Photo taken from theseoldcolors.com

To me, dystopian science fiction movies must be the Film God’s version of the Babel Tower, a way of smacking down an audience for having the gall to possess an imagination. Something about the lost promise of technology and the future just seems to resonate with the bleak atmosphere and hopelessness of the dystopian theme apparently. While I can appreciate the irony, there are some instances where I find it grating in the extreme, especially in post-apocalyptic versions where science often revert backwards. The reason is they take away the one thing I have always loved about the science fiction genre, the ability to push the boundaries on what we think is possible.  Yet I’m happy to say there is reason to rejoice in the form of the short film, Portal: No Escape by Dan Trachtenberg.

Portal: No Escape, based on the videogame with the same title by Valve Software, begins with our protagonist waking up in a cell with absolutely no idea where she is. Time passes as she acclimates herself to confinement, probing the walls every so often in search of a way out. Finally, she discovers a very interesting device that, with the right amount of creativity, may hold the key to her prison, and perhaps to everything else as well!

What I love about Portal: No Escape is the fact that it’s an example of what you can do when you put the science back in dystopian science fiction. The device, the technological possibilities it offers, is a central asset to the story. The doors it can open up, literally in some instances, challenge both the protagonist and the audience to think laterally in order to make the best use of it, pushing ones preconceived notions while still making logical sense.

Photo taken from telegraph.co.uk

I compare this to some of the latest futuristic dystopian films out there like the Hunger Games, which I did enjoy, but left me a more then a little tenuous on the necessity of science fiction elements being there at all. Whereas Portal is dependent on its technology to move the story forward, Hunger Games is all about tapping into something primitive and decadent, often having to make do with what little the characters have on hand in order to survive. I could easily picture  Katniss and the other tributes story in a period piece doing a show in the Colosseum of Rome or some surreal drama taking place on a television show set in the present day, like a less funny and more bloody version of Jim Carrey’s The Truman Show. 

If you’re looking for a thrilling experience that makes you do a different take on how you’re looking at things and opens up new possibilities for a seasoned genre then I highly recommend checking out Portal: No Escape. Oh, and The game’s not too bad either.

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