The Portable Door

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Paul Carpenter's day goes from a morning of disasters, with his toaster exploding and a random lecturer professing to know him, to a bizarre interview at JW Wells and Co, a somewhat unusual organisation. This was one of those films that I was made to sit down and watch with the while family, an array of ages, the feedback was generally positive, personally I rather enjoyed it, despite it not really being my preferred genre. I was told to expect something along the lines of Harry Potter or Extraordinary Beasts, in truth I could see no similarity at all, other than them being fantasy movies, family friendly fantasy that is. Not especially exciting or particularly well paced, but oddly engaging and baffling, this film is so strange and weird, it just draws you in. You'll be scratching your head several times as you try to work out what's going on, just accept that it's slightly bonkers, and I think you'll enjoy it. To summarise, it's very quirky, family fun, it's well acted and oddly engaging. 7/10.

Wow, everything about this movie was solid, maybe not the action parts which were cheesy and quite predictable. But I love the twist at the end. From the pace of the movie, to the tone of the movie to the cinematography to the actual story. It was beautiful and I loved every bit of it. The idea that some deities have direct influences on the choices we make is not farfetched from what Christians believe about Angels/Demons and it was depicted very beautifully in this movie. But that might as well be a sub-plot because the actual event had nothing to do with that but was about a supposedly useless lad who was looked down upon when, infact, he was actually the key to their problems. I have to say that Christopher Waltz is an amazing Actor. I haven't seen a movie of his and left disappointed and this was no exception. As for the new cats on the block, Patrick Gibson and Sophie Wilde, they did amazingly well. I say new cats because this is my first time seeing them in any movie. This is also proof that you don't need famous actors, in lead roles, to produce a successful movie. You just need a good story, great production and a solid cast. Definitely would say this is a family movie and something SAFE for kids to watch. It's such a relief to be able to still find movies like this that have none of them WOKE nonsense in it. I can't wait for the sequel. Hopefully it will still be WOKE-free.

I read a lot of reviewers comparing this movie with Harry Potter but I don't agree. The story is totally different, much weirder which was a good thing I thought. The only thing they have in common is that it is all fantasy and in this genre The Portable Door is an entertaining movie. It takes a while to understand what's going on but it's never annoying. Christopher Waltz always delivers, never disappoints. Sam Neil was also good in playing his strange character. The whole cast did a decent job making this movie interesting to follow. I can see some sequels in the future if it catches on. I'm up for it.

Then this movie might be for you. I don't do enough drugs. I can't say it has a plot. I can't say it has a consistent theme. It's like someone got peoplepto build weird sets, writers to write strange dialog and actors to say the lines. Then they randomly cut shots together and called it a movie. There is nothing likeable about this movie. Nothing at all. The charachters aren't likeable, the dialog isn't likeable and the sets are... well pretty cool. Full marks to the construction crew. Other than that you could follow the story with the sound off as easily with it on. Don't waste your time, unless you have LSD. Then why not. It might make sense.

While Brit family fantasy adventure "The Portable Door" may be an unoriginal imitation of the 'Harry Potter' series, it's still GOOD. Patrick Gibson & Sophie Wilde intern at a crusty old-school London firm run / staffed by the likes of Christoph Waltz, Sam Neill, Jessica De Gouw, Rachel House & Miranda Otto - where under unsuspecting human noses magic, goblins, baby dragons & coincidence manipulation abound. The colourful performances are terrific (esp Neill & Wilde - excellent), Leon Ford's writing is fun & engaging enough, and director Jeffrey Walker brings it all home in splashy style. A new franchise is undoubtedly born, but ok, it's a likeable one.

Why do people who have read the book ever bother to view a film they know from the outset they will hate because - insert whiny voice- "it's not like the book". Why not save yourself the agony. As a counterpoint I have read the book, and thought this adaptation was most enjoyable. You can't really describe anything without spoilers. Ut it bowls along with a great sense of humour -mfor some of which paying attention is rewarded. If you haven't read the books give them a go as there are seven in the series and explore the idea in greater details. This will be good should get round to making a sequel.