a chance to get out.

The group goes to the hideout of Dr. Patricia Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), who took Lilith in as a child after her mother supposedly abandoned her to go vault-hunting. After an argument with Tannis, Lilith goes outside, where Tina finds her and tells her that Atlas created her in a lab as a clone of a former Eridian. Everyone has to flee when they get wind of the Crimson Lance arriving.

The next day, Tannis leads the group to an old mine where the other key needed to open the vault is hidden. After getting past toxic sludge, they find a whole gang of Psychos like Krieg. They use Claptrap as a distraction by having him talk trash so they can shoot him, and then they find the room where the key is located. However, Claptrap gives up their location because he loudly poops out the bullets that he was shot with. The group battles the Psychos, but Roland stays behind to give the others a chance to escape. They ride an elevator which is set to crash when it gets to the top, but Lilith, Tina, Krieg, Tannis, and Claptrap are all suddenly teleported out of there and onto the surface, which is believed to have been done by Tina. Roland uses one of Tina’s bunny bombs to defend himself and eventually fights until he takes down all the Psychos.

The others rest up for the night after Tannis combines the two keys. However, she tells Lilith that the Daughter of Eridia will have to use the power within her to open the vault, meaning it could kill Tina. Atlas contacts Lilith since he found out she broke her tracker. He demands that she bring Tina to him, or he will have the rest of her friends killed. Tina overhears this and thinks Lilith is going to sell her out, so she tosses a grenade and leaves with Krieg and Tannis.

After Lilith regains consciousness, Claptrap plays a hidden message that was always meant for Lilith. It shows her mother (Haley Bennett), who gives a loving and encouraging message to Lilith before she had to give her up to Tannis for safekeeping. This causes Lilith to get up and go save Tina.

Tina, Krieg, and Tannis make it to the vault’s location. Tina places the key down and stands on the platform needed to open it, but nothing happens. Atlas and the Crimson Lance/hired Psychos arrive, as does Roland. After seeing that Atlas is willing to kill innocent people to open the vault, Knoxx stands with Roland, only for Atlas to use his ship to incinerate her. Lilith arrives and reveals she has found out that SHE is the Daughter of Eridia needed to open the vault. After she stands on the platform, she grows fire wings and becomes the Firehawk. Tannis figures that Lilith’s mother sent her away so that nobody could find her and open the vault themselves.

A final showdown ensues. Krieg fights a giant Psycho named Krom (Olivier Richters) and sends Krom down a hole to his death. Lilith uses her powers to protect her friends, but Atlas overpowers her and nearly kills her. After wiping out the rest of his goons, Atlas threatens Tina unless Lilith opens the vault for him. She complies, taking herself inside with Tina and Atlas. Lilith uses the opportunity for Atlas’s monologuing to have Tina remove Atlas’s shield device and knock him down. A tentacled creature then pulls Atlas into the darkness while Lilith and Tina leave.

Pandora then holds a celebration with fireworks. The group now comes together as friends as they join the party. Lilith shows off her fire wings again for Tina’s enjoyment, narrating for the last time that while Pandora is still a shithole, it’s still her home.

On the planet Pandora, there is a vault containing the secrets of an ancient alien race known as the Eridians. The only one who can open it is a Daughter of Eridia. Bounty hunter Lilith is tasked by evil corporate president Atlas to find Tiny Tina, his daughter who can open the vault. Tina is aided by ex-soldier Roland and brutish Psycho Krieg, while Lilith is joined by a chatty robot named Claptrap. After Atlas's private army, the Crimson Lance (which Roland used to belong to), arrive for Tina, she joins with Lilith and the others to find the vault before Atlas.

The group is helped by Dr. Patricia Tannis, who took care of Lilith as a child after her mother supposedly abandoned her to find the vault. Tannis helps them find the other half of the key needed for the vault, but Tina thinks Lilith is going to sell her out to Atlas and leaves with Tannis and Krieg after Roland stays behind to fight other bad guys. Claptrap plays a video message for Lilith from her mother, indicating that she loved her, which encourages her to find Tina.

Tina ends up not being able to open the vault because it is actually Lilith who possesses that power. They fight Atlas's goons until he threatens Tina for Lilith to open the vault. She does, but they take away his shield device and leave him to be killed by a creature in the vault.

Everybody becomes friends in the end.