This is a somewhat contradictory movie.
Unusually, I chose to watch it on impulse, out of the blue, with no prior knowledge of what it was about, other than it had an intriguing title and a good cast.
From the first few minutes and on to about 45 minutes, the script, apparent plot, and acting successfully draw you in.
Everything is set up for The Portable Door to be some intriguing, mind binding, psychological, thought provoking film for adults.
You are being taken from the seemingly innocuous streets of London to witness what goes on behind the doors of a mysterious company run by people, Waltz and Neil, whose stated intent is the secret control of the masses, and to sell that ability to the highest bidders.
Burton's confusion but initial happiness in getting a strange job in this mysterious company is well portrayed, as is his discovery of his hitherto unknown 'other world' abilities.
It feels like a very dark, sci-fi, adult Alice in Wonderland equivalent, with The Portable Door being the entrance to anywhere possible, as per the rabbit hole.
Then, just as you sense this film can really take off into deep and intriguing mind games, something happens.
To me it suddenly changes direction, backs away from being grown up, and the second half goes completely the opposite, dumping all the careful build-up, the mystery, the intrigue, and the subtlety of leaving you wondering where is this going!
And for me that is why it seems the whole first half, of potentially a great attention grabbing movie, appears to be dumped in the bin.
It's as if halfway through making it, the director was told that the studio had now given permission for a good CGI budget to be available.
So now they had to spend it.
And that is why, the film suddenly changes from an interesting subtle mind drama to an all out, in your face, no mystery, flashes, bangs, wallops, villain chasing goodie with loads of odd other creatures hanging around kids fantasy movie.
So the last half hour or so is what you expect to see anywhere else, and therefore the end result is pretty obvious from way out, rather than being a last minute cliff-hangar.
I enjoyed the first half, but disappointed with the second half.
So much potential for a really intriguing film, and then it all reverts to a flash, bang, wallop, CGI action film, which chucks all the great acting of Waltz and Neill early on, out of the window.
IMPORTANT!!!
Right at the end of the last credits featuring all the CGI creators etc.., there is a clip of a final scene showing Burton, as the character Carpenter.
What happens in that scene is strangely a precise summary of what I have written above - so much potential, but at the end not much achieved.
So do watch right to the end.
It's a fitting summary added by the Director - very telling!
