Good fantasy is becoming harder and harder to come by these days, especially when companies like Netflix are going out of the way to cancel as many popular shows set within the genre as humanly possible, but one of the year’s best-reviewed offerings didn’t get much of a look-in at all after The Portable Door was quietly shuffled out onto digital, VOD, and on-demand without so much as a whisper.
Based on the 2003 novel of the same name, the premise finds the world of corporate machinations and ancient magic combining, with Patrick Gibson’s Paul Carpenter landing an internship at a London-based firm with an eccentric band of employees, headed up by an enigmatic CEO who seeks to bolt the mystical onto everyday boardroom strategy.

Featuring an esteemed cast that includes two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz, Jurassic Park legend Sam Neill, Taika Waititi regular Rachel House, Screen Actors Guild Award victor Miranda Otto, and supremely underrated character actor Damon Herriman to name but a small few, The Portable Door won over critics to the tune of a 91 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, making it one of the year’s best-reviewed fantasies.
However, outside of a limited theatrical release in Australia, the movie was largely hidden from public view. Sure, it was available to stream on Sky Cinema and NowTV in the United Kingdom and MGM+ in the United States, but those aren’t exactly regarded as top-tier platforms. On the plus side, FlixPatrol naming The Portable Door as a proud member of the Google Play global charts does at least hint that a wider audience is ready and willing to be won over by its charms.
Published: Jun 13, 2023 02:15 am