The must-see movie of the season opened on Friday, and once again, a stellar leading performance was turned in by Kevin Spacey.
“K-PAX” is a movie about Prot (Spacey), a mysterious character who is either a lunatic or an alien.
Prot claims to have come from the planet K-PAX, from which he used a beam of light to travel faster than light speeds to reach Earth. Prot seems to know just a little more than everyone else here on Earth, plus he can speak and learn multiple languages with relative ease (including dog) and he consistently provides correct answers to everything asked of him.
Jeff Bridges puts in another excellent performance across the screen from Spacey, but he will most certainly be overlooked. Bridges plays Prot’s psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Powell, who becomes too consumed with his mysterious patient.
As Powell starts to question Prot’s origin, the audience does the same. Elements of suspense work their way into the plot through exaggerations of Powell’s mind. He begins to imagine what the possibilities are and becomes determined to find the truth. His quest for that knowledge is what keeps the movie progressing.
Along with the moments of suspense and mystery, this movie has something for everybody. There are comical, heartwarming scenes where patients are healed and walls are torn down.
This movie is also very family-oriented. Powell struggles to find time to spend with his family due to his obsession over Prot. Therefore, Prot helps Powell realize where his priorities should lie.
Although the movie revolves around the conflict of Prot’s origin, one would be missing the point if they did not notice Prot’s messages are the underlying meaning of the film. Prot expresses poetic gestures numerous times, which help offer comfort and understanding to those with whom he interacts.
One of the film’s strengths, a feature that may be overlooked by some, was the use of light. During the credits, each name was blurred into the screen through a variation of white light which sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Prot bases the majority of his knowledge and powers from light, and he consistently wears sunglasses because of the Earth’s massive amount of light. Often, when something significant occurred, it was signaled by bright flashes of light.
If a fault must be found within the movie, it lies in the over-confidence that is apparent in the writings of either Gene Brewer, who wrote the novel, or Charles Leavitt, who wrote the screenplay. An overuse of certain phrases and certain wisecracks leads one to believe the writers forgot they were carrying on the conversations by themselves. The remarks are over-excessive and seem lame by the end of the flick. But overall, the movie has many high points compared to the downfalls.
“K-PAX” is unlike most movies in release today — it is better than the hype that preceeds it. Spacey puts in another award-worthy performance, while Bridges adds to Spacey’s performance, making Prot seem as alien-like as possible.
