The Portable Door movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Portable Door

This imaginative and magical movie will be available exclusively on MGM+ in April 2023.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 2 hours 28 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

Paul Carpenter is an intern at a mysterious London firm with unconventional employers, including a CEO who wants to disrupt the ancient magical world with modern corporate practices.

The film is based on the seven-book series by Tom Holt, and was directed by Jeffrey Walker. The creative writer is Leon Ford.

Lisa Henson represented her famous father’s company, the Jim Henson Company (the Muppets), as the executive producer. The production of the movie was a collaboration between his company and Sky Production, and Story Bridge Films.

THINGS I LIKED:

The fantastic cast includes Academy Award winners Christoph Waltz and Miranda Otto. Actor Sam Neill has performed in two films that won Academy Awards. I thought he was a true standout. Patrick Gibson stars in this movie and does a fantastic job. You might have seen him before in Shadow and Bone (2021), Tolkien (2019), and The OA (2016). I’m so happy to see that he snagged this leading role.
This is Sophie Wilde’s debut. She performed with Miranda Otto in Talk to Me (2022).
Rachel House has such a mischievous smile and is perfect in her role in this movie.
Fantastic musical score by Benjamin Speed.
The movie has just the right amount of action, whimsy, fantasy, and fun. There’s even a romance.
I’ve never seen a British toaster like the one in the first scene of the movie. Cute!
I loved the dress Jessica De Gouw wore in the first scene she’s in.
The coffee mug Patrick Gibson’s character drinks out of said, “Destined to be average.”
Pay attention to small details in every scene. There is a lot of visual humor that will reward you if you’re paying attention.
We get to travel around the world. So fun! Where would YOU want to go? Have you been to any of the Wonders of the World seen in the film? Man, I wish I had a magical portal to anywhere I wanted to go!
If you enjoy this movie, you’ll be happy to know that sequels will abound. As I’ve never read any of the source material books, I’m excited to see what happens next!
Keep watching until the very end of the rolling credits for another cute scene.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The goblins don’t look that great.
Some of the action sequences are super jumbled and messy, making it hard to see what’s happening.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some British profanity like “bloody.”
Violence and destruction
Goblins
Some scary moments for young kids
Young children will have a hard time understanding the plot.
Magicians

THEMES:

Gut instincts
Special gifts and talents
Influence
Magic
Power
Greed

FUNNY LINES:

“You may be excited about working here. That would be a mistake.” – Dennis Tanner (Sam Neill)
“I could murder a pie.” – Sophie Pettingel (Sophie Wilde)
What is it you do here?” – Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson) “We do what we can.” – Dennis Tanner (Sam Neill)

INTERESTING LINES:

“I will sell you the will of the people.” – Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz)
“Influence is no coincidence.” – Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz)
“Who closes the door, keeps the door.” – Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz)
“Are humans still ruining everything?” – Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz) “Of course, they are!” – Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson