Kairos Productions and Terror Films
VOD Release Date:
Dec 10, 2021
Not to be confused with the videogame of the same name, Portal Runner is an intriguing tale of sci-fi terror hell bent on making Christmas for Nolan’s family miserable. This boy (Sloane Morgan Siegel) is sometimes home alone and sometimes not. He can make use of mirrors (charged by a strange quantum device) to hop into a parallel universe. Each is slightly different from the other, and it’s not great when what’s unique in each are exploited.
The holiday theme about families coming together is gently explored in this modestly budgeted film. We see that everything is not always perfect between the 15-year old and his parents.
In one universe, he has a sister, Mae (Elise Eberle) to whom he better be on good terms with. Yet one dimension over, his father (Matt Shimkus) never left the family. This film is more about family bonding as no other reality sees them as a completely happy unit. There’s someone running afoul, and an entity who can possess people and turn them into a version of Freddie Kruger, complete with snarky remarks rather than bad puns.
That’s when the terror gets amped up and we have a merry chase through the multiverse. Only Nolan can cross worlds since he got affected by an invention his dad made. I particularly like the thought put into how crossing barriers can be done. The placement of these mirrors matters; this concept is rarely explained in comic books when there are heroes and villains who can dimension hop. I’m thinking of The Flash two seasons ago.
As for whether Nolan’s family has come out for better or worse after this situation, this film has enough of a denouement to offer a bit of food for thought. Plus, the inclusion of Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager) is a hoot. His role in the film isn’t too important, but it helps add a bit of humour to an otherwise regular family drama. His “commercial” is also worth catching in full after the end credits finish.
4 Stars out of 5
