"Your produce alone has been worth the trip." (Review)

Several years ago I thought of an idea for an invention – a machine that could erase specific memories. Now I know this certainly isn’t a new concept and I’m sure many people have had the same idea long before I did, but my idea for the “memory erasing” machine was born out of a love of movies. There are countless applications for such a device, but again my idea was very specific – what if we could erase the memory of a great movie, just so we could enjoy watching it again for the first time? Don’t tell my wife but I would take out a couple of extra mortgages on the house just to afford such a machine.

Being able to watch the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars trilogies again, without any knowledge of how they turn out, would be amazing. Or imagine watching something like Fight Club or The Sixth Sense again without knowing anything about the surprise endings. And I would personally take great joy in being able to erase my memory of Fantastic Four. Not so I could watch it again but so I could stop thinking about those two hours of my life I wasted. Of course, a number of questions are raised when thinking about a device with that kind of capability. First and foremost in my mind is ‘would I still enjoy Star Wars if I saw it today without any memory of the history of growing up with it as part of my life?’ But then the whole issue becomes too philosophical for my tastes. I just want to experience the excitement and newness of a great movie again and again and again.

Fortunately I have a poor memory as it is. Usually I remember quite a bit about certain movies – dialogue, music, specific scenes and frames. But sometimes I’ll watch a fantastic movie and then forget just how great it really was. That was the case with K-Pax. I had the chance to watch it again this weekend and I couldn’t help thinking ‘boy, this is way better than I remember it!’ It’s times like those when I realize the potential for my invention. It’s the 21st century already! How much longer do I have to wait?

Kevin Spacey stars as Prot, a human claiming to be from another planet, K-Pax. Apparently showing up out of nowhere Prot soon finds himself in a mental institution where Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) attempts to discover the truth of Prot’s origins. What seems like a simple case of delusion soon becomes much more complex as Dr. Powell begins to doubt his own diagnosis, claiming that Prot is “the most convincing delusional” he’s ever met. Is Prot really from K-Pax? The short answer is...maybe.

Kevin Spacey is one of my favourite actors and it’s roles like this one that make him so enjoyable to watch. His performance is brilliant, perfectly portraying a character that will keep you guessing all the way to the end. There are several scenes involving hypnotism where Dr. Powell regresses Prot in an attempt to learn about his past. Kevin Spacey really shines in these moments as he manages to truly convince you that Prot is reliving his youth while still maintaining his conviction about being from another planet. It’s very impressive.

Jeff Bridges does a fantastic job as well. Doctors in films, especially psychiatrists, seem to be interested in only one thing – proving they are right. They figure they already know the truth, they just need to convince the patient of it. Although Dr. Powell is obviously sceptical of Prot’s origins, he seems genuinely interested in discovering the actual truth. It’s refreshing to see Dr. Powell question himself as he questions Prot. The relationship between Prot and Powell is engaging and uplifting to watch, and that’s a credit to both of these wonderful actors.

Watching K-Pax, you’ll find yourself asking questions and continually changing your mind about who Prot really is. It’s this aspect that makes the film great. Nothing is cut and dry here. In one scene you will have convinced yourself that Prot is truly human, suffering from delusions following some kind of trauma, only to have Prot himself convince you he really is from K-Pax in the next scene. I’m sure there are some great parallels to beliefs and Christianity that could be drawn from K-Pax, but it’s Monday morning and I don’t think my brain is that active yet.

The Collector’s Edition DVD looks and sounds great, but since K-Pax is largely dialogue driven there isn’t much here to really shout about. The colors are crisp and clean, in some scenes almost bordering on High Definition. K-Pax is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic video and all my loyal blog-readers understand what that means. Right class? A DTS track is also included, and again, blog-readers can join me in a resounding “huzzah!”, knowing full well that DTS is where it’s at. Bonus features include an alternate ending, deleted scenes, audio commentary, making-of featurette, storyboards, production photographs, and a trailer. Not too shabby for a single-disc release.

If you’re a Kevin Spacey fan I can almost guarantee you’ll enjoy K-Pax. Of course, if you’re a real Kevin Spacey fan I can almost guarantee you’ve already seen K-Pax. Well, if you haven’t seen it you really need to check it out. You won’t be disappointed. And if you have seen it, well, maybe you should watch it again. Chances are you’ve forgotten just how good it really is.

K-Pax gets 8 ½ binary sunrises (out of 10).

Catch a beam of light and click here for ‘K-Pax’ trivia.