There just aren’t enough wizards on TV these days. Well, ones that can jump between dimensions, speak in dodgy English accents and chew the scenery like Matt Frewer’s Taggart character from Eureka. Of all the actors who could pull off being such a melodramatic caster of magic, Tahmoh Penikett of Battlestar Galactica fame isn’t one I’d have picked first… until I watched this trailer for The Portal.
The Portal is an 11-minute short film by Canada-based First Love Films. The short has enjoyed a number of showings in the US and is currently doing its best to become a web (and hopefully TV) series.
A dimension-travelling wizard gets stuck in the 21st century because cell phone radiation interferes with his magic. With his home world on the brink of war, he seeks help from a jaded travel agent who he mistakes for a great sorceress. Without his powers to prove his identity, she has trouble taking him seriously, but finally agrees to reveal the secrets of our world in exchange for a lunch date.
It had me at “dimension-travelling”, but I was completely sold until I heard “halfling”. Watch the clip and you’ll understand.
The Portal Official Trailer (2014) [YouTube]
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