Calling all fantasy fans: It’s time to sit down and buckle up as we prepare for what is inevitably going to be your new obsession: The Stan Original Film, The Portable Door. In a world where everything is a reboot of or a sequel to something we already love, The Portable Door is ready to open up your horizons to a completely fresh take to a genre that has captivated audiences for decades.
Instead of transporting us to a faraway land of magic, The Portable Door imbues our real world — in this case, London — with mysterious sorcery that we uncover alongside our protagonist, Paul Carpenter, played by Patrick Gibson. This is all while he deals with real-life, dare we say relatable, problems.
Before the film’s release on Stan this Easter long weekend, dive in as we take you through the reasons why you’ll keep wanting to revisit ‘The Portable Door’ long after your first watch.
It’s Hogwarts Meets Dunder Mifflin
You already know that The Portable Door delves into the supernatural, but, true to its source material (a book by the same name written by Tom Holt), it also provides a smattering of social commentary and dissects the politics of office culture. The aforementioned Carpenter is a down-on-his-luck intern at London firm J.W. Wells & Co., alongside fellow intern Sophie Pettingel, played by Australia’s very own Sophie Wilde.
Despite being so low on the food chain, Carpenter and Pettingel uncover something mysterious and insidious about J.W. Wells & Co ‘s management. Those in charge are looking to blindly force their ways of bureaucracy and corporate strategy onto magical beings who have done just fine without it.
Overbearing and ruthless people in high managerial positions trying to tell staff that they know what’s best, despite staff’s feelings? Never heard of it!
Christoph Waltz Does What He Does Best — Plays the Bad Guy
If Christoph Waltz is going to do anything in a movie, it’s playing the scariest villain you’ve ever seen. The man doesn’t have two Oscars to his name for no reason, folks. In The Portable Door, he’s not playing a maniacal warlord or formidable enemy to secret agents. Instead, he’s playing…a boss.
But his character, Humphrey Wells, is so charismatic that he can pull you in with his charm before you ever get a whiff of just how sinister he is. He’s the type of boss to tout the team as a ‘family’, before being the most toxic superior you can imagine. He’ll speak of the business as a place of innovation and growth, but will never give you the raise you deserve.
And that’s all on top of the fact he’s trying to disrupt ancient magic practices for his own game, potentially changing the fate of the world.
It Also Stars True Legends of Genre Film
With only a handful of film and television credits under their belt, you’d be forgiven for not being super across the work of Gibson and Wilde (that’s OK, you’ll fall in love with them soon enough). But, alongside Waltz, The Portable Door has cast some real veterans of genre film, and of fantasy, to help give the movie that special and familiar touch to elevate the already invigorating storyline.
Here’s where Sam Neill enters. But, instead of fighting off rogue dinosaurs as an action hero, he’s the ultimate middle manager with a signature comedic twist that helps show Gibson and Wilde the ropes.
In case that wasn’t enough, though, Miranda Otto also ditches slaying witch-kings in Middle Earth to become a witch herself. Her outfits are colourful, her commentary is biting, and she helps guide us, and the new interns, through the bizarre and suspicious halls of J.W. Wells & Co.
If you’re ready to unlock whatever secrets the titular door holds, The Stan Original Film The Portable Door premieres this Friday, only on Stan.