Why Does “Parallels” Feel Like It’s Only The Start of a Larger Story?
Parallels (2015) is an exciting piece of science fiction. The plot follows a group of people who enter an abandoned downtown building to discover the structure is a portal between alternate versions of Earth. Some Earths have modest differences, while others reveal the planet as an unrecognizable apocalyptic waste - but the building is always the same. With every minute, the film creates new twists, crafts new curiosities to address, and when it reaches its conclusion, explodes with mystery and intrigue that opens up a thousand new questions.
And then it’s over.
Absolutely nothing gets resolved. Momentum gets ramped up only for the credits to roll. The story is just beginning when the film ends, and it leaves every element of its narrative up in the air. Parallels feels like it’s only the start of a larger story because, well - it is.
As it turns out, Parallels isn’t really a movie. At least, it’s not a movie that was written with the intent of being a standalone piece. It was designed to be a pilot for a series, but was branded into a movie and put on Netflix as a means of distribution to audiences. This makes for a super frustrating film, but also a promising glimpse into what could be a terrific television show. The situation is like Firefly (2002) in reverse - here, we start with Serenity (2005), and hope the series follows.
Parallels was produced by Fox Digital Studio, the newest division of Twentieth Century Fox, which creates TV and film content designed to premiere on digital services like Netflix and Hulu before expanding into larger markets. It’s somewhat of a production company for testing ideas and deploying them via inexpensive methods. But what follows is ambiguous. Parallels director Christopher Leone says he’s very much still in talks for making Parallels into something more, but no real information is available.
The downside of the way Fox Digital Studio launched the film is if Parallels is never picked up as a series, or never given the budget to create a film sequel, while it’s an engaging and interesting beginning to a story, it’s essentially a pointless watch that offers zero closure.