Portal Runner: Review

10th December 2021

Nolan (Sloane Morgan Siegel) is in trouble with his sister, Mae (Elise Eberle), as she’s found him in her room without permission. Nolan tries to explain what’s going on but Mae just wants him out of her room. The trouble is that Nolan doesn’t know his sister because she’s never met her and with him being from a parallel dimension it all feels like it’s the same but different.

There’s another problem as well, because despite Nolan’s gift for travelling between worlds, there’s something after him which is far more powerful and could be coming at any moment.

Portal Runner is an indie sci-fi directed by Cornelia Duryée. Seemingly inspired by mid-90’s science fiction TV such as Sliders and video games such as Resident Evil, Portal Runner is a different kind of Christmas film which aims for nostalgia on a low budget. This may also explain the low budget special effects as well.

Starting out in an unusual way, the audience aren’t let in on what’s going on for quite a while during the film. Despite Nolan finding himself in his sister’s bedroom, for all the audience knows then it may as well be a family drama. In fact, there really is no way of knowing that this is meant to be a science fiction movie at all. Besides the title being Portal Runner that is.

This means that for a long time the audience is meant to wait which may give a couple of differing reactions. Firstly, those who have known the premise of the film may be a little disappointed as it’s about halfway through before it gives its sci-fi twist. Secondly, those unaware of the title may be put off by the jarring science fiction direction that the film takes.

It may also be worth recommending Portal Runner to a friend without telling them the title just to see their reaction.

However, as the film does get down to its plot and everything is revealed about Nolan’s plan to get rid of the evil that’s chasing him, the film does feel a little confused. There doesn’t seem to be any clear reason for this evil’s existence so the stakes aren’t really that high and seems only to be there to have an antagonist. Saying this though, fans of 90’s sci-fi nostalgia may enjoy the sly winks to the past.

Facebook

Google

Twitter

We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.