As independent film has become cheaper and more accessible to the masses, the quantity has certainly gone up. But, with that, so has the quality of a few select, talented filmmakers. Valve has never stated that they have any interest in turning "Portal" into a film franchise, but Dan Trachtenberg went ahead and took his own shot, making a short film detailing the life of a female prisoner and her discovery of a certain kind of gun that makes holes. Not bullet holes, mind you...well you'll just have to see for yourself.

There's something about this film that makes it stand tall among all the other video game fan-made projects out there. For one thing, it's brilliantly edited and scored. The pacing and build-up of tension is pitch-perfect and the actress, Danielle Rayne, fits right into the world of "Portal," where strong, silent women rule the day.

If I were to nitpick, I'd say that the guards are a bit hammy, what with their converted paintball helmets, but high-end movie armor is not exactly cheap, so I'm willing to let it slide. The few bits of action in the movie, wherein the heroine uses portals to best her opponents, are exciting and the CG effects are, well, exactly how I'd expect them to look if Valve went ahead and greenlit its own "Portal" movie. So yeah, there's a lot to love here.

Unfortunately it's hard to imagine a full-length "Portal" movie ever really happening. And, even if Trachtenberg does manage to collect enough money to make his own, there's something about the lack of direct human contact that makes the world of "Portal" all its own. Start tossing in human guards and drawn-out dialog about the history of Aperture Science and you're suddenly in trouble. But, as a short film, totally awesome.