'Portal: No escape' is not complete, but it's great fun all the same.
There are leaps taken in the narrative flow, though these can be waved off with the consideration that the accelerated video feed of Chell's cell suggests the passage of much time, and therefore much mental calculation and physical preparation. We don't actually get to see the fabled portal gun used to a great extent, though that's more because of budget and time constraints, I'd think, than lack of imagination. Chell seems incredibly adept in her physicality, movement, and use of the portal gun, more than is perhaps believable - yet, like the skills necessary to excel at any hobby or activity, some people just have a natural gift.
These are things that detract from our engagement with the short - but it's also easy to say this is just nitpicking. Because as a sci-fi short film, and as an adaptation, this is overall brilliant in its execution.
Limited though her capacity in the role may be, Danielle Ryan is swell as Chell, the athletic protagonist ported over from the widely acclaimed game; she very much looks like the Chell we briefly see in the first-person titles. Hats off as well to stunt double Heidi Germaine Schnappauf, whose expertise complements the clear force of personality and resolve portrayed by Ryan.
The design of this portal gun looks great, as do the effects representing the portals it creates. I quite enjoy Mike Zarin's original score, which even in its simplicity lends great air to the uneasy tension of Chell's predicament. And even in only seven minutes, Dan Trachtenberg has concocted a duly satisfying minimalist story demonstrating what 'Portal,' the game, could look like in real life. His eye as director, too, to me illustrates a potential that he explored more fully, to great success, in '10 Cloverfield Lane.' A quick glance at his credits shows Trachtenberg doesn't have an especially long resumé, but these two examples alone make me hope we get to see more from him in the future.
The linchpin is in the final moments of the short: A clever maneuver echoing mechanics from the videogame, followed by the realization that Chell's situation is more dire than she could have known. And the final shot furthers that notion, and holds promise of a much longer tale that could be told. It's a solid ending, making us wish for more.
I'm of the mind that, ideally, the same persons involved in 'Portal: No escape' should be first on the list to work on a full-length adaptation of the 'Portal' games, whatever that feature might look like. That piecemeal news of film development without these folks has come out in recent months is a bit disappointing, and has me ambivalent - but we'll see.
In the meantime, this particular rendition is a fantastic depiction, in brief, of the concept beloved by critics and general public alike. That it's not wholly fulfilling is less about any specific shortcomings, and more about the potential of much more that could be done, given the opportunity. I've greatly enjoyed 'Portal: No escape' from the first day I watched it, and it still holds up now.
Recommended especially for 'Portal' fans and sci-fi fans broadly.
There are leaps taken in the narrative flow, though these can be waved off with the consideration that the accelerated video feed of Chell's cell suggests the passage of much time, and therefore much mental calculation and physical preparation. We don't actually get to see the fabled portal gun used to a great extent, though that's more because of budget and time constraints, I'd think, than lack of imagination. Chell seems incredibly adept in her physicality, movement, and use of the portal gun, more than is perhaps believable - yet, like the skills necessary to excel at any hobby or activity, some people just have a natural gift.
These are things that detract from our engagement with the short - but it's also easy to say this is just nitpicking. Because as a sci-fi short film, and as an adaptation, this is overall brilliant in its execution.
Limited though her capacity in the role may be, Danielle Ryan is swell as Chell, the athletic protagonist ported over from the widely acclaimed game; she very much looks like the Chell we briefly see in the first-person titles. Hats off as well to stunt double Heidi Germaine Schnappauf, whose expertise complements the clear force of personality and resolve portrayed by Ryan.
The design of this portal gun looks great, as do the effects representing the portals it creates. I quite enjoy Mike Zarin's original score, which even in its simplicity lends great air to the uneasy tension of Chell's predicament. And even in only seven minutes, Dan Trachtenberg has concocted a duly satisfying minimalist story demonstrating what 'Portal,' the game, could look like in real life. His eye as director, too, to me illustrates a potential that he explored more fully, to great success, in '10 Cloverfield Lane.' A quick glance at his credits shows Trachtenberg doesn't have an especially long resumé, but these two examples alone make me hope we get to see more from him in the future.
The linchpin is in the final moments of the short: A clever maneuver echoing mechanics from the videogame, followed by the realization that Chell's situation is more dire than she could have known. And the final shot furthers that notion, and holds promise of a much longer tale that could be told. It's a solid ending, making us wish for more.
I'm of the mind that, ideally, the same persons involved in 'Portal: No escape' should be first on the list to work on a full-length adaptation of the 'Portal' games, whatever that feature might look like. That piecemeal news of film development without these folks has come out in recent months is a bit disappointing, and has me ambivalent - but we'll see.
In the meantime, this particular rendition is a fantastic depiction, in brief, of the concept beloved by critics and general public alike. That it's not wholly fulfilling is less about any specific shortcomings, and more about the potential of much more that could be done, given the opportunity. I've greatly enjoyed 'Portal: No escape' from the first day I watched it, and it still holds up now.
Recommended especially for 'Portal' fans and sci-fi fans broadly.