Summary

• Jack Black's portrayal of Claptrap in Borderlands solves a big problem for the movie and captures the character's iconic personality perfectly.
• The decision to recast Claptrap was controversial, but Jack Black's performance highlights Borderlands' understanding of its adaptation challenges.
• Borderlands acknowledges the limitations of adapting a video game into a film, using Jack Black's voice to effectively convey Claptrap's spirit within a shorter timeframe.

Jack Black will play Claptrap for the the trailer for Borderlands, and that he could solve a big problem with the games.

Of all the Jack Black's voice is perfect for Claptrap, and he actually solved one of Borderlands' biggest problems.

Claptrap’s Voice Was A Big Problem For The Borderlands Movie

In the video games, Claptrap was voiced by two people, David Eddings and Jim Foronda, but Jack Black has taken on the mantle for the movie. That was a divisive choice, as many longtime followers of the video games felt that one of the original voice actors could have voiced Claptrap again. The issue of who should voice Claptrap was a big problem for the movie, as every available solution had its own advantages and drawbacks. Borderlands gave the role to Jack Black, a decision which was a cause of its own problems.

Though Black is a very talented actor, hardcore fans still wanted to see Eddings or Foronda in the role. The other option for Claptrap's voice was to bring one of them back, but that would have caused even more problems for the movie. An inherent part of Claptrap's character is that he has an annoying, grating voice. That worked wonderfully for the games, as many of his best jokes reference how annoying other characters find him, but Claptrap's original voice would have held the movie back. Audiences would have found him unlikable due to a problem all video game adaptations face.

Borderlands releases in theaters on August 9, 2024.

Jack Black Voicing Claptrap Shows Borderlands Understands The Problem With Video Game Adaptations

One of the reasons Claptrap's voice in the games was viewed as iconic rather than obnoxious was because players had a long time to get used to him. Through various encounters across multiple games and several hours of playtime, players learned to love Claptrap and his voice. The Borderlands movie does not have the same luxury as the games, though, as it has much less time to convey its characters' main qualities. Since viewers have a fraction of the time players had to meet Claptrap, his original voice would have come off as simply annoying rather than endearing.

Casting Black in the role shows that Borderlands understands how it is limited by its runtime, which should help it avoid other adaptation pitfalls.

The problem with Borderlands' runtime versus the games' length highlights an issue that plagues all video game movies. Condensing dozens of hours of story and character development into a feature-length film is a nearly impossible task, and it contributed to several notable video game adaptation failures. Borderlands seems to have solved that particular problem, as Jack Black's voice captures the spirit of Claptrap in a fraction of the time it took the games and did it without being overly obnoxious. Casting Black in the role shows that Borderlands understands how it is limited by its runtime, which should help it avoid other adaptation pitfalls.

Could The Original Claptrap Voice Actors Still Be In The Borderlands Movie?

Borderlands chose Jack Black to voice its iconic robot, but the movie could still pay homage to the character's roots. Claptrap might have been iconic, but he wasn't one of a kind in the Borderlands games. Other robots of the same model as Claptrap were scattered throughout Pandora, at least before Handsome Jack, and any one of them could easily be voiced by Eddings or Foronda. Giving the original actors a role in Borderlands would serve as a fun Easter Egg for viewers familiar with the games, and it would give them credit for pioneering such an iconic character.

Jack Black's casting as Claptrap highlights one of the biggest reasons to be excited for the Borderlands movie. He already sounds amazing in the trailer, and his performance is sure to be a highlight, but he also shows that Borderlands is concerned with being a good movie first, and a faithful adaptation second. Decisions like casting Black demonstrate that Borderlands knows the challenges it has to overcome and is willing to make the necessary choices to be as good as possible. As the movie's tagline suggests, "Chaos loves company," and no one could hope for better company than Jack Black.