Who knew you could spin a web series into a short movie? It’s kind of like spinning a movie off a tv show… Kind of. But the web series doesn’t matter for The Key because it’s all about build up and punch line. Oddly, writer-director Shilati doesn’t thank Kevin Smith, which he definitely should do since his script for this short mimics Smith’s joke structure almost exactly.
It’s funny. It’s a funny short, with a vaguely original (but not really, again, see Kevin Smith) joke turned into a short with a pair of actors who work well together.
John Forest is the wacky one, Neil Hopkins is the straight-laced one. Forest is good in the short. He’s got a lot more to do. Hopkins doesn’t get a single decent moment. Shilati uses slow motion instead.
The Key is funny, but never feels original at all… quite the opposite.
