K-PAX

[StevePulaski]

Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.

Rating: ★★★½

K-PAX is one of the most wonderful, engaging, and interesting science fiction films I have yet to see. It is projected in its own sea of innocence not trying to establish a following of any kind, not trying to dominate the Oscars, but simply to tell a simple yet complex story of a man who convinces people he is from a mysterious planet in a constellation we homo-sapiens know nothing about.

The man's name is Prot (rhymes with "goat," who is played by Kevin Spacey) and the planet is named "K-PAX." Prot is arrested at an airport for mysteriously hovering over a woman who had just been mugged. Prot is taking for psychiatric evaluation at The Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan where Dr. Mark Powell (Bridges) takes care of the man and listens to his convincing stories and his quirky lifestyle on this planet.

We are told "K-PAX" is in the Lyra constellation, which Earth has little knowledge of. This only further makes the audience believes that Prot is being honest, but several instances in the film make us wonder if he's an honest alien or a very delusional mental patient who wants to believe he is from the planet. My opinion on the matter isn't vital, and I encourage everyone to form their own when watching. It's not something to strike a debate about, and I fear that by providing evidence I'll be spoiling what is one of the most intriguing science fiction tales in a blue moon.

Prot's evaluation is a tricky one. He speaks with big words, long monologues, all in a calm and very subtle nature. He is a gentle man, not looking to harm, but looking to promote arguments and opinions as he is seen communicating with dogs in one scene and proving that we have misunderstood what Einstein has said for many, many years.

Prot is definitely one of the most interesting film characters I've come across in quite sometime. Here is a man that has been treated like dirt, forced to deal with not being taken seriously until stumbling upon an amazing doctor, and has been lead this way and that and can still talk and approach people in a quiet and controlled manner. Never does this character become a bore because his antics and daring actions keep us amused and baffled. Even though he is technically a stranger to our planet, he has the gall to criticize our way of life even when he is being held for psychiatric counseling. Maybe that makes him one of the bravest characters too.

K-PAX was developed from the book of the same name, and author Gene Brewer worked side by side with Charles Leavitt to write the script. I also enjoy when writers adapt their own books to film. It creates a more sentimental feel to the work rather than having some immediate stranger take someone else's work into thei own hands. Many, many films have been successful that way, but it's nice to see the original person adapt their own personal work on the screen in the way, shape, and form they themselves want to see it in.

This is quite a film. It may take hours to sink in with some people. But somehow, this little gem managed to squeeze itself under the radar. Being heavy on the drama but very clear with the science fiction element, K-PAX is a thought-provoking and a completely genuine movie experience.

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack, and Alfre Woodard. Directed by: Iain Softley.