The Portal

I found a copy of this at a secondhand shop, and it's got all the ingredients for a good movie. Good camera work, acting is passable, graphics and effects are all good, but the issue this short has is that it's just kind of nothing.

It felt like more of a tech demo that someone gearing up to make a real film made, but the writing is abysmal. This random sorcerer comes to "modern" times, and is bewildered by the artifacts like an iPhone, and it's the same cliche we've all seen in cartoons where a displaced character acts bewildered by modern amenities.

There just wasn't really any meat on the solid bones.

Tahmoh Penikett, directed to play the part of a wizard trapped in another world, leans heavily into that flavor. He gives Alar an extravagance and charm that is little bit too much, even in just these 11 short minutes, but he's clearly having a great time in his role. Erin Karpluk has a more clear-cut role as Kim, a cynical travel agent who happens to catch Alar's attention. Playing the "straight man" to Penikett's more boisterous show, Karpluk capably demonstrates Kim's put-upon "are you kidding me?" attitude in reaction to the fancy stranger's seeming eccentricity.

The computer-generated effects and visuals are fine, certainly sufficient for a production of this nature. Wing Lee's costume design is more notably eye-catching; as simple as the wardobe is here, it effectively adds to the credibility of the story, and looks good. I'm also amused by the suggestion of how the magic of another world becomes inhibited in ours.

Above all, though, I just like the small narrative Jonathan Williams concocted. The air Alar puts on is immediately a little overbearing, but that feeling is lessened after the first couple minutes, when the camera no longer focuses solely on Penikett. And while this tiny tale isn't especially fancy, it's entertaining, and I quite enjoy the ending that in its own way gives a marginally new perspective to the preceding 10 minutes as Karpluk is allowed to stand a little taller.

Worth watching? If you like silly fantasy stories, then I'd say so.