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The Portable Door Reviews

Performances are all competent (this is THE year of Sophie Wilde, after all), the visual effects deliver, and in general, “The Portable Door” manages to have a fun and eccentric tone, which ended up charming me. Full review in Spanish.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 2, 2023

Beneath the visual spectacle of its elaborate funhouse of secrets and sorcery, this fantasy adventure yields only surface-level thrills.

Full Review | Jul 8, 2023

We've found an absolutely entertaining and intelligent movie where adventure, humor, and underground satire collide... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 26, 2023

Perhaps its biggest peculiarity is that beneath its fantastic adventure facade, lies a weird romantic comedy... [Full review in Spanish]

There are goblins and fantasy, villains, and heroes. But not a hint of effervescent fizz. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 20, 2023

The distinctive flair of the Jim Henson Company really brings the magical creatures to life, and the stuffy, off-kilter sets give a sense of a corporate Hogwarts, just as full of secrets and nonsensical rules.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 12, 2023

There’s fun afoot, but at nearly two hours, this one just wanders, taking forever to capitalize on that portable door.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 12, 2023

The YA tale is a well-conceived mishmash of fantasy, adventure, action and corporate intrigue.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Apr 12, 2023

A stacked cast elevates this fine if forgettable fantasy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 8, 2023

There’s ramshackle funhouse charm to spare here, and while the plot occasionally trips over the odd loose floorboard, the fun ideas and game performances soon pick it back up.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 7, 2023

It's just twisty enough to keep adults invested while remaining silly enough to hold the attention of any children too.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Apr 7, 2023

A jaunty comic fantasy with loads of talent in front of and behind the camera, but the conspiracy ideas wear a bit thin over the long run time

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 6, 2023

If the tension flickers on and off... The Portable Door never entirely loses its edge, thanks largely to an irascible Neill as Wells’s right-hand man, and a sharp-tongued sensibility reminiscent of Roald Dahl.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 3, 2023

A boisterous and breezily entertaining combination of The Witches, Harry Potter and Monsters, Inc.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 29, 2023

This movie, a Stan original, is a spirited, fantastical entertainment for young and old.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 27, 2023

All in all, it’s a bit of a curate’s egg -- good in parts. Sam Neill and Christoph Waltz bring fine comic energy to the spectacular design, but the story bends itself in knots trying to be inventive.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 23, 2023

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The Portable Door review – Harry Potter-ish YA fantasy carried by hardworking cast

Jeffrey Walker’s adaptation of the young-adult fantasy novel retains its edge thanks to its performances, but gets stuck on the whole door thing

A dapted from Tom Holt’s 2003 young-adult fantasy novel, this is a passable attempt at kickstarting a new Harry Potter-style franchise set in a fusty-quirky institution, dosed up with extra Gilliamesque grotesquery. Co-produced by the Jim Henson Company, the production design is poky and intense, and the cast – with Christoph Waltz and Sam Neill larking it up – give it their all. But amid all this clutter, it sometimes has trouble moving its story forward.

The Portable Door has a nice conceit: the venerable London corporation of JW Wells & Co is responsible for engineering all the daily incidents of coincidence and serendipity that happen in urban life. Not that wet-behind-the-ears intern Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson), desperate for any gig, knows the company’s raison d’etre when he signs up. He appears to have no discernible talents whatsoever, unlike his fellow newbie Sophie (Sophie Wilde), whose ability as an empath is soon put to use in manipulating the unsuspecting public. So he’s relieved when CEO Humphrey Wells (Waltz) tasks him with finding a magic door that has gone awol somewhere in the grotto-like premises.

Director Jeffrey Walker blazes at a fun clip, with the wide-eyed Paul constantly taken aback at this corporate Hogwarts, full of spooling dot-matrix printers and arbitrary rules, like never staying past 5pm. But this whimsical feeding frenzy gradually smothers proceedings; with the need to keep Wells’s wider scheming hidden, it doesn’t snag our interest much with how his skulduggery would interface with the modern Muggle world (briefly, he has very contemporary designs on expanding the company’s mission of “influence”).

So instead the film remains weirdly fixated on the whole door thing, a largely meaningless MacGuffin with a sign marked “madcap” hanging off it. If the tension flickers on and off, though, The Portable Door never entirely loses its edge, thanks largely to an irascible Neill as Wells’s right-hand man, and a sharp-tongued sensibility reminiscent of Roald Dahl. But it doesn’t feel like quite enough to give it a permanent seat at the YA high table.

• Science fiction and fantasy films
• Film adaptations
• Children and teenagers
• Christoph Waltz

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The portable door, common sense media reviewers.

Ambitious fantasy adaptation has language, moments of peril.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Have faith in yourself and your abilities. Curiosi

Paul is kind and curious about the world around hi

The main character is a White man, though the cast

Gruesome dream sequence of bones bending, teeth fa

Flirtation. Mention of affairs. A character shows

Infrequent language includes "s--t," "bloody," "he

Ian McEwan's book Atonement and Fortnum & Maso

Mention of pub. Later characters are seen drinking

Parents need to know that The Portable Door is a fantasy film, based on a YA novel of the same name, that will appeal to older children, teens, and adults alike. When Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson) starts an internship at a mysterious London firm run by crazed CEO Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz), Paul soon…

Positive Messages

Have faith in yourself and your abilities. Curiosity and courage are important strengths. Power can be used for good and bad. There is often more to things than meets the eye.

Positive Role Models

Paul is kind and curious about the world around him, though lacks self-confidence and has to dig deep to find the courage to do the right thing. Sophie comes across as arrogant and standoffish at first, but gradually drops her mask to show a caring, vulnerable, and fun-loving side. Humphrey reveals himself to be maniacal and bent on using his power for personal gain, though also reveals some past struggles that garner a level of sympathy.

Diverse Representations

The main character is a White man, though the cast shows some ethnic diversity in the prominent supporting cast, including actors of African, South Asian, and East Asian descent. Fellow intern Sophie is given complexity at the start, but quickly becomes little more than the love interest. Both the receptionist and room of female typists are dressed in 1950s-style costume, with a separate room of men doing manual labor, their roles adhering to gender stereotypes. While there are women higher up in the organization, it is the male characters that become most central to the plot.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Gruesome dream sequence of bones bending, teeth falling out, and ears expanding. Magic fireballs thrown, characters zapped by magic forces, objects thrown, and walls destroyed. Characters are pushed to the ground and descended upon by Goblins. Scary scenes in the dark with a Goblin chasing people. Jump scares, roars and screams heard, fires break out, a vivisected mouse is shown in a jar, a toaster explodes with sparks, and there is talk of signing away souls.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Flirtation. Mention of affairs. A character shows attraction to office supplies and licks a stapler seductively. Kisses on lips.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Infrequent language includes "s--t," "bloody," "hell," "git," "sod," "arse," "damn," and name-calling such as "greasy, pug-nosed parasite," and "lardy."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Ian McEwan's book Atonement and Fortnum & Mason are both mentioned. Magic abilities are discussed in terms of helping control the public for the sake of corporations, although this is reflected in a negative light. The movie is based on a series of YA books.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Mention of pub. Later characters are seen drinking alcohol in a pub.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Portable Door is a fantasy film, based on a YA novel of the same name, that will appeal to older children, teens, and adults alike. When Paul Carpenter ( Patrick Gibson ) starts an internship at a mysterious London firm run by crazed CEO Humphrey Wells ( Christoph Waltz ), Paul soon discovers that all is not what it seems. There are some scary scenes involving magic fireballs and Goblins, and a dream sequence shows gruesome body distortions. There is mild flirtation and kisses on the lips, and characters drink alcohol in a pub on one occasion. Infrequent language includes "s--t," "arse," and "damn." Paul shows courage and curiosity, as well being kind and sensitive at times, which are great character strengths to see on-screen. Jim Henson Company puppets help bring the magical element alive, along with special effects, and the familiar territory makes this a safe if not wildly original bet for fantasy fans. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (2)

Based on 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE PORTABLE DOOR, Paul Carpenter ( Patrick Gibson ) and fellow intern Sophie Pettingel ( Sophie Wilde ) are recruited into a mysterious London company, where nothing is quite as it seems. Their experience opens the door to new worlds, but also pulls them into the secret plans of maniacal CEO Humphrey Wells ( Christoph Waltz ) to disrupt the world of magic for corporate gain.

Is It Any Good?

Based on a popular YA fantasy novel -- the first in a seven-part series by Tom Holt -- this fun but familiar movie finds its true magic in the impressive cast and stylish, beautifully-lit settings. While Gibson and Wilde hold the screen well, it's Waltz's maniacal Humphrey and Sam Neill 's oddly gleeful right-hand man Dennis who steal the limelight throughout The Portable Door . The distinctive flair of the Jim Henson Company really brings the magical creatures to life, and the stuffy, off-kilter sets give a sense of a corporate Hogwarts, just as full of secrets and nonsensical rules. Some moments of humor land better than others, and the plot itself gets a little tied up in its own enthusiasm at times. But this is an enjoyable, well-produced family fantasy that will have a wide appeal, if not quite the spark worthy of a future franchise.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about whether The Portable Door was scary or not. Did the fantasy elements reduce the impact? If so, why? How much scary stuff can young kids handle?

Paul showed curiosity , which helped him understand what was going on around him, and eventually courage to stand up for what's right. Why are these important life skills ? Can you think of times curiosity or courage has helped in your own life?

The film combined a familiar "real" world with fantasy elements. Can you think of other films that do this? How do they compare?

What motivated some of the characters? Did it remind you of any practices in the real world?

Talk about some of the language used. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : April 7, 2023
• Cast : Patrick Gibson , Sophie Wilde , Christoph Waltz , Sam Neill
• Director : Jeffrey Walker
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
• Studio : MGM+
• Genre : Fantasy
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Book Characters , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity
• Run time : 116 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : May 13, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – The Portable Door (2023)

March 26, 2023 by Robert Kojder

The Portable Door , 2023.

Directed by Jeffrey Walker. Starring Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, Christoph Waltz, Sam Neill, Miranda Otto, Chris Pang, Jessica De Gouw, Rachel House, Arka Das, Damon Herriman, Christopher Sommers, Jason Wilder, Diana Lin, and Lin Yin.

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.

Based on the novel by Tom Holt (a staple of young adult fantasy), director Jeffrey Walker (and screenwriter Leon Ford) doesn’t seem to understand how to have fun with The Portable Door . Set in London, the film centers on a firm consisting of standard wizardry, goblins, and magical creatures, including the titular portable door that protagonist Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson) is tasked with locating for CEO Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz). Even with some assistance from the Jim Henson Company to add some welcome practical detail to these elements (therefore giving the family film a slightly scary edge to go along with one or two scenes of surprisingly dark threats), the experience is low-energy and rarely takes advantage of its fantastical world.

There’s a self-seriousness to The Portable Door , which is understandable considering there are socially relevant topics the film is getting at regarding its villain essentially stealing information about people to start controlling their lives on a larger scale, taking over their instincts and decision-making rather than influencing it for the greater good. However, there is also a dry, genericness to that drama. Once Paul finds the portable door and expresses his concerns about what Humphrey has planned to fellow intern Sophie (Sophie Wilde), she’s not too worried about things since she has already been relatively brainwashed, opting to use the portable door to travel to several famous landmarks while bonding with Paul.

Logically, Sophie would be fascinated by such simple and easy teleportation, but you also want to thank her for giving the movie something fun to do. Even when Paul is working his way through the rules and how the portable door functions, accidentally transporting himself behind the glass panel of a grocery store’s frozen foods section, there is a playfulness that the rest of the film is severely lacking. An appropriately whimsical score from Benjamin Speed and the look of standard fantasy aren’t enough; there are things to admire about the production design, but when the story comes down to characters blasting magical energy and electricity balls at one another, all of this feels derivative and the opposite of magical.

The Portable Door also takes its sweet time getting itself started, first with a quick prologue showing John Wells (Christoph Waltz in a dual role where the best thing about the movie is inevitably watching him go over the top interacting with chaotic evil son counterpart) getting sealed away somewhere for return to be. The story then introduces Paul Carpenter, having a day filled with a ridiculous amount of bad luck juxtaposed with advertisements proclaiming that “there are no such things as coincidence.” It’s as if the universe is interfering with Paul’s life to bring him to the mysterious firm that just so happens to be looking for interns.

Paul impresses Humphrey upon realizing that his office wallpaper is a map of London, proving potential usefulness in locating the lost portable door. As mentioned above, Paul befriends Sophie (also applying for the internship), who starts enjoying things such as coffee and jazz music that she had mentioned not liking. Unfortunately, both of them are bland characters with even weaker chemistry. The further Paul digs into what’s really happening, Humphrey’s right-hand man Dennis Tanner (Sam Neill, also chewing the scenery), insists on staying out of it.

Roughly an hour into The Portable Door , the magical object is present and used but also wasted due to limited imagination. Then there’s the narrative itself, which is basic and uninspiring. After a while, don’t be surprised if you want to teleport yourself to a room not playing The Portable Door .

Flickering Myth Rating  – Film: ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check  here  for new reviews, follow my  Twitter  or  Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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The Portable Door review – a perfectly palatable fantasy adaptation

Professor Van Spee (Rachel House) Countess Judy (Miranda Otto) Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson) Sophie Pettingel (Sophie Wilde) Rosie Tanner (Jessica De Gouw) gather in The Lobby. Image: Stan

Stan’s The Portable Door , a largely Australian production starring internationally recognisable faces, is fine fantasy fare.

Our young, plucky ‘wizard’s apprentice’ is Paul Carpenter – played by the OA ‘s Patrick Gibson. In a world much like modern day London, he is clumsy, broke, and desperate for a job. He shares many qualities with the classic Magical Anime Girl : bright eyed, bushy tailed, and perpetually late. All he needs is a bit of toast in his mouth as he runs to school (or in this case, a coffee shop interview). After a dog leads him into a mysterious alleyway, Paul is swept into a world of telepathy, magic doors, and goblins.

Well, not before overcoming my worst nightmare: interviewing for a job he knows nothing about while Christoph Waltz scrutinises him with his piercing eyes.

Read : The Consultant on Amazon Prime is sinister and close to home

After somehow charming an interview panel consisting of Waltz, Sam Neill, Miranda Otto, Rachel House, and Chris Pang, Paul is given an internship at the J.W. Wells & Co. offices. There he shares an office with Sophie Pettingel (Sophie Wilde), a stand-offish high achiever who knows as much about the goings-on of the company as Paul does. That is to say, nothing.

Paul’s new magical job is to read maps. Yep, that’s it. And he apparently has no say in the matter, nor any desire to do anything else. What is his motivation to stay and not get the least bit argumentative about it? Without this being made clear, the story falls flat to low-stakes plotting. It’s not until the third act that things pick up, all thanks to some good ol’ romance being thrown in.

The comment on modern day bureaucracy is obvious. While the young interns try to navigate their new workplace, one of them utters a line along the lines of ‘do you ever think you’re not built for this work-rent-bills-bus thing?’ In that moment I screamed YES at the screen, frightening my cat. So yes, despite the implausible plot involving goblin uprisings and disappearing doors, the film is relatable. The endless rows of carbon copy offices, the typewriters, the pneumatic tubes, the men in suits, it’s Kafka meets Brazil meets … well, real-world companies.

While we’re on pneumatic tubes, I thought the look of the film’s production and feel of the sound design worked very well. The Henson Company involvement becomes apparent when baby dragons begin to appear out of nowhere, and Paul finds a room full of animated eyeballs in jars. Its budget has obviously been well-spent, leading to a slick, immersive appearance that almost hides the dated narrative tropes.

There’s even a few nods to the fact that The Portable Door was filmed in Australia – including a map of Arnhem Land that Paul is working on. But again, because it takes him so long to figure out what he is looking for, the tension is completely lost on the audience.

Read : Black Snow on Stan burns brightly – review

Christoph Waltz and Sam Neill, as the CEO and his 2IC respectively, are hilarious. It’s obvious when actors are having a great time playing some zany characters, and here I’ve no doubt they had a ball as these operatic fantasy villains in impeccably tailored suits. Rachel House and Mirando Otto are equally delightful, their screen presence always commanding, and their costumes by far the standout couture of the film.

The second half of the film is a fairly predictable McGuffin chase, with twists and turns that most audiences will see coming. There is however a sequence that borrows heavily from Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr., which is a fun little Easter Egg for silent film buffs.

Alas, once the goblins get involved in the story, the comparisons to a certain magical Mr. Potter are inevitable. Except it’s important to note that Harry Potter was first published in 1998, and the Portable Door novel came out in 2003 – so don’t get your knickers in a diagon alley over copyright infringement.

Read : JK Rowling betrayed us but I’ll still watch Fantastic Beasts

Another unfortunate similarity that Portable Door shares with Harry Potter is in its arguably antisemitic depiction of Goblins. Criticisms were laid at JK Rowling when it was pointed out that the Gringotts Bank goblins of Harry Potter were remarkably similar to WWII-era Jewish caricatures . Similar (but probably unintentional) mistakes are made in The Portable Door .

Everything from their hooked-nose appearance, to their desire to take over the world, and Mr Wells’ comment that they’re ‘parasites’ shows a regrettable similarity. Aren’t we past this yet?

You can check out The Portable Door in cinemas and on streaming very soon – but once is more than enough.

The Portable Door is in cinemas from 23 March, and available to stream on Stan from 7 April 2023.

3 out of 5 stars

Silvi Vann-Wall

Format: Movie

Silvi Vann-Wall is a journalist, podcaster, and filmmaker. They joined ScreenHub as Film Content Lead in 2022. Twitter: @SilviReports

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The Portable Door review: Is Jurassic Park and James Bond stars' new movie worth watching?

Step inside...

Co-produced by The Jim Henson Company and based on the first novel of Tom Holt’s JW Wells & Co young adult series (so there’s potential for numerous sequels), the movie introduces us to ordinary bloke Paul ( Shadow & Bone ’s Patrick Gibson), who gets a job as an intern at the company despite having no idea what they actually do there.

He’s paired up with another intern, Sophie (Sophie Wilde), and they are both placed under the tutelage of grumpy manager Mr Tanner ( Sam Neill ), who gives them a list of rules — the most important being they must not stay in the office building after the end of the working day.

Ignoring some of the possibly mystical oddities around the building — machines that spout unintelligible data, Tanner’s odd response to a stray office stapler left on the floor, something suspicious scuttling into a dark corner — Paul finally realises all may not be what it seems when the company’s quixotic CEO Humphrey Wells ( Christoph Waltz ) sets him a special task.

He wants Paul to locate a missing magical door that can transport you to wherever you want to be.

After a rather plodding (and doorless) beginning, it turns out that JW Wells & Co does have some fascinating secrets to be uncovered.

Of course, once they find the portable door, Sophie and Paul have to try it out a few times. They use it to explore the world, which gets a bit tedious, but once we’re back in the spooky London office, things get far more interesting and the Henson Company effects — along with Waltz and Neill — take centre stage.

There are some great ideas at play here. The form the door is transported in and where the instructions are written is really clever and not to be spoiled. And when the movie goes full-tilt into bonkers territory towards the end, it almost makes up for the slow start.

Waltz is suitably devious as the secretive CEO with grand plans to modernise the business, and Wilde and Gibson are perfectly likeable as the pair with no idea what is really going on.

But it is Sam Neill — gruffly thundering along office corridors, magnificently growling all his lines — who makes this fantasy worth a watch, and even worthy of a sequel visit to the wizardly JW Wells & Co.

The Portable Door is on Sky Cinema in the UK and MGM+ in the US from April 7.

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Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times , OK! , The Guardian and Grazia , is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies . 

She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids . In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic , and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie .

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Your Daily Science Fiction, Fantasy & Entertainment Fix

The portable door–one of the best fantasy films in years is now streaming.

Review by C.J. Bunce

We’ve already seen two fantastic fantasy movies this year: the eagerly awaited Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and the animated adventure Nimona.  Like Nimona, The Portable Door is a welcome surprise.  Most importantly the story is pitch-perfect.  We’d expect no less coming from The Jim Henson Company, right?  It’s billed as a fantasy/comedy, but that doesn’t quite capture it.  It has an endless stream of distributors, probably because the marketers hadn’t seen anything like it before.  Guillermo Del Toro for mainstream audiences?  Close, but it’s more than that.  Maybe because it’s Harry Potter… for adults.  Only it’s better than the Harry Potter movies.  It’s also better than The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and most of the adapted fantasy novels you can think of.  Add two of the best roles yet for both Christoph Waltz and Sam Neill and… Why isn’t everyone talking about this movie?

Did you like any of these movies:  The Adjustment Bureau, Spiderhead, Crossroads, Gremlins, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Office Space, the Chronicles of Narnia movies, or Beauty and the Beast?  It’s none of these, and yet it borrows memorable, fantastical elements from each.  It’s most like The Adjustment Bureau, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, based on Philip K. Dick’s The Adjustment Team, which may also make The Portable Door a bit science fiction.  It’s not quite horror, and it stays on this side of anything really frightening or gory, but you could see del Toro enjoying the heck out of it.  It’s also similar to–and as good as–the miniseries The Lost Room, which saw a man desperate to find his daughter when she’s lost in a hotel room that’s really a portal to anywhere and nowhere.

That sounds like a lot to unpack.  But if you liked any of these concepts, climb aboard. The Portable Door takes the hero’s journey and gives it a mystery edge that viewers can follow along with.

Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingel are two twenty-something Londoners interviewing for their next job.  They find themselves, coincidentally or not, at J.W. Wells & Co., that giant megacorp that we all know about that has its hands in seemingly everything.  Humphrey Wells is the CEO, and along with his henchmen, er… his lead management team–of Dennis Tanner, Nienke Van Spee, and Countess Judy, Wells is out to change the world as we know it.  Sophie gets hired on the fast-track, and has an employment contract that says as much (and more), but she’s also a bit of a guinea pig.  You see, Wells is involved with that realm of reality that involves coincidence, gut feelings, happenstance, and chance encounters.  Only Wells wants to use his influence in this realm to change everything, everywhere.  Paul is hired because Wells knows he has a certain knack for finding things, even if he otherwise is a bit of a mess at everything.

The MacGuffin is Wells’ missing portable door.  What’s a portable door?  Paul wonders, too, as he is tasked with finding it.  Whatever it is.  After this movie you might think more the next time you mindlessly click on a license agreement online, too.

Paul is played by The OA’s Patrick Gibson, and Sophie is played by Sophie Wilde (Tom Jones).  Wells is played by twice-Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, and here he has more opportunity to show some range than in his Tarantino roles.  Tanner is played by The Hunt for Red October and Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill.  Both Waltz and Neill get to dabble in dual roles, of a sort.  More supporting characters are Countess Judy, played by The Lord of the Rings and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Miranda Otto, and Rachel House (Cowboy Bebop, Thor: Ragnarok) plays Van Spee, who sometimes sports Medusa hair.  Chris Pang plays another manager, but the strangest and most fun is the receptionist, played by Jessica de Gouw (Arrow, The Last Tycoon) who seems to have channeled Parker Posey for this performance.  Plus goblins!

Jeffrey Walker directs writer Leon Ford’s adaptation of a script from Tom Holt’s series of Wells novels, and he translates the right amount of romance and comedy into a story that will keep viewers guessing what lies around the next turn, a fantasy with other genres sprinkled in.  If you like D&D-type fantasy adventures, you may find the journey in The Portable Door even more like your last game night than this year’s D&D movie.

The production design by Matthew Putland (Winchester, Mystery Road) is original and superb.  The movie has the vibe of the Harry Potter universe if it was set in the real world and the kids were grown up and out of college.  In a word, it’s delightful.

Don’t let the abysmal marketing effort fool you.  You may agree this is the best movie you see this year.  Don’t miss The Portable Door , now streaming on Prime Video.

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• The Portable Door

The Portable Door (Fantasy, Family) [Based on Novel] (2023)

Director: Jeffrey Walker

Writer: Leon Ford, Tom Holt (Based on Novel by)

Stars: Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, Christoph Waltz, Sam Neill

The Portable Toilet.

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The portable door.

Directed by Jeffrey Walker

Paul and Sophie, interns at a mysterious London firm, become steadily aware their employers Humphrey and Dennis are anything but conventional – they are disrupting the world of magic by bringing modern corporate strategy to ancient magical practices.

Christoph Waltz Patrick Gibson Sophie Wilde Sam Neill Miranda Otto Chris Pang Jessica De Gouw Rachel House Arka Das Damon Herriman Jason Wilder Diana Lin Lin Yin Demi Harman Chris Story Paul Adams Connor Treacy Finn Treacy Karen Marie Pearl Mercy Woods Rasoul Afkhamizakerzadeh Sho Eba Hazel Phillips Nikhil Singh Ida Conte Christopher Sommers Tori Webb Anna Yen Chris Bridgewater Show All… Vivienne Abitia Jessica Bowles Seth Collier Stephen Walker

Director Director

Jeffrey Walker

Producers Producers

Todd Fellman Lisa Henson Blanca Lista Matt Pearson

Writer Writer

Original writer original writer, editor editor, cinematography cinematography.

Donald McAlpine

Production Design Production Design

Matthew Putland

Art Direction Art Direction

Helen O'Loan

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Luke Hughes Maya Kommedal

Sound Sound

Scott Mulready Andy Wright Lee Yee

Costume Design Costume Design

Anna Borghesi

The Jim Henson Company Story Bridge Films MEP Capital

Australia USA

Releases by Date

23 mar 2023, 06 apr 2023, 07 apr 2023, 27 apr 2023, 11 may 2023, 23 jun 2023, 13 jul 2023, 05 oct 2023, 08 apr 2023, releases by country.

• Theatrical PG
• Digital PG Stan
• Theatrical 11
• TV 12 Sky Cinema Premieren
• Theatrical 12A
• Theatrical A

Russian Federation

• Theatrical 12+

Saudi Arabia

• Digital 12 Sky Cinema
• Digital PG-13 MGM+

United Arab Emirates

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“The Portable Door” Review

• Movie Reviews

The Portable Door: Directed by Jeffrey Walker. With Christoph Waltz, Patrick Gibson, Damon Herriman, Sophie Wilde. 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.

An adorable and loveable movie about a guy finding his place in the world and just going with the flow when it turns out that his place is in a magical….place? It was a pleasure to see Sam Neill an Christopher Waltz again, I’m not sure if I’ve seen Sophie Wilde or Patrick Gibson before, but they were both great as well.

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Berlin: sam neill on fantasy adventure ‘the portable door,’ returning to ‘jurassic park’ and missing his pet pig.

The beloved Kiwi actor's next film co-stars Christoph Waltz and makes its sales debut at Berlin's European Film Market this week.

By Patrick Brzeski

Patrick Brzeski

Asia Bureau Chief

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If there were an Olympic competition for world’s most laid-back, likable dude, the U.S. would probably send Jeff Bridges, but he’d get some fierce — which is to say, low-pressure charming — competition from Sam Neill of New Zealand. The remarkably hale 74-year-old Kiwi actor is regarded as something of a national treasure down under, the mere mention of his name apt to induce ready smiles and an involuntary twinkle in the eye.

Neill’s nearly 50-year career on screen has brought him some era-defining Hollywood blockbusters, such as The Hunt for Red October and Jurassic Park I, II & III , as well as prestige TV roles on shows such as Peaky Blinders , and memorable voice performances on animations including The Simpsons , Rick and Morty  and Peter Rabbit. But he’s also routinely returned to the comparatively small New Zealand industry where he began, appearing in both local indie projects and international breakthroughs, including Jane Campion’s landmark Cannes Palme d’Or winner The Piano and Taika Waititi’s hit adventure comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople . Meanwhile, regular work in Australian film and TV ( The Hunter , The Daughter ) has resulted in New Zealand’s neighbor and rival laying claim to him as one of their own.

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In recent years, Neill has developed a surprising second celebrity thanks to the social media dispatches he issues from his home in Alexandra, New Zealand, where he operates his own farm and vineyard, Two Paddocks, set amidst the South Island’s stunning natural beauty. Sometimes he’ll post a video of himself feeding his pet pig , or perhaps a photo of the two of them doing yoga together . Other times, he’ll play a little ditty on the ukulele to cheer himself up, maybe with some support from his pal Jeff Goldblum .

LOCKDOWN BLUES ? Look , this might help , just a little . Or not . Tough times , really . But the little things can help get us through . Try this and let me know how you go. pic.twitter.com/PwNbfaq8jl — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) January 11, 2021

At the Berlin Film Festival ‘s virtual European Film Market, currently underway, Neill’s recent feature The Portable Door is making its sales debut courtesy of Arclight. Directed by Australian filmmaker Jeffrey Walker, the film is a fantasy adventure co-starring Christoph Waltz, Miranda Otto ( The Lord of the Rings franchise), Rachel House ( Hunt for the Wilderpeople ) and Chris Pang ( Crazy Rich Asians ), with newcomers Patrick Gibson and Sophie Wilde in the lead. Based on a series of YA novels by Tom Holt, the film’s story follows two put-upon interns (Gibson and Wilde) at a mysterious London firm, J.W. Wells & Co., who become steadily aware that their employer is anything but conventional. The charismatic villains who run the company (Waltz and Neill) are disrupting the world of magic by bringing modern corporate strategy to ancient practices.

Ahead of the Berlin market, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Neill via phone from Australia, where he’s currently shooting Foxtel’s courtroom drama series, The Twelve , for a brief chat about The Portable Door , his upcoming return to the Jurassic Park franchise and some tips from his farm on getting more enjoyment out of life.

Not too much about the The Portable Door and the details of its world have been shared. So, to start, could you tell us a little more about your character and what appealed to you about playing him?

Well, I’ll tell you a little more about the film. Our lead is played by a very charming young Irish actor named Patrick Gibson. This young character lives in London and he’s looking for a job, and he sort of chances his way into a position at a company which he doesn’t quite understand. It’s called HW Wells and they’re like Barclays Bank. They’ve been there forever and it seems like a stuffy, Edwardian sort of company and everyone who works for them looks completely authentic and straight out of HG Wells. But nothing is quite as it seems, and his job is not going to be what he was promised. He learns that this is a company that doesn’t have an underbelly — it has an underworld. And what happens in that underworld is very interventionist, shall we say, with what happens in the upper world, the one that you and I live in.

There’s also a nascent love story running through it, between Patrick’s character and a young woman played by a fantastic actress named Sophie Wilde. But it’s above all else an adventure story.

And your character? 

My character works in the company and is seemingly one of those puffed up middle manager blowhards who wears three-piece suits and takes a lot of pride in that, but there is considerably more to him. And Christophe Waltz, who is my boss — and to whom I toady in a very unattractive way (laughs) — turns out to be not all that he seems either. He looks very polished, respectable and successful, but there’s quite a lot of darker things going on there. So, yeah, it’s very funny in parts, but it should be exciting and not quite like anything you’ve seen. It’s certainly not at all like anything I’ve been in before. And, of course, it’s produced by the Jim Henson Company, so expect to see various creatures and beings that will be a surprise to all. It has the invention and fantasy that Jim Henson is known for. And I was really taken with our young leads, Patrick and Sophie. We’ll be seeing a great deal more from them. They’re fabulous.

The film’s official summary says that the characters played by you and Christoph Waltz are “disrupting the ancient magical world with modern corporate practices.” It sounds like there might be a timely critique of corporate greed in there too. Was this aspect of the story something that resonated with you?

Well, like so many big corporations that we’re familiar with today, this one has a very ambitious and ruthless agenda. I don’t imagine they pay much tax, for example (laughs). They’re alarming and will stop at nothing, so I think you could correctly read it as allegorical.

You mentioned Hunt for the Wilderpeople and some of your fellow Kiwi and Australian stars. It’s striking how, in addition to your Hollywood and international work, you’ve consistently come back to New Zealand to appear in smaller productions all the way through your career. Has that been a deliberate effort to help support the industry you came from, to an extent?

I think that’s two things. I come back to Australia and New Zealand often to work because they’re both sort of home for me. They’re familiar, and I feel comfortable working here.

But in fairness, yeah, there’s probably a bit of that — wanting to give back, as you said. But, I don’t know, that sounds a bit more altruistic than simply having a very fortunate career, which is how I feel about it. I’ve been very, very lucky. I’m always in work, and my work continues to take me all over the world. But I do enjoy coming home whenever I can. I’m shooting a 10-hour series in Sydney at the moment, and it’s summertime here, and it’s so good to be back.

So, I know it’s a little early to talk Jurassic World: Dominion , but I have to ask something. You and that original cast were indelible and so perfect for Spielberg’s original film, and now you’re coming back for the new one. What was it like, after 20 years?

I think it’s been nearly 30 years.

Oh, god, you’re right…

I know… (laughs) Well, we had a blast. I was pleased to do it for a number of reasons. First of all, to be with my old friends Laura [Dern] and Jeff [Goldblum], you know. We were — this was in the middle of the pandemic — we were locked up in a hotel together in somewhat idyllic rural England and everyone all got on really well. The new cast I liked very much; and the established Jurassic World cast, they’re just the nicest people. Bryce [Dallas Howard] and Chris [Pratt] are absolute sweethearts. Because we were so beleaguered by COVID at this point, we felt we were on our own brave enterprise in a way, and that brought us closer together than ever. It was really an unforgettable time and I’m very grateful for it.

I haven’t seen the finished film yet. I’m sure it’s a very ambitious, huge story, a lot of characters, a lot of dinosaurs. (Laughs) It’s going to be unquestionably big, so they’ve been holding it back until hopefully cinemas are fully open and all that. It’s something that needs to be seen on a very big screen.


When you think back to making the original Spielberg film all those years ago, do you see any ways in which you approach the work differently at this stage in your career? 

Well, I don’t know how many films I’ve made in between. I’m always just pleased to be doing another job. Some jobs are more successful than others; some don’t get the showing they deserve and some do. It’s a crapshoot, making films. But I can’t think of anything more enjoyable. Hopefully I’m getting a little better at what I do. I don’t really look at my work, but hopefully I’m improving. I’m trying the best I can. (Laughs) It’s really just been one hell of a ride. And then to find yourself back with a bunch of dinosaurs and old friends? I couldn’t really think of anything more delightful.

Life is in the details, of course, but from a distance, it can certainly seem as if you’ve kind of got life figured out. You’ve got this long-running artistic career, you’ve always seemed pretty balanced in your values in the statements you make on social media and elsewhere, and then you have your life on your farm and vineyard. So, what I want to ask is: What are the Sam Neill secrets to the good life?

Well, you know, first, you must always “maintain a work-life balance.” (Laughs) Look, I think the most important key to living well is not taking yourself seriously or indeed your career or anything else particularly seriously. Life is pretty short, and if you’re not doing your best to to enjoy it and live it as fully as you can, you’re sort of cheating yourself. And yeah, my sort of farm life and wine-growing life, is separate — but it’s not unconnected to my day job of acting in films and television. One sort of informs the other and one throws the other into relief. When I’m away, I can’t wait to get back to the farm, and after some time at the farm, I can’t wait to get on a plane and start a new adventure with some new people in a new country.

It sounds like the coronavirus pandemic has kept you away from your farm in New Zealand for a while now? 

Yeah, our borders in New Zealand begin to open up again at the end of this month, so I should finally be able to get back at the end of March — and I can’t wait. On the other hand, I’m playing a barrister at the moment on a series we’re shooting here in Australia called The Twelve , and I’ve never done a courtroom scene before and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it. So, as always, I’ll be sad to leave all of my new and old friends here, but I’ll be completely thrilled to get back to my pig, my sheep and my grapes.

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'The Portable Door' Ending Explained: A fantasy adventure movie with draggy ending

Spoilers for 'The Portable Door'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: MGM+ has the latest offering titled 'The Portable Door', which takes us on a thrilling fantasy adventure set in an office that's shrouded in mystery. The London-based firm, JW Wells & Co, is at the center of it all, and there are some dark secrets lurking behind its closed doors. With a setting that's reminiscent of both Harry Potter's Ministry of Magic and Terry Gilliam's Brazil, this co-production between The Jim Henson Company and Sky Cinema is based on the first novel of Tom Holt's JW Wells & Co young adult series, promising potential for numerous sequels.

The story follows the journey of Paul, an ordinary man played by Patrick Gibson (known for his role in 'Shadow & Bone'), who lands an internship at JW Wells & Co, a mysterious company with an even weirder boss Humphrey Wells ( Christoph Waltz ) and middle manager Dennis Tanner( Sam Neill ), despite having no clue about their operations. Although a disappointing and subpar execution, does the ending make it worthwhile? Continue reading to understand what the climax of ' The Portable Door ' has in store for us.

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What is 'The Portable Door' about? Plot of MGM+ fantasy adventure movie explained

Tanner confronts Paul and Sophie

Paul and Sophie, upon acquiring the towel that summons the portable door through the phrase "Knock Knock," break loose as they now have access to anywhere they desire. After exploiting the door, they arrive at their office where they are confronted by Tanner (Sam Neill). He asks them about their beach attire and looks down to find beach sand on the floorboards. With visible tension on their faces, Tanner quickly orders them to fold the towel and place them before Humphrey's office and never return if they want to stay alive. Paul and Sophie decide to return to the building in order to rip up Sophie's draconian contract that makes her surrender her soul to the company and in turn, Humphrey. Let me give you a little detail. Staying at or entering JW Wells and Co past five is not allowed. As Paul and Sophie try to go to Humphrey's office, the door seems to not cooperate as it sends them somewhere else in the building. A hideous dungeon of paperwork and printers with elements of industrial horror is where Paul and Sophie are taken to. After investigating, they quickly learn that the place stores paperwork for all the services provided by JW Wells and Co, including gym memberships, and soul surrendering agreements, or as Humphrey likes to call it, Operation Fine Print. The contract needs to be deposited in the Bank of The Dead for it to be in motion. Just as they thought they know everything, a strange cacophony of loud gnarls and screeches can be heard from the other side of the room. Desperate to save their lives, Paul and Sophie run from the scene only to find themselves before a frustrated group of Goblins. As they are being chased, Paul opens the portable door and escapes to the basement. 

Dennis, the master of Goblins

The strict and arrogant middle manager, Dennis Tanner walks out in front of a spotlight that hides his face in the shadows. As he confronts the pair, his face is visible and it's revealed that he is also a Goblin. He claims to have looked out for Paul throughout his life. Still keeping his calm as it's evident that Tanner is his well-wisher, he demands the door from Paul. Just then Wells arrives at the scene. Tanner tries to defend Paul while Humphrey isn't having any of it. They start fighting against one another which creates the opportunity for Paul and Sophie to escape through the door. As they were about to prompt the name of the place they want to go, Humphrey controls Sophie and restricts her from saying anything which takes them to the Nether. As they entered, Humphrey said, "The one who closes the door, keeps the door." 

Nether and its secrets

The Nether looks like an infinite 3-D space with a door every inch almost reminiscent of the Tesseract in 'Interstellar'. The pair find an old man who keeps waiting for somebody to find a door that will let him out. As he claims, there is no door that leads outside. That man is none other than Humphrey's father, John Wells. Since John didn't deposit the contract which would control Humphrey's soul, he cannot do anything to change the way things are. He was trapped by his son using his baby dragon. A wizard of John's caliber can only be contained in the Nether. As Sophie and John were having a conversation, Paul, using his magical powers, finds the door that leads out. The trio arrive at JW Wells and hastily reach the basement of contracts. John asks them to deposit his contract in the bank. Humphrey finds out his father is free and attacks him in the basement. What follows is a few minutes of intense wizard-style fighting between the father and the son. Paul tries to reach the bank but is trapped by goblins at the command of Humphrey. As the fighting gets intense, Rosie gets to the scene and with John helps resurrect her husband, Arthur who is Tanner's father. As everybody arrives at the scene, Humphrey has John pinned to the ground. Humphrey decides that he will go on his own and attacks Paul to retrieve his soul contract by threatening to hurt Sophie. As Paul walks towards Humphrey, Sophie speaks to Paul in his mind which inspires him to make his own door to reach the bank. He deposits the contract and gives John power over Humphrey's soul. John magically puts him into a school attire and sends him to the Nether. They disable the door and send the towel out for recycling. 

The underwhelming ending

After their victory, Paul and Sophie are appointed by John to the company as permanent employees. Sophie has been fast-tracked to the position of VP while Paul has been appointed as a junior in the Lost and Found department. Here Sophie and Paul are found to communicate through their minds which then cuts to them holding hands and a  shot of the towel being brought by a housekeeping lady to a room in a hotel. After the credits, we see Paul managing his lost and found department for a few seconds as the movie ends. 

'The Portable Door' had an ending that seems refreshing after a, for the lack of a better word, boring plot but loses the grip by extending the scenes irrationally. If the climax was shortened, it would have been a tad more engaging and fun to watch. 

'The Portable Door' is available on MGM+.