The Gateway was initially released in 2018, when it won or was nominated for several awards at various film festivals. Now, the film, written by director John V. Soto and Michael White, is poised to be released on a plethora of streaming platforms under the title Alpha Gateway. Is the dramatic sci-fi thriller worth seeking out? Did it deserve its awards at the fests?
Jane (Jacqueline McKenzie) is an overworked particle physicist attempting to crack the secrets of teleportation with her lab partner, Regg (Ben Mortley). Her husband, Matt (Myles Pollard), is an author and is the primary caretaker of their teenage children, Samantha (Shannon Berry) and Jake (Ryan Panizza), as he works from home. The family dynamic is strong, even if Jane works extremely long hours, which pays off when she and Regg discover that their items have been sent to a parallel world. Unfortunately, things go topsy-turvy when Matt dies in a car accident.
Jane’s grief pushes her to do the unthinkable: she sends herself to one of the parallel Earths. There, she finds a Matt whose Jane died, and the two didn’t have kids. Believing this to be the perfect answer, Jane brings this alternate Matt home. Samantha and Jake are excited at first, but their new dad has a more volatile temperament. Is it just that he’s not used to the needs of children? Could it be that living in a non-native world is negatively affecting Matt? Or is there something sinister about this version of Jane’s perfect husband?
“Believing this to be the perfect answer, Jane brings this alternate Matt home.”
Alpha Gateway is great, really great even, until the end. And I do mean the end: the final scene, which lasts maybe 30 seconds, leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. It is a shock for its own sake and does not significantly impact the story’s thrust. This is unfortunate, as not having a complete narrative detracts from the rewatchability factor.
But the plot is stellar until then. Jane’s motivations make perfect sense, and her attempts to keep it together for the kids are emotional. Samantha and Jake react in ways that feel accurate, while Matt’s adjusting to a new everything is believable. It certainly helps that a great cast plays these well-written characters. McKenzie steals the show, transitioning seamlessly from happy to grieving to elated to concerned, striking the perfect balance of toughness and vulnerability. Pollard excels at making audiences question Matt’s personality and quirks. Berry and Panizza come across as real siblings and share good chemistry with their on-screen parents. Mortley is superb as the comedic relief, though he gets a few chances to show his range nicely.
Soto directs Alpha Gateway with flair. A moment involving a cop is thrilling thanks to the sense of urgency the filmmaker creates. The science fiction elements are just realistic and modern enough to work within the real world. But there’s still a sense of awe about them. The thriller aspects are intense and nail-biting.
Alpha Gateway is a superbly crafted sci-fi thriller with a strong cast. The direction weaves several genres together without confusion and offers up an almost real-world that is easy to buy into. The characters are wonderfully conceived, and their actions consistently make sense. It is too bad then that the very end leaves all the greatness that preceded it in an unresolved state that is neither fulfilling nor intriguing. But all in all, this indie production is worth watching at least once.
For more information, visit the official Alpha Gateway Facebook page.
"…superbly crafted sci-fi thriller with a strong cast."
