K-Pax (Collector's Edition)

There are many different reasons for watching a movie, and I suppose I have about as many of them as anyone: sometimes I'll watch a slapstick comedy just for the chuckles, or a grand historical epic so I can be transported to a world that's simultaneously fantastic and familiar, or a murder mystery for the fun of solving a puzzle. But whenever I saw previews or reviews for K-Pax I couldn't for the life of me figure why I'd want to watch this movie. As far as I could tell I knew what the movie was: a character study involving someone who may or may not be an alien, being treated in a mental institution by someone who may or may not believe he's an alien. The way I figured it, he either is or he isn't. If he is, it's a fish-out-of-water story with a sci-fi slant. If he isn't, it's a one-flew-over-the-cuckoo's-nest story with a little ambiguity thrown in but resolved in the end. Neither of these were movies that I'd seek out, but I found myself again and again drawn to watching K-Pax, waiting for the mood to strike me. To be sure, I love Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey in just about anything they've done, and I had no reason to believe I wouldn't be watching a well-made, well-acted movie, just perhaps one not quite to my taste. So imagine my surprise when I found myself stunned by not only the movie's emotional power, but by it's visual beauty. I suppose it's a testament to the limited imaginations of the people who decide how to craft a trailer or a blurb in order to sell a movie, but K-Pax it seems to me has been done a terrible disservice, because it's promotionals all seem to focus on the mystery of "is he or isn't he?", which in my opinion misses the entire thrust of the movie. Amazingly, the director and his cinematographer have deliberately and lovingly crafted a dreamlike fantasy that exists squarely and believably within the everyday world of overworked urban professionals and weary suburban commuters. From K-Pax's opening scene, which follows a feather as it drifts down a column of light into the sun-drenched vastness of Union Station, to the heartbreaking finale, the movie gently but inexorably reveals to us the lives of the two protagonists, and eventually the intertwining of those lives, all the while painting around them a world of ineffable beauty, a world defined by light. I feel I can without reservation place K-Pax squarely within the tradition of those films to which I can go when my reason for watching is to revel in their pure visual beauty, films like Ridley Scott's "The Duellists" and "Bladerunner", or Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" and "Barry Lyndon". It is however Krzysztof Kie'lowski's "Blue" that most often occurs to me when I watch K-Pax, and it's in the company of these great films that I believe K-Pax belongs.

This is a wonderful movie, not sure how many times we have watched it. It will leave you being surprised.

I absolutely adore this movie! It has such a fantastic story- I'm reading the book right now and together they are perfect! It's rare that the book and movie match each other so closely. The movie always keeps you guessing and engaged, is "prot" really an alien or is he really suffering from some trauma? The impossible becomes the possible and you want to believe that he really came from K-PAX but your logical mind is rooting for the Dr. to figure it out and help him. The movie is full of poignant insight into the human condition with great commentary. The other characters in the movie are engaging also and its just an absolute pleasure to watch it multiple times and share with friends.

I highly recommend this movie. The acting was phenomenal. Kevin Spacey's acting range is worth watching. Casting Jeff Bridges as the Psychiatrist was perfect. The ending still leaves you wondering. This movie took me in emotionally and made me care about every character.

I liked the acting and cinematography throughout. Good atmosphere, though I'm biased since I'm a sucker for movies of this era. Story was alright. While there is an aspect of mystery to the movie, it's really more about the journey rather than what comes at the end, particularly Jeff Bridge's journey. Imo, the movie is carried more by the acting, cinematography, and storytelling execution rather than the actual story on paper itself.

I've been waiting for a Blu-Ray release of this film for many years. When I happened upon the Kino Lorber presentation that was just released earlier this month, I ordered immediately. Was glad I did. For those that don't know, this movie is about a man who claims to be a traveler from the planet K-Pax. Soon afterwards, he's placed in a psychiatric hospital under the care of a psychiatrist who's trying to get to the bottom of this enigmatic person. Is he a traumatized individual who invented an elaborate fantasy life to cope with his disaster, or is he really an alien from another planet? I've always liked this movie and there are a few reasons why I like it. For one, the story is really great and presented well. There is no clear-cut answer as to whether the character calling himself "Prot" was truly a traveler from space or not. There is clearly a man who has been traumatized (and his story is reenacted with gut-wrenching detail), but it's never definitively answered as to whether "Prot" was a construction of a damaged psyche or if he was inhabiting a human. We don't know and that's what makes the story great. The imagery is great as well. Prot claims to travel on beams of light, so we see many light beams and refractions throughout which gives the film a somewhat dreamy feel. Finally, there is the fantastic performances delivered by Kevin Spacey as Prot and Jeff Bridges as his psychiatrist. Spacey can go from calm traveler to traumatized individual at the drop of a hat and you really feel his portrayals. Bridges makes a perfect analytical psychiatrist who also delivers an emotional performance the closer he gets to his patient's life story. The Blu-Ray presentation is great. Perfect restoration that really makes the imagery stand out. I've had the DVD copy for years and was always a little disappointed at how grainy that copy was. This Blu-Ray more than makes up for it and really brings new life to the film. The special features are all brought over from the Universal DVD release, so while there is quite a bit to review, there is nothing new to see if you've already seen the DVD release. There are a few extra movie trailers included, but that's it. Two audio tracks (English and Feature-Length Commentary), and an English subtitle option. All in all, a really great package and highly recommended.

Spacey is so cool in this playing an alien who has taken Human form. He does a super job acting that way basically as a disembodied being.

This is an amazing film. I felt as if there were two possible interpretations of reality in the acting and script. One is obvious and the other deeper and mysterious. I highly recommend this film.