DOORS aka PORTAL (2021) Reviews of sci-fi anthology thriller

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Doors is a 2021 American science-fiction thriller about individuals that come together when alien “doors” suddenly appear around the globe. Also known as Portal

The American anthology movie was directed by Jeff Desom, Saman Kesh, Dugan O’Neal and creative director Saman Kesh. The Bloody Disgusting-BoulderLight Pictures production stars Josh Peck, Lina Esco, Wilson Bethel and Kyp Malone.

Plot:

Without explanation or warning, a number of mysterious, alien “doors” suddenly appear in every corner of the globe. While many of those that encounter these sentient doors feel the strange urge to interact with them – never to be seen again – others stay behind to face the potential threat of what their true agenda towards mankind is.

In a rush to determine the reason for the arrival of these cosmic anomalies, the government enlists volunteers to brave the journey to enter the doors so that we might learn more about their origin or purpose. But even these brave volunteers are not prepared for what lies beyond the threshold.

The story of the doors is told through multiple perspectives: a ragtag band of high school students discover a door for the first time, volunteers explore the parallel reality beyond the threshold, and a lonesome hermit manages the seemingly impossible: establishing communication with a door…

Reviews:

“I liked Lockdown better than Knockers, I liked Knockers better than Lamaj, and I liked everything that came before better than that final segment with Martin Midnight. I never disliked Doors, I was always on board with what was going on and wanted to find out what was going to happen next, the whole movie is worth watching…” Arrow in the Head

“Sometimes a bit inert and intermittently frustrating, this sci-fi anthology movie still has enough intriguing ideas and arresting visuals to make it worth seeing — and worth thinking about. Doors is fairly cohesive for an anthology film, given that the three main stories take place in the same world and within the same situation, just at different times.” Common Sense Media

“The stories are so slight and the basic concept is so underdeveloped that Doors never stood a chance at success. Making middling matters worse is the chintziness cheapening up the screen everywhere an eye turns. From excessive text exposition typed in an awful font to the doors themselves [….], there’s simply no way to take Doors seriously.” Culture Crypt

“Overall, Doors is an interesting film that embraces an unconventional storytelling method to try to convey some rather big ideas, all on a minimal budget. And while it isn’t fully successful, it’s still a worthwhile experiment.” Daily Dead

“I really liked this somewhat abstract approach to the alien invasion theme, and the three stories show, subtly, the development of earth’s occupation. Granted there probably wasn’t a lot of budget on the table, but here the truism that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ is very much in evidence. Pretty good.” Dark Eyes of London

“The acting is mediocre, and the direction in each episode is substandard but the film’s overall look and ambiance is, at times, compelling and visually impressive, it’s just a pity they couldn’t incorporate those two traits into every other aspect of the film.” Irish Film Critic

“The magic in the effects used for the doors themselves was amazing and many of them will leave you with a very unsettling feeling. All the actors played their roles to almost perfection, not only in interacting with their costars but also with their surroundings. The multiple perspectives was ingenious to cover the various circumstances that could occur as well as the different emotions.” Nightmarish Conjurings

“It comes across more like a showreel than a stand-alone film, like, a confusingly edited sizzle teaser for a much more in-depth Doors drama series […] Who knows, maybe someone will see this film as the floor-model version of a killer story idea. But seen on its own merits, it’s just one missed chance after another.” Polygon

“One of my favorite things about the film is how each door delivered a new obscured reality. You never knew what to expect. It was both exciting and terrifying. One of my favorite scenes was in ‘Lockdown’ which blended sci-fi and horror perfectly.” Pop Horror

Release:

Doors was released theatrically in select locations on March 19, 2021, then on VOD platforms on March 23rd and on DVD/Blu-ray on April 6th.

In the UK, Signature Entertainment releases the film as Portal on Digital Platforms and DVD on 19th April 2021.

Cast and characters:

Wilson Bethel … Ricky
Lina Esco … Becky
Josh Peck … Vince
Kyp Malone … Jamal
Jordan Rock … Wiz
Julianne Collins … Lizzie
Aric Floyd … Jake
Darius Levanté … Alan
Rory Anne Dahl … Rory
David Hemphill … Martin Midnight
Kathy Khanh … Ash (as Kathy Khanh Nguyen)

Trailer:

Clip:

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